St. Martin's Cross
East Face, Isle of Iona, Scotland
St. Martin's Cross was carved from a single slab of gray epidiorite in the mid
to late 8th century. The most perfect of the surviving crosses on Iona, it
stands in its original position where the monks of the island monastery placed
it twelve hundred years ago. The cross, including its base is seventeen feet
high and is carved from a stone that originally came from Argyll, Scotland. The
raised circles, or bosses, are thought to represent God with everything
revolving around Him. Intertwined between theses bosses are serpents, which in
the Celtic work represented rebirth since the snake sheds its old skin;
symbolizing our rebirth into a new life upon acceptance of Jesus. The ring
around the cross head represents eternal life and is a common feature in Celtic
Crosses.
