While Ireland’s high crosses have been extensively studied as vehicles of religious instruction, artistic innovation, and political messaging, their capstones have attracted little sustained analysis. Too often dismissed as structural remnants or incidental ornaments, they have been overshadowed by the figural iconography that dominates these monuments. This thesis re-evaluates the role of capstones within the iconographic and theological programme of the high crosses, arguing that they were purposefully crafted symbolic devices integral to the articulation of sanctity, kingship, and sacred space in early medieval Ireland.
Two principal capstone types are identified: house-shaped and beehive-shaped. The former evokes reliquary shrines and ecclesiastical architecture, resonating with institutional sanctity and the authority of the commemorated holy dead. The latter recalls the beehive huts (clocháin) of Irish ascetics, but also invokes the domed form of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. In this way, beehive capstones simultaneously encode ideals of local eremitic withdrawal and universal claims of proximity to the sacred geography of Christ’s Resurrection. Capstones must also be situated within the broader monumental landscapes in which they were embedded. Boundaries, routes, and vistas often attracted monuments for diverse and overlapping reasons, a phenomenon of equifinality that complicates interpretation. To address this, comparative epigraphy and ecclesiastical topography are employed to distinguish intentional siting from happenstance. Crosses combining capstones with royal inscriptions—especially those naming Uí Néill kings—demonstrate a deliberate fusion of dynastic authority with sacred symbolism. Here, capstones acted not only as reliquary analogues but also as anchors of political theology, rooting claims of sovereignty in stone. Finally, the analysis situates capstones in dialogue with the wider iconographic programmes of the crosses, including scenes such as David’s anointing and the Traditio Clavium. These images, when read in conjunction with the crowning presence of the capstone, reinforce the high cross as a monument where sanctity, sovereignty, and sacred geography were co-articulated. Ultimately, this study reframes the capstone not as a decorative finial, but as a visual and theological key to understanding the layered symbolism of Ireland’s most iconic monuments.
