De Profundis Stone

For other uses, see De Profundis.

The De Profundis Stone is a recumbent stone located in the townland of Kilbride, County Westmeath, Ireland, near the town of Mullingar. The stone was possibly used to mark an ancient graveyard, as was sometimes customary in Ireland.[1] The monument takes its name from a local tradition of stopping a funerary procession at the stone, and reciting the "De Profundis"[2] (a colloquial name for Psalm 130 of the Old Testament).[3] The Kilbride stone is the only known remaining example in Ireland at which this "De Profundis" tradition was performed.[1]

The stone is made from limestone, and was shaped into a "coffin-like" shape with a crude cross carved into the top. The stone is approximately 0.94m in length and may have originally stood on a much larger pedestal.

Today the stone has an information board alongside it.

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 PIP 2009. "THE DE PROFUNDIS STONE/MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS OF IRELAND.COM". megalithicmonumentsofireland.com. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  2. ↑ James Woods (1907). Annals of Westmeath, ancient and modern. Sealy, Bryers & Walker. p. 278. "At the present day funeral processions, when they come to one of these crosses, halt while the De Profundis is solemnly recited for the repose of the soul of the deceased"
  3. ↑ Psalm 130 in its Latin form is sometimes colloquially known as the "De profundis" as these are the first words of its opening line.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.