Symbolic image of Calvary. Orthodox cross: types, meaning of the crossbars. Silver crosses from the company "Tver-Yuvelir"

Every year on Sunday of the third week of Great Lent at an all-night vigil in the center Orthodox churches The Life-Giving Cross is brought out, which is worshiped by believers all week.

Probably, not everyone knows the meaning of what is depicted on various Christian crosses. And it is better to start a conversation with the image of the Calvary Cross.

Certainly, to everyone Orthodox Christian the symbolic image of the place of the Crucifixion of the Savior, called the Calvary Cross, is familiar. This image can often be found on church utensils, and on the vestments of monks, and as a symbol of the consecration of a dwelling or transport. But, perhaps, not everyone knows what is depicted on it. The Calvary Cross is an image of the Cross, the instruments of the Passion, Mount Calvary, the head of Adam, inscriptions and is an image of the Event near Jerusalem, which forever changed the history of all mankind.

The central place in the image is occupied by the Cross. The inscription of the Cross has been known to mankind since ancient times. In many ancient peoples, this sign was depicted as a magical symbol or as a sign of God. Later, the Cross also becomes the subject of a cruel, martyr's and shameful execution. In the Roman Empire, this type of execution was widespread and was intended for slaves and especially dangerous criminals.

Early images of the likeness of the Cross, as a Christian symbol, were found in the Roman catacombs of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. They were an image of an intersecting palm branch, a brazier for torture and a letter abbreviation of the name Christ. The unencrypted image of the Cross appears only in the 4th century.

In 312, the Roman emperor Constantine, later glorified as the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles King, during the war with the emperor Maxentius, saw a sign in a dream. In a dream, Christ appeared to him and commanded him to make a sign on the banner to defeat the enemy. Emperor Constantine, not yet a Christian, decided to fulfill the command. The next day, this sign appeared in the sky. As the church historian Eusebius Pamphilus wrote: “We happened to see this banner with our own eyes. It had next view: on a long spear covered with gold there was a transverse rail, which formed a sign of the cross with the spear, and on it the first two letters of the name Christ, combined together. This symbol, Constantine ordered to put on the shields of the soldiers and on the banners. Subsequently, this image was also applied to the helmet of Constantine and was called the monogram of Constantine. After the victory, three commemorative Crosses were installed with the inscriptions: "Jesus Christ the Conqueror" - "IC.XP.NIKA".

In 313, at the insistence of Constantine, the Edict of Milan was proclaimed, allowing religious freedom in the Roman Empire. This served to end the persecution of Christians. Since that time, Christian symbolism has ceased to be encrypted, a secret, and has received the will not only for veneration, but also for development.

The Calvary Cross depicts a three-part (eight-pointed) Cross. And despite the fact that in Christian symbolism there are various styles of Crosses, when depicting the Calvary Cross, it is the eight-pointed that is most often depicted. It consists of a vertical pillar, a large crossbar, on top of which a small parallel large crossbar is depicted, and at the bottom a small oblique one. The upper small crossbar is a plate.

“Pilate also wrote the inscription and placed it on the cross. It was written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. This inscription was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, Roman. The chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate: Do not write: King of the Jews, but what did He say: I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered: what I wrote, I wrote” (John 19-22).

And although on the tablet (tilt), written by the Roman proconsul of Judea Pilate, the inscription was in three languages, in the tradition of Russian Orthodox Church it is an abbreviation of the Russian-language phrase "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews" - "INTSI" or "INTSI".

The lower oblique crossbar is the foot and was attached after the hoisting of the crucified on the Cross. In the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, the right part of this crossbar is depicted above the left. And this is explained by the liturgical text of the 9th hour of the service to the Cross of the Lord: “In the midst of two thieves, the measure of righteousness, Thy Cross was found: for the first I am brought down to hell with the burden of blasphemy, while for the other I am relieved from sins to the knowledge of theology.” That is, with this element, the Cross, as it were, is also identified with the scales of human sinfulness. One thief, freed by repentance and the words of the Savior: “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23; 43), the cross lifts up to the Kingdom of Heaven with its side up, and the other side down, lowers another robber into hell with a “burden of blasphemy” uttered by him on Christ.

