UNIT 9 LATE MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE AND ART (c. 1100–1550s)
Human heads decorate one of the chancel arches
Rib vaulting in the chancel
Painting
A restoration of the chapel in the 1990s revealed fragments of painted scenes from the early life of Christ, the Magi meeting with Herod, the adoration of the Magi and a scene with shepherds. The paintings may have been prepared for the visit of Henry II in 1171. Other areas of the chapel also show traces of paint, so it’s possible that the whole interior was brightly painted.
Function
Cormac’s Chapel was designed for ceremonial use. The elaborate north door and the formal doorway to the north tower inside the building suggest important functions. The tomb niche in the north wall and the decorated chest-tomb, still in the church, suggest that important people were entombed there, where they could be visited and commemorated.
Figure 26.10 The chancel arch of Cormac’s Chapel, featuring a row of carved heads, separates the nave from the rib-vaulted chancel.
Some people think that Cormac Mac Cártaigh wanted to build something very impressive to outshine his rivals for the Munster kingship, the O’Briens. They had built St Flannan’s Oratory at Killaloe some years earlier, probably with the assistance of English masons. Cormac must have gathered all his resources to create a royal chapel at the new centre of the archdiocese of Cashel.
Figure 26.11 A scene from the ceiling frescoes in Cormac’s Chapel at Cashel, Co. Tipperary. Only fragments remain of the once- colourful bible scenes.
CHAPTER 26 THE HIBERNO-ROMANESQUE PERIOD (c. 1100–1200s)
