1898.99.] 473 



the stone and restore it to its former position. This under- 

 taking will have the warmest sympathy of the Club." 



Leaving the holy well, we next explored the adjoining ruins 

 of St. John's Church. This is one of the most interesting 

 examples of ancient church architecture in the North of Ireland, 

 possessing features that do not occur elsewhere in Antrim or 

 Down. Of its early history very little is known, and nothing 

 of its origin. It is one of the small primitive type, measuring 

 inside 20ft. x 13ft. It has no chancel, and had only two small 

 windows. Part of the side window remains, but the east window, 

 with its gable, is gone. The side walls project beyond the west 

 front. This is a peculiarity of the early churches erected from 

 the sixth to the ninth century. The ancient minor temples of 

 Greece built " in antis" had the side walls prolonged, and two 

 columns between formed the entrance porch. Hence such pro- 

 jections in our early churches are called fcl antse." Subsequently 

 in Christian architecture they were developed into the well- 

 known *' buttress." The entrance doorway of the church also 

 indicates its primitive character. The opening is only 6ft. 

 high, with sloping jambs 2ft 3m. apart at the horizontal head, 

 and 2ft. 9in. at the foot. 



This is probably the Church of Stechian granted to the 

 Abbey of St. Patrick by Malachi, Bishop of Down, about the 

 year 1183. In the taxation of Pope Nicholas, a.d. 1291, it is 

 called " Capella de Styoun." The late Bishop Reeves sug- 

 gests that Styoun was derived from " Tigh Eoin," which means 

 John's House. St. John seems to have been the patron saint 

 of the district. 



Not far from the venerable Church of St. John we came to 

 St. John's Point and its excellent lighthouse. St. John's 

 Point forms the north-eastern horn of the great Bay of Dun- 

 drum, the south-eastern horn being Dunmore Head, a distance 

 of ten miles^across, the great donjon and fortress of Dundrum 

 occupying the centre of the bay four miles inwards from the 

 chord of the arc. The entire sweep of this bay, once known as 

 " the Holy Bay," can be seen from St. John's Point, with 



