An altar cross is an indispensable object used in the Orthodox church. Like the Gospel, it is kept in the altar and used for worship and ritual ceremonies. The cross can be placed horizontally or vertically (like the piece from the museum), it can have a foot and rest on a cone-shaped silver base.
This cross consists of thin silver sheets, decorated with gilding, embossing and carving. The ends of the crossbars have a three-petal shape common in the Orthodox tradition. The foot is decorated with chased leaves — acanthus and the stand is decorated with a floral pattern and a thrice-repeating image of cherubs and acanthus.
On the front side of the cross, there is a carved image of the Crucifixion with the Mother of God and the Apostle John. Above the cross there are images of the moon and the sun, and above them — an angel with instruments of passion. At the feet of Jesus Christ there is the city and Golgotha with the skull of Adam. On the back of the cross is the scene of the Epiphany. Christ stands in the center — he is flanked by half-length images of John the Baptist and an angel. Above there are Sabaoth and the Holy Spirit depicted as a dove. All images are provided with traditional inscriptions.
The Orthodox Christian cross, which is a symbol of the Russian Church, contains two more horizontal bars in addition to the large horizontal one. The top bar symbolizes the sign on Christ’s cross with the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Nearby is “NIKA” meaning “the Winner”. This expresses the victory of the Son of God over death, his resurrection.
The lower slanting bar — a support for the feet of Jesus Christ — symbolizes the “righteous scales”, weighing the sins and virtues of all people. It is believed that it is tilted to the left, since the repentant thief, crucified on the right side of Christ, was the first to go to heaven. And the robber, who was on the left side, further aggravated his own unenviable posthumous fate by his blasphemy and ended up in hell.
The letters “ІС ХС” are a Christogram symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ. Also, some Christian crosses feature a skull or skull with bones below — Adam’s head, which symbolizes the fallen father of the human race and his descendants, since, according to legend, the remains of Adam and Eve were buried under the place where Christ was crucified — Golgotha. Thus, the blood of Christ, who sacrificed himself, symbolically washed the bones of Adam and cleansed him and all his children from original sin.
This cross consists of thin silver sheets, decorated with gilding, embossing and carving. The ends of the crossbars have a three-petal shape common in the Orthodox tradition. The foot is decorated with chased leaves — acanthus and the stand is decorated with a floral pattern and a thrice-repeating image of cherubs and acanthus.
On the front side of the cross, there is a carved image of the Crucifixion with the Mother of God and the Apostle John. Above the cross there are images of the moon and the sun, and above them — an angel with instruments of passion. At the feet of Jesus Christ there is the city and Golgotha with the skull of Adam. On the back of the cross is the scene of the Epiphany. Christ stands in the center — he is flanked by half-length images of John the Baptist and an angel. Above there are Sabaoth and the Holy Spirit depicted as a dove. All images are provided with traditional inscriptions.
The Orthodox Christian cross, which is a symbol of the Russian Church, contains two more horizontal bars in addition to the large horizontal one. The top bar symbolizes the sign on Christ’s cross with the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Nearby is “NIKA” meaning “the Winner”. This expresses the victory of the Son of God over death, his resurrection.
The lower slanting bar — a support for the feet of Jesus Christ — symbolizes the “righteous scales”, weighing the sins and virtues of all people. It is believed that it is tilted to the left, since the repentant thief, crucified on the right side of Christ, was the first to go to heaven. And the robber, who was on the left side, further aggravated his own unenviable posthumous fate by his blasphemy and ended up in hell.
The letters “ІС ХС” are a Christogram symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ. Also, some Christian crosses feature a skull or skull with bones below — Adam’s head, which symbolizes the fallen father of the human race and his descendants, since, according to legend, the remains of Adam and Eve were buried under the place where Christ was crucified — Golgotha. Thus, the blood of Christ, who sacrificed himself, symbolically washed the bones of Adam and cleansed him and all his children from original sin.
