Readers, Welcome to my blog (formerly Birds, Blooms, Books, etc). I'm entering a new decade taking on the challenge of moving from Maryland after living there 46 years and learning about my new home here in New England in the Live Free or Die state - New Hampshire. Join me as a write this new chapter of my life.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Scotland - Standing Stones

One of the fascinating things we looked for when we were in Scotland were standing stones of various vintages.

The first one we saw was in the Dunblane Cathedral.

On one side was this cross.


On the other side were Pictish symbols.


The pamphlet I got on the cathedral says:
"Standing at the west end is a large, carved cross which was discovered in 1873 beneath the floor of the chapter house.  It may be a legacy from an earlier church on this site and perhaps dates from the 9th century."  
A photo in the pamphlet shows the side with the symbols and labels it as a Pictish cross.

We returned for another look at the stone cross near the end of our trip and noticed this sign on the wall.


There was a second slab we hadn't noticed before with intricate designs on the side.  The backside of the other stone is there on the left.


It is a lovely carving, one of many we saw.


8 comments:

H.R. Bennett said...

Very cool! Just makes me want to visit my homeland more.

Tom said...

...history sure has deep roots in Scotland!

Fun60 said...

Pity there wasn't more information about them. It is often the case that many churches have been built on the same site over the centuries.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Neat...... I love seeing and reading about things like that... Love the standing stones... Reminded me that there is a park not far from us called "Standing Stones"... I had never heard of that before.... Thanks for sharing.

Hugs,
Betsy

Kay said...

This is so neat! You're making me want to go to Scotland too.

Billy Blue Eyes said...

They look different to the standing stones you see in Wales

Kay L. Davies said...

How beautiful they are. The closest I've seen to standing stones during my Scotland trip were old gravestones, and a cairn erected to a member of my mother's family during the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie...that was exciting. He had saved the prince's life during a battle with the British. I can't call him an ancestor because he didn't live long enough to marry and produce children, but I'm proud to call him my distant cousin.
Perhaps next time I'm in Scotland I'll see some of these ancient standing stones you've featured here. Thank you for sharing your photos!
Kay
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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