The cross is on a pedestal designating a mountain called Golgotha ​​or Execution Ground (Skull). This mountain was near the walls of Jerusalem and served as a place of public executions. And, carrying His cross, He went out to a place called the Skull, in Hebrew Golgotha; there they crucified Him, and with Him two others, on either side, and Jesus in the middle. (John 19). The mountain got its name because of the external resemblance to a human skull, being made of light gray limestone and rounded in shape. There are several types of the inscription of the Mountain on the Calvary Cross. It can be depicted in the form of a hemisphere and in the form of a pointed or truncated pyramid with sloping or stepped sides. The steps on the sides are also called the steps of spiritual ascent. The lower rung is Faith, the middle rung is Hope, and the upper rung is Mercy. Next to Calvary, two letters "G" and "G" are inscribed, denoting "Mount Calvary."

Next to the Cross are the Instruments of the Passion. As a rule, this is a Cane with a sponge dipped in vinegar and a Centurion's Spear. After that, Jesus, knowing that everything had already happened, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. There was a vessel full of vinegar. The soldiers, having drunk a sponge with vinegar and put it on hyssop, brought it to His mouth. When Jesus tasted the vinegar, he said: It is done! And, bowing his head, betrayed the spirit. (John 28-30). And. But since it was Friday, the Jews, in order not to leave the bodies on the cross on Saturday - for that Saturday was a great day - asked Pilate to break their legs and remove them. So the soldiers came, and the legs of the first were broken, and of the other, who was crucified with Him. But, having come to Jesus, as they saw Him already dead, they did not break His legs, but one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. (John 31-35). In iconography, it is sometimes customary to depict other Instruments of the Passion of the Lord, but on the sign called the “Golofsky Cross”, according to tradition, it is the Cane and the Spear that are depicted. And next to it are the corresponding letters "T" and "K".

A skull is inscribed under the Mountain - symbolizing the Head of Adam - the First Man. Next to the Skull are the letters "G" and "A" denoting, respectively, "Adam's Head". It is believed that the blood of the Lord, gushing from the wound, sprinkled the head of Adam and thus washed away the ancestral sin. The appearance of the Head of Adamova in this place has several versions. According to one version, the Ashes of Adam were buried here by Angels, according to another, by a descendant of Adam - Seth. According to the third version, the Head of Adam was brought here by the waters of the Great Flood. There is another version, according to which, the Skull of Adam was buried in this place by King Solomon. The tree that grew from the seed placed in Adam's mouth at burial by his son Seth was uprooted for use in the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Found during the work, tangled in the roots of the Skull was separated and thrown away. But Solomon, seeing him, returning from hunting, picked up and buried him, covering him with stones. Similar versions began to appear, as did the very image of the skull of Adam bathed in the blood of Christ from the 9th century.

In addition to the mentioned images, inscriptions are also inscribed. On top of the Cross, it is traditionally written "SN BZHIY" - "SON OF GOD". Sometimes there is an inscription: "KING OF GLORY". On top of the large crossbar is written "IC XC" - "JESUS ​​CHRIST", and under it "NIKA" - which means Victory in Greek. Near the image of Mount Calvary, four letters "ML" and "RB" are written. What does it mean: “Place of the Skull” and “Paradise Byst”. What tells about the place and essence of what happened.

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Among all Christians, only Orthodox and Catholics venerate crosses and icons. They decorate the domes of churches, their houses with crosses, they wear them around the neck.

The reason why a person wears pectoral cross, to each his own. Someone thus pays tribute to fashion, for someone the cross is beautiful jewel, it brings good luck to someone and is used as a talisman. But there are also those for whom the pectoral cross worn at baptism is indeed a symbol of their infinite faith.

Today, shops and church shops offer a wide variety of crosses of various shapes. However, very often, not only parents who are going to baptize a child, but also sales assistants cannot explain where the Orthodox cross is and where the Catholic one is, although it is actually very simple to distinguish them. IN Catholic tradition- a quadrangular cross, with three nails. In Orthodoxy, there are four-pointed, six- and eight-pointed crosses, with four nails for hands and feet.

So, in the West, the most common is the four-pointed cross. Starting from the III century, when such crosses first appeared in the Roman catacombs, the entire Orthodox East still uses this form of the cross as equal to all others.

For Orthodoxy, the shape of the cross does not really matter, much more attention is paid to what is depicted on it, however, eight-pointed and six-pointed crosses have received the greatest popularity.

