Global InformationShrine of Miosach information
| Shrine of Miosach | |
|---|---|
 The frontpiece, added in 1532 AD | |
| Material | Yew-wood, bronze, silver, enamel |
| Size | height 26.6cm, width 23.2cm, depth 6.3cm.[1] |
| Created | late 11th and early 16th centuries |
| Discovered | Clonmany, County Donegal, Ireland |
| Present location | National Museum of Ireland, Dublin |
The Shrine of Miosach (also known as The Misach, Irish: Míosach[2]) is an elaborately ornamented 11th-century Irish cumdach (book shrine). It originates from Clonmany, north County Donegal, and is first mentioned in the 1165 Irish annals. It is dated to the late 11th century, when it probably contained a manuscript with psalms or extracts from a Gospel. However, the shrine was empty when first described in detail in the 18th century. It was originally associated with St Cairneach, patron saint of Dulane, County Meath,[3] but by the late medieval period had become part of the cult of the abbot and missionary Colm Cille (521-59 AD).[4]
The shrine was heavily re-worked and added to in the 16th century; in 1534 the goldsmith Brian O'Morrison added a front cover and side-plates adorned with semi-precious stones, and reliefs including the crucified Christ, depictions of the crowned Virgin and Child, and the three patron saints of Ireland: St. Bridget, St. Patrick and Colm Cille.[1] O'Morrison fixed his additions to the wooden core with nails.
As with the cumdach holding the Cathach of St. Columba, in the Middle Ages it was carried into battle like a standard.[5] It is held by the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, in its archaeology building on Kildare Street.
- ^ a b "Enshrining The Book". Trinity College Dublin, 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2021
- ^ Petrie (1850–53), pp. 464–467
- ^ "Shrine of the Miosach: An Early Irish Book Shrine". Irish Archaeology, 28 May 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2021
- ^ O Floinn (2002), p. 269
- ^ Lucas (1986), 27