Latin cross: meaning, types, photos

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Long before the appearance of Christ on earth, the cross served as a symbol of life and eternity for many nations of the world. It had many meanings in different parts of the planet, it was often associated with the sky and space, since its ends marked the four cardinal points. He also acted as a symbol of the union of a man and a woman, a connection, this is indicated by two crossed lines that create the symbol of the cross. In Asia, it was a sign of happiness, in America - life and fertility, in Syria - a sign of the four elements, in Arcadia, on the contrary, they put a cross on the graves, it meant only one thing - death. When Christianity entered our lives, the cross became an integral sign of religion, a powerful symbol that personified victory over death.

Varieties

Ancient Egypt, the East, Asia and Europe introduced the symbol of the cross into use at the beginning of the birth of civilization. From that moment on, he was transformed, transformed, as his meaning changed with the advent of new attributes in appearance. The Egyptians are more familiar with the ankh, which combinescircle and tau-cross, drawn without a top line. There are many other varieties of the symbol: Latin, M altese, patriarchal, papal, Orthodox, Masonic, Celtic, the cross of Constantine. The swastika also belongs to its varieties, only with curved edges. M altese, Masonic, iron, as well as the well-known red and pacifist crosses are considered symbols of various organizations and groups.

Latin cross

The name is derived from the Latin crux ordinaria, but there are other variants - crux immissa and crux capitata. The Latin crux means "a wooden object intended for execution", such as a gallows. One of the forming words cruciare, from which came crux - "torment", "torture". The name "immissa", which means "suffering", the cross received in the West.

The Latin cross has an important meaning in the history of other faiths. The schismatics call it in the Polish manner "Latin kryzh" or "Roman kryzh". In paganism, it symbolized heaven and earth, in Scandinavian mythology it was a sign depicted on the tool of the god Thor - Mjolnir, the Scandinavians wore it around their necks as a protective amulet. Long before Christianity in ancient Greece and China, he was associated with the figure of a man with outstretched arms, which was a good sign. The Latin cross has the same shape as the staff of the sun god, the son of Zeus - Apollo. In the genealogy they are designated death, but in Russia they are considered incomplete, where they gave him the name “kryzh”, which means “oblique”.

Latin cross in Christianity

The Latin cross in form is closest to the one on which Jesus Christ was crucified, which is why it became the most common, and other varieties appeared from its form. It is also believed that the three short ends represent the three holy spirits - the Trinity. The fourth, the longest, personifies God. The first mention of it was found in the Roman catacombs at the beginning of the third century. From the moment Christ was crucified, the cross on which he died took on a new meaning, displacing all previous meanings. After these events, he became a symbol of death and life after it, resurrection, guilt, hence the phrase “bear your cross.”

Latin cross shape

In another way, it is also called the "long cross". The horizontal line on it is located above the middle, and it is shorter than the vertical one. Before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross in ancient Rome, robbers were executed, since the form was most suitable for martyrdom. The Latin cross is a symbol of a human figure with outstretched arms. His form hardly changed until he was firmly established in religion. After that, other details began to be added to it, for example, a footrest and a sign above the head in Orthodoxy, although the lower crossbar also had a symbolic meaning. The inclined shape of the lower part down meant the fall of the soul, the overthrow, burdened by the sins of man, and the part that rushed up went to God and salvation. Instead of one horizontal bar, three were added to the "papal" cross asdesignation of the triple board: priest, teacher and shepherd. The Evangelistic cross contains a Greek and four horizontal lines below, forming a pyramid - from the smallest to the largest. These four lines symbolize the four evangelists: Mark, Matthew, John and the apostle Luke.

Types of the Latin cross

Their varieties, one way or another connected with religion and the crucifixion of Christ, are not so many, but each has its own history. One of the most popular is the Latin cross, but there are many other similar forms. The Apostle Andrew died on an oblique cross, denoting the sign "X", he was also later called St. Andrew's. Close to Latin - Greek or heraldic, in the form of a square, where the horizontal and vertical axes intersect exactly in the middle. It was especially popular in Byzantium, hence the name "Greek". The cross of St. Peter is also similar to the Latin one, only it is upside down, since the apostle Peter, the closest of the followers of Jesus Christ, was crucified upside down. The hammer cross is a type of Greek cross with supports attached to its vertical and horizontal lines.

Latin group of crosses

The Latin group is opened by the Latin cross (see photo in the article). Others from this group: seven- and eight-pointed, Calvary, patriarchal, shamrock, drop-shaped, crucifix, Antoniev. The first four of the list refer to Orthodoxy. The drop-shaped evangelical in history has such a shape because of the drops of Christ's blood that sprinkled the cross during his crucifixion. The Anthony cross is made in the shape of the letter "T", in the Roman Empire it was attributed to the times of ancient Egypt and the prophet Moses, executing criminals on it. The crucifixion originates in the fifth century, its purpose is not just to be a symbol of faith, but also to remind of the suffering that Jesus Christ had to go through.

Latin crosses in the Orthodox group

In the Orthodox religion, the most commonly used are seven- and eight-pointed crosses, Calvary, trefoil and patriarchal. In the seven-pointed, the upper crossbar completes the cross from above, while in the eight-pointed it is omitted, which allows you to count all eight ends.

Golgotha is an eight-pointed one, at the bottom of which an ascent ladder is added, under which the skull of Adam is depicted, buried in the same place where Jesus Christ was crucified. The inscriptions on both sides of the cross indicate the following: TsR SLVA - "king of glory", IS XC - "name of Christ", SN GOD - "son of God", NIKA - "winner", the letters "K" and "T" are nearby with spears - "spear and cane", M. L. R. B. - "the place of the frontal was crucified", G. G. - "mountain Golgotha", G. A. - "head of Adam".

Trefoil was depicted on the emblem of the Tiflis and Orenburg provinces, on the emblem of the city of Troitsk. The patriarchal cross has six ends, in the west it is called Lorensky, and it was he who was depicted on the seal of the governor of the Byzantine emperor from Korsun, a cross of this form belongs to Abraham of Rostov.

Other meaningsLatin cross

Its shape is also used for other purposes, for example, to mark the location of churches or cemeteries on a map. The Latin cross is also depicted next to the date of death or the name of the deceased. In typography, footnotes are marked with a cross.

This symbol is depicted on the flags of some cities in Brazil and Argentina. On the flags of Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland, it is shown upside down 90 degrees to the left.