The eight-pointed Orthodox cross most closely matches the historically reliable form of the cross on which Christ was already crucified. Orthodox cross, which is most often used by the Russian and Serbian Orthodox churches, contains, in addition to a large horizontal bar, two more. The top symbolizes the tablet on the cross of Christ. The lower oblique crossbar is a support for the feet of Jesus Christ. About the details - a little lower.

St. Demetrius of Rostov writes that “when Christ the Lord carried a cross on His shoulders then the cross was still four-pointed; because there was still no title or footstool on it. There was no footstool, because Christ had not yet been lifted up on the cross, and the soldiers, not knowing where Christ's feet would reach, did not attach footstools, finishing it already at Golgotha. There was also no title on the cross before the crucifixion of Christ, because, as the Gospel reports, first they “crucified Him” (John 19:18), and then only “Pilate wrote an inscription and placed it on the cross” (John 19:19 ). It was at first that the warriors “who crucified Him” divided “His clothes” by lot (Matt. 27:35), and only then “they placed an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Matt. 27: 37).

The eight-pointed cross has long been considered the most powerful protective tool against various kinds of evil spirits, as well as visible and invisible evil.

Widespread among Orthodox believers, especially during Ancient Rus', also had a six-pointed cross. It also has an inclined crossbar: the lower end symbolizes unrepentant sin, and the upper end symbolizes liberation by repentance.

However, not in the shape of the cross or the number of ends lies all its power. The cross is famous for the power of Christ crucified on it, and all its symbolism and miraculousness lies in this.

The variety of forms of the cross has always been recognized by the Church as quite natural. According to the expression of St. Theodore the Studite, “a cross of any form is a true cross” and has an unearthly beauty and life-giving power.

“There is no significant difference between Latin, Catholic, Byzantine, and Orthodox crosses, as well as between any other crosses used in the service of Christians. In essence, all crosses are the same, the differences are only in form,” says Serbian Patriarch Irinej.

In the Catholic and Orthodox Churches special meaning is given not to the form of a cross, but to the image of Jesus Christ on it.

Until the 9th century inclusive, Christ was depicted on the cross not only alive, resurrected, but also triumphant, and only in the 10th century did images of the dead Christ appear.

Yes, we know that Christ died on the cross. But we also know that He later resurrected, and that He suffered voluntarily out of love for people: to teach us to take care of the immortal soul; so that we too can be resurrected and live forever. In the Orthodox Crucifixion, this Paschal joy is always present. Therefore, on the Orthodox cross, Christ does not die, but freely stretches out his hands, the palms of Jesus are open, as if he wants to embrace all of humanity, giving them his love and opening the way to eternal life. He is not dead body, and God, and his whole image speaks of this.

The Orthodox cross above the main horizontal bar has another, smaller one, which symbolizes the tablet on the cross of Christ indicating the offense. Since Pontius Pilate did not find how to describe the guilt of Christ, the words “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews” appeared on the tablet in three languages: Greek, Latin and Aramaic. In Latin, in Catholicism, this inscription has the form INRI (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum), and in Orthodoxy - IHЦI (Jesus Nazarene, King of the Jews). The lower oblique crossbar symbolizes a leg support. It also symbolizes two thieves crucified to the left and right of Christ. One of them repented of his sins before his death, for which he was awarded the Kingdom of Heaven. The other, before his death, blasphemed and reviled his executioners and Christ.

The inscriptions are placed above the middle crossbar: "IC" "XC" - the name of Jesus Christ; and under it: "NIKA" (NIKA) - the Winner.

On Orthodox Greek and Russian icons, inscriptions are quite often placed on nimbuses or next to them. On the halo of Jesus Christ there are three letters Ὀ (ὁ), ὤ (ὤ), Ν (ν): other Greek. ὁ ὤν - this noun means Existing, formed from the ancient Greek verb of other Greek. εἰμί - to be. “Existing” - always existing is one of the names that refers exclusively to God the Creator and does not refer to any of all the other creations created by God that have a beginning. Next to the halo of Christ is the inscription: other Greek. Ι ҃ Σ Χ ҃ Σ or Ι ҃C Χ ҃C → Ἰησοῦς Χριστός → Jesus Christ. Since the inscription is on the halo of Christ, it means that Jesus Christ is the Existing One or Jesus Christ is the true and beginningless God.

