Viking age stone grave markers go on display

Two Viking era stone grave markers thought to be 1,000 years old have been put on display in a church in the north of the Isle of Man.

The carved monuments, known as the Manx crosses, were revealed when a storm knocked down part of the wall in St Patrick's Church in Jurby in early 2022.

Thought to be from the ninth or tenth century, the stones have now become a permanent feature of the church, which is open daily from 10:00-16:00 BST.

Sandra Kerrison, secretary of the Friends of Jurby Church group, said finding the crosses had changed the significance of the site.

They are a legacy of both Christian faith and Viking settlement on the island, with carvings ranging from simple crosses to complex depictions of Christian and Scandinavian themes.

The two stones were taken to the Manx Museum for recording and safe-keeping until they could be securely displayed.

The stones were carved as memorials at the site of an early chapel or keeill, and in 1700 some of the large crosses from the keeill were broken up and used for the construction of the old parish church.

When the old church was demolished in the early 1800s, the stones were reused for the wall of St Patrick's Church, which was where they were found in 2022.

The Friends of Jurby Church, which works to refurbish the 200-year-old building, received an £8,000 grant from the Ann Harrison Trust for the construction of a cabinet to house the larger 34kg stone, as well as to install both crosses into the Church.

A new path has been completed to the church, which the charity said has made the building more accessible.

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