Calvary Cross: photo, meaning of the inscriptions

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

In the Christian religion, the image of the cross has a deep philosophical and moral significance. It became a symbol of the great redemptive sacrifice brought by God to deliver people from eternal death, which was the result of original sin committed by our forefathers, Adam and Eve. His images are very diverse, and each has a special semantic connotation. One of them, namely the Calvary Cross, is the subject of this article.

The cross is a picture of a great event

Its outlines are familiar to everyone who somehow met with Orthodox symbols, and you can see them on the vestments of monks, church utensils, as well as in the attributes associated with the consecration of dwellings and vehicles. The Calvary Cross is a stylized picture of an event that took place more than two thousand years ago in Palestine, which radically changed the entire course of world history.

Its composition includes images of the Cross - the instrument of torment of our Savior Jesus Christ, Mount Golgotha, on top of which this event took place, the head of Adam, resting in herbowels, traditionally depicted at the foot of the Cross. In addition, it includes inscriptions that are both explanatory and purely sacred.

Glow in the Roman sky

The center of the composition is the Cross itself. It is known that its image as a magical symbol and even as an image of a deity was found even among representatives of the most ancient, pre-Christian cultures. Only in the Roman Empire did it become an instrument of shameful and painful execution, which was mainly carried out by slaves and especially dangerous criminals. His symbols appeared on the walls of the catacombs, where in the 2nd and 3rd centuries the first Christians performed secret services. They were images of a palm branch, a whip and an abbreviation of the name of Christ.

In the usual, "unencrypted form", the Cross first appeared in the 4th century, when Christianity received the status of the state religion in Rome. According to Holy Tradition, the Savior appeared to Emperor Constantine in a night vision and commanded him to decorate the banner with the image of the Cross, under which his army was preparing to engage in battle with the enemy. In the morning, a radiance in the form of a cross appeared in the sky over Rome, dispelling his last doubts. Fulfilling the command of Jesus Christ, Constantine soon defeated the enemies.

Three commemorative crosses

Roman historian Eusebius Pamphilus describes this banner with the image of a Cross in the form of a spear with a transverse bar and an abbreviation of the name of Jesus Christ inscribed on top. There is no doubt that the Calvary Cross, the photo of which is presented in the article, was the result ofsubsequent modifications of the symbol that adorned the battle banner of the Roman emperor.

After the victory won by Constantine, as a token of gratitude to the Savior, he ordered the installation of three commemorative Crosses and put on them the inscription "Jesus Christ the Conqueror." In Greek, it looks like this: IC. XP. NIKA. The same inscription, but in Slavonic, contains all the Orthodox Calvary Crosses.

In 313, a great event happened: on the basis of the Edict of Milan, adopted at the initiative of Emperor Constantine, freedom of religion was established in the Roman Empire. Christianity, after three centuries of persecution, finally received official state status, and its symbols were given a powerful impetus for further development.

The main elements of the Cross

Despite the fact that the main Christian symbol has different styles, it is customary to depict the Orthodox Calvary Crosses as three-part, that is, eight-pointed. They are a combination of a vertical post and a large crossbar, usually located at a level of two-thirds of their height. This, in fact, is the very instrument of torment on which the Savior was crucified.

Above the large horizontal crossbar, a small parallel to it is depicted, symbolizing a plank nailed to the cross before execution. On it were the words written by Pontius Pilate himself: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." The same words, but in the Slavic style, contain all the Orthodox Calvary Crosses.

Symbolic measure of sinfulness

A small sloping crossbar is placed at the bottom of the vertical column - a symbolic footstool, reinforced after the Savior was nailed to the Cross. The Calvary Cross, like all Orthodox crosses in general, is depicted with a crossbar, in which the right edge is higher than the left.

This tradition goes back to the biblical text, which tells that two thieves were crucified on both sides of the Savior, and the one on the right repented, gained eternal life, and the one on the left blasphemed the Lord and doomed himself to eternal death. Thus, the sloping bar plays the role of a symbolic measure of human sinfulness.

Symbol of the Execution Ground

The Calvary Cross is always depicted on a certain pedestal, personifying Mount Calvary, whose name is translated from Hebrew as a "skull". This served as the basis for another name, mentioned in the Slavic and Russian translations of the Gospel, - "Execution Place". It is known that in ancient times it served as a place of execution of especially dangerous criminals. There is evidence that the gray limestone mountain actually looked like a skull.

As a rule, Golgotha is depicted in several versions. It can be a hemisphere, as well as a pyramid with even or stepped edges. In the latter case, these steps are called “steps of spiritual ascent”, and each of them has a specific name: the lower one is Faith, the middle one is Love, the highest one is Mercy. On both sides of the mountainwhich depicts the Calvary Cross, two letters are placed - “GG”, which means “Mount Golgotha”. Their style is mandatory.

Cane, spear and skull

In addition to all of the above, the Calvary Cross, whose meaning, first of all, is in the personification of sacrifice and the redemption of mankind through the suffering of Christ, as a rule, is depicted with the attributes of executioners mentioned in the Gospel. This is a cane, at the end of which is a sponge with vinegar, and a spear that pierced the body of the Savior. Usually they are marked with the corresponding letters - "T" and "K".

An important place in the overall composition is occupied by the skull depicted inside Golgotha. This is the symbolic head of our progenitor Adam, as evidenced by the letters “G” and “A” inscribed near it. It is generally accepted that the sacrificial blood of Christ, having penetrated through the thickness of the mountain, washed it from original sin. There are several versions about how Adam's head ended up in the bowels of this mountain. One of them claims that the body of the progenitor was brought here by angels, according to another, a descendant of Adam Seth buried it here, and according to the most common version, the body was brought by the waters of the Flood.

Other inscriptions

According to established tradition, there are other symbolic inscriptions that accompany the Calvary Cross. The meaning of the inscriptions (always executed in Slavic) is fully consistent with the Gospel story about the Passion of the Lord. At the top of the cross is usually written "Son of God". In some cases, it is replaced by the inscription "King of Glory". over bigthe inscription “IC XP” - “Jesus Christ” is placed on the horizontal bar, and below, as already mentioned, “NIKA” - “Victory”. The place of the accomplished event and its main result are indicated by the letters "ML" - "Place of the frontal", and "RB" - "To be paradise."

A Particle of God's Grace

The schematic representation of the place of the crucifixion of Christ - the Golgotha Cross, pectoral, pectoral and altar - has firmly become one of the most revered Orthodox symbols. Nowadays, it is not only an attribute of monastic asceticism, but also a shrine, carefully preserved by pious laity.

Most Russians, sometimes even those who do not consider themselves believers, nevertheless adhere to ancient traditions and wear symbols of Christianity on their chests, including the Calvary Cross. Whether silver went to its manufacture, gold, or it is made of other metals, consecrated in the Church of Christ, it always carries a particle of Divine Grace, so necessary in the life of each of us.