In addition, the nails with which the Lord was nailed to the cross were kept in Orthodox Byzantium. And it was precisely known that there were four of them, not three. Therefore, on Orthodox crosses, the feet of Christ are nailed with two nails, each separately. The image of Christ with crossed feet, nailed with a single nail, first appeared as an innovation in the West in the second half of the 13th century.

In the Catholic Crucifixion, the image of Christ has naturalistic features. Catholics depict Christ as dead, sometimes with streams of blood on his face, from wounds on his arms, legs and ribs (stigmata). It manifests all human suffering, the torment that Jesus had to experience. His arms sag under the weight of his body. The image of Christ on the Catholic cross is plausible, but this is the image of a dead person, while there is no hint of the triumph of victory over death. The crucifixion in Orthodoxy just symbolizes this triumph. In addition, the feet of the Savior are nailed with one nail.

The emergence of the Christian cross is associated with the martyrdom of Jesus Christ, which he accepted on the cross at the forced verdict of Pontius Pilate. Crucifixion was a common form of execution in Ancient Rome, borrowed from the Carthaginians - descendants of the Phoenician colonists. It is believed that the crucifix was first used in Phoenicia. Usually thieves were sentenced to death on the cross; many early Christians, persecuted since the time of Nero, were also executed in this manner.

Before the sufferings of Christ, the cross was an instrument of shame and terrible punishment. After His suffering, he became a symbol of the victory of good over evil, of life over death, a reminder of the infinite God's love, a subject of joy. The incarnated Son of God sanctified the cross with His blood and made it a vehicle of His grace, a source of sanctification for believers.

From the Orthodox dogma of the Cross (or Redemption) undoubtedly follows the idea that the death of the Lord is the ransom of all, the calling of all peoples. Only the cross, unlike other plagues, made it possible for Jesus Christ to die with outstretched arms calling "to all the ends of the earth" (Is. 45:22).

Reading the Gospels, we are convinced that the feat of the Cross of the God-man is the central event in His earthly life. By His sufferings on the Cross, He washed away our sins, covered our debt to God, or, in the language of Scripture, “redeemed” (ransomed) us. In Golgotha ​​lies the incomprehensible mystery of the infinite truth and love of God.

The Son of God voluntarily took upon Himself the guilt of all people and suffered shamefully and shamefully for it. painful death on the cross; then on the third day he rose again as the conqueror of hell and death.

In Orthodox asceticism, there is such a thing as bearing one's cross, that is, the patient fulfillment of Christian commandments throughout the life of a Christian. All difficulties, both external and internal, are called "cross". Each bears his life's cross. The Lord said this about the need for personal achievement: “He who does not take up his cross (turns away from achievement) and follows Me (calls himself a Christian), he is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:38).

“The cross is the guardian of the whole universe. The Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross is the power of the kings, the Cross is the faithful affirmation, the Cross is the glory of the angel, the Cross is the plague of the devil, "- affirms the absolute Truth of the luminaries of the feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross.

The motives for the outrageous desecration and blasphemy of the Holy Cross by conscious crusaders and crusaders are quite understandable. But when we see Christians involved in this heinous deed, it is all the more impossible to remain silent, for - according to the words of St. Basil the Great - "God is given up in silence"!

Thus, there are the following differences catholic cross from Orthodox:

The Orthodox cross most often has an eight-pointed or six-pointed shape. The Catholic cross is four-pointed.

The words on the tablet on the crosses are the same, only written on different languages: Latin INRI (in the case of a Catholic cross) and Slavic-Russian IHЦI (on an Orthodox cross).

Another fundamental position is the position of the feet on the Crucifixion and the number of nails. The feet of Jesus Christ are located together on the Catholic Crucifix, and each is nailed separately on the Orthodox cross.

The image of the Savior on the cross is different. On the Orthodox cross, God is depicted, who opened the way to eternal life, and on the Catholic one, a person experiencing torment.

Golgotha ​​means hill, mountain, which is round like a skull. In the Christian tradition, Golgotha ​​was associated with the skull of Adam, which was buried there. The Golgotha ​​cross is the main symbol of Christians all over the world. The richness of its manufacture and framing, decoration in most works of church art indicates historical authenticity, and symbolizes the reverent attitude of believers towards it, which has developed in the Christian Church.

For the Church, the Cross and the Gologotha ​​are the most precious treasures, with which no riches of the whole world can be compared.

