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| ST. KEVIN'S CROSS, CO. WICKLOW. -St. Kevin must have been a man of marvelous energy, like his great predecessor, St. Patrick, if he originated even a moiety of the churches, caves and crosses with which tradition credits him. His great cross at the Wicklow Glendalough, where are the ruins of his famous seven churches, has been an object of veneration to devout visitors for many ages. It stands in the midst of the dwellings of the dead -a rugged, stern reminder of the story of the stormy past. The cross is hewn out of granite, with slight segments of the circle nearly encompassing the arms, and is 11 feet high and 3 feet and 8 inches in width. Its origin is lost in antiquity, but it was doubtless erected when Kevin began his bold mission about the middle of the sixth century. In Gaelic the saint's name is rendered Coemhghen, which signifies "the fair born," and he is reputed to have been a scion of the royal house of Leinster, who, tired even in his youth of the vanities of this existence, resolved on devoting himself to the salvation of his soul and the souls of his fellow creatures. He loved the hermit's cell much better than the kingly halls of his fathers, and, while their very names are, for the most part, forgotten, his fame will endure while men and women revere piety, learning and unselfishness. St. Kevin's Cross, massive as it is, will finally resove itself into nothingness, but the name of St. Kevin will, like his glorious spirit, live forever. |
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