Early Christian Symbolism by Allen J. Romilly
Early Christian Symbolism in Great Britain and Ireland is one of the most important books ever written about the early art of the Celtic world. Published in 1887 by the archaeologist J. Romilly Allen, the book gathered together carvings, symbols and visual traditions from across Britain and Ireland and treated them as a serious artistic and historical tradition.
Before Allen’s work, many of these carvings were scattered across remote churches, stone crosses and ruined sites. They were rarely studied together and were often dismissed as crude medieval decoration. Allen approached them differently. He catalogued them carefully, drew them accurately and compared patterns across regions. By doing this he showed that these designs formed part of a coherent visual language shared across the Celtic world.
The book focuses on the symbols used in early Christian art before the thirteenth century. Crosses, animals, spirals, knotwork and geometric patterns appear again and again in stone carvings and manuscripts. Allen argued that these images were not random decoration but meaningful symbols tied to belief, storytelling and identity.
For artists working today with Celtic and Pictish imagery, this book is hugely important because it preserved designs that might otherwise have been lost. Many of the drawings reproduced in later Celtic art books ultimately trace back to Allen’s documentation. His work helped lay the groundwork for later researchers and artists who revived interest in Insular art.
In many ways Allen was part of the first wave of the Celtic revival. By studying and publishing these designs he helped people recognise the sophistication of early art from Britain and Ireland. What had once been ignored local carvings became recognised as part of one of Europe’s most distinctive artistic traditions.
For modern Celtic artists the value of this book is still clear. It provides direct access to the visual language of the early medieval world. The patterns and symbols recorded in its pages continue to influence tattooing, carving, manuscript art and modern interpretations of Celtic design.
Allen did not simply study the past. By documenting these works he helped ensure that the visual traditions of the Celtic world would survive and inspire new generations of artists.