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Ruthwell Cross
The Ruthwell Cross is a 17 foot high stone cross erected in the eighth century near a former military site (later probably a monastery) in Dumfriesshire. The cross was pulled down and broken in the seventeenth century and partially reconstructed in the nineteenth. It is now located in a small apse on the north side of the Ruthwell church.
The cross is carved with scriptural scenes surrounded by Latin inscriptions on its broad sides, and with continuous vinescrolls surrounded by an Old English runic poem on its narrow sides. The poem may be the oldest known record of Anglo-Saxon vernacular poetry.
Last modified: Tuesday July 17, 2007. 13:46 (MST)