91 



the pilasters from the interior of the choir of the great church of the 

 associated abbey, though the arches are semicircular; while those 

 of the choir are acutely pointed ; the same narrow flat rib (Fig. 11) 

 runs down the outside of the pilasters of the octagonal structure, and 

 is prolonged into their bases, and the same effect of light and shade in 

 the decorations of the capitals of the pilasters in both buildings is 

 frequently produced, by drilling holes into the stone ; the mere form of 

 the arch is, therefore, no indication of comparative age, as some recent 

 writers on this building would have us suppose. The semicircular 

 arch has been selected in the construction of the octagonal building, 

 simply to keep the structure to the required lowness of height ; while 

 the architect may possibly have supposed that this form of the arch was 

 stronger or more effective than that acutely pointed. Be that as it 

 may, the decorations of the caps of the pilasters, both externally and 

 internally, with the occurrence of the flat rib on the columns, proves 

 to a demonstration that the octagonal building at Mellifont is of the 

 same age as the choir of the great church of the same establishment. 



Eos. 19-21. Caps of pilasters, groining of the octagonal building. 



No. 22. View of the northern gateway tower of the abbey. 



No. 23. Plan of the same. 



No. 24. Tomb slab with foliated cross, from the graveyard of St. 

 Bernard's chapel. 



Ardsallagh Old Church, Navan. 



No. 25. Arches at basement of the octagonal building at Mellifont, 

 and choir arch, Ardsallagh old church, Navan, for comparison. 



No. 26. Capital of pilasters, choir of the great church, Mellifont, 

 and capital of pilasters, choir arch Ardsallagh old church, Navan, for com- 

 parison. 



To any one who has studied the salient points of construction and 

 decoration in ecclesiastical architecture, the similarity of design and 

 skill evinced in these two capitals of engaged columns is sufficiently 

 striking to assure us that they are the work of the same school, and 

 the same century. The ancient parish church of Ardsallagh or Ard- 

 Saileach (the height of the swallows) is of two ages. The choir, includ- 

 ing the arch, is of the 13th century, as is evinced by its semicircular 

 form, its segmental and deeply undercut mouldings, with the narrow 

 flat band running down their external surfaces, and that of the pilasters 

 at its sides, the smallness and careful dressing of the stones forming it, 

 and the casings of the windows in the N. and S. walls of the choirs, as 

 well as the oblique peepholes which pierce the walls of the choir arch 

 and east wall of the choir itself. Nor should we overlook the fact that 

 the " dog's tooth" moulding is present on the capitals of the choir-arch 

 pilasters, and the same ornament forms a marked feature in the 

 decoration of the windows in the choir of the Abbey church at Melli- 

 font. 



e. r. a. pkoc. — vol. x. 



o 



