The Old Believer Orthodox Cross has a slightly different shape from the four-pointed one that is widespread in our time. It has two crosshairs at an angle of ninety degrees, where the upper crossbar means a tablet attached above Christ with the inscription "Jesus of the Nazarene King of the Jews", and an oblique lower crossbar, which symbolizes the "measure" that evaluates the good and bad deeds of all people. Its tilt to the left means that the repentant thief was the first to go to heaven.
What is the peculiarity of such a cross? The Old Believer pattern is sometimes included in a larger four-pointed cross and never has a figure of the crucified Jesus. This is interpreted as meaning that this symbol should mean the Crucifixion, but not depict it. If the figure of Christ was present on the cross, then the cross would become an icon, which is intended not for wearing, but for prayer. Wearing the icon in a hidden form (Old Believers never wear a cross in plain sight)means for this group of believers to use it for other purposes (as an amulet, which is an unacceptable action).
The Old Believer Cross differs in its form for wearing by men and women. For the representatives of the stronger sex, it has clear quadrangular boundaries, while the believing ladies wear this symbol, surrounded by an additional space that has the shape of a petal in a smooth shape. On the reverse side of the cross there is a prayer “May God rise again, and his enemies will be scattered…” or a troparion to the Cross.
When did this cross appear? The Old Believer version in Russia has existed since ancient times. But during the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in the 1650s, he began to be condemned, along with other symbols, of those who refused to accept church innovations. In particular, many people did not accept the three-fingered sign of the cross instead of the two-fingered one, as well as the three-fold hallelujah proclamation instead of the two-fold one. The Old Believers believed that the triple kathisma was contrary to the will of the Mother of God.
What did the split in Russia lead to, one of the symbols of which was the cross? The Old Believers in the middle of the seventeenth century were forced to flee from the central regions of the country to the outskirts, where communities and sects were formed. The latter had many wonderful customs. For example, the Ryabinovsky sense worshiped only a cross made of mountain ash. All adherents of the old church traditions were united by the isolation of existence and exceptional strictness in observing the primordial, in their opinion, ceremonies. In some cases, when tryingto convert the settlement to a new faith, people resorted to mass self-immolation. The number of victims in some years was in the tens of thousands.
Where can you see Old Believer crosses today? Photos of the settlements where such believers live are quite widespread. Such settlements can be found in the center of Russia and Altai. There are even excursions to get acquainted with the life and life of this cultural layer. However, you most likely will not see the crosses themselves when visiting the village, because. Old Believers still wear them strictly under their clothes.