Church furniture gives a special memorable beauty to the decoration of Russian churches: these are iconostases, lecterns, icon cases, tombs, as well as tables for blessing bread, candle shops, choir fences, a calvary (a cross with a crucifix), vestments on the throne and other church utensils.

The black round cave with a dot at the bottom is a symbol of Mount Golgotha, on which the Romans crucified Christ, and where, according to surviving legends, Adam's skull appeared to be washed by Divine blood from sins.

There may be inscriptions: a dictionary, which means conquered, and the letters MLBR, which can be deciphered as follows - Place of the Execution Crucified Byst (that is, the place of execution on which Jesus Christ was crucified).

Calvary or Calvaria(frontal place letters. skull; lat. Calvaria) - a small rock or hill where Jesus Christ was crucified. Along with the Holy Sepulcher, it is one of the two main shrines of Christianity.

According to tradition, at the beginning of the 1st century, Golgotha ​​was located outside the city walls of Jerusalem, to the northwest of the city. It is currently part of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Beginning with late XIX century, some researchers put forward other versions about its location.

Cross six-pointed Russian-Orthodox

The question of the reason for the design of the lower crossbar tilted quite convincingly explained by the liturgical text of the 9th hour of the service to the Cross of the Lord: In the midst of two thieves, the measure of righteousness was found by Your Cross: the first is brought down to hell by the burden of blasphemy, while the other is relieved from sins to the knowledge of theology. In other words, both on Golgotha ​​for two thieves, and in life for every person, the cross serves as a measure, as if the scales of his inner state.

To one thief who is brought down to hell by a burden blasphemy , uttered by him against Christ, he became, as it were, the crossbar of a scale, bowed down under this terrible weight; another thief, freed by repentance and the words of the Savior: today you will be with me in paradise(Luke 23; 43), the cross elevates to the Kingdom of Heaven.

This form of the cross in Rus' has been used since ancient times: for example, the worship cross, arranged in 1161 by St. Euphrosyne Princess Polotsk, was six-pointed.

The six-pointed Orthodox cross, along with others, was used in Russian heraldry: for example, on the coat of arms of the Kherson province, as explained in the Russian coat of arms (p. 193), a silver Russian cross is depicted (Fig. 26).

Orthodox octagonal cross

Eight-pointed - most corresponds to the historically reliable form of the cross, on which was already crucified Christ, as they testify Tertullian saint Irenaeus Lyon, saint justin Philosopher and others. And when Christ the Lord carried the cross on His shoulders, then the cross was still four-pointed; because not been yet on it title, no foot.(...) There was no footstool, because Christ had not yet been raised on the cross and the soldiers, not knowing where Christ's feet would reach, did not attach footstools, having finished it already on Golgotha, - the Saint denounced the schismatics Dimitri Rostov (Search, book 2, ch. 24). There was also no title on the cross before the crucifixion of Christ, because, as the Gospel reports, at first crucified him(John 19; 18), and then only Pilate wrote the inscription and placed(by his own order) cross(John 19; 19). It was at first divided by lot His clothes warriors crucified Him(Mt. 27; 35), and only then They placed an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Matt. 27; 37

So, quadruple The Cross of Christ, carried to Golgotha, which all who have fallen into the rage of schism call the seal of the Antichrist, is called in the Holy Evangelion nevertheless his cross(Matt. 27; 32, Mark 15; 21, Luke 23; 26, John 19; 17), that is, the same as with the tablet and footstool after the crucifixion (John 19; 25). In Rus', a cross of this form (Fig. 27) was used more often than others.

Cross crown of thorns

Image of a cross with crown of thorns(Fig. 29) has been used for many centuries by various peoples who have adopted Christianity. But instead of numerous examples from the ancient Greco-Roman tradition, we will give several cases of its use in later times according to the sources that were at hand. Cross with crown of thorns can be seen on the pages of an ancient Armenian manuscript books the period of the Cilician kingdom (Matenadaran, M., 1991, p. 100); on icon The glorification of the XII-th century Cross from the Tretyakov Gallery (V.N. Lazarev, Novgorod icon painting, M., 1976, p. 11); on the Staritsky copper-cast cross vest of the 14th century; on cover Calvary - the monastic contribution of Tsarina Anastasia Romanova in 1557; on silver platter 16th century ( Novodevichy Convent, M., 1968, illustration. 37), etc.

God told sinning Adam that cursed is the earth for you. Thorn and thistles she will grow for you(Gen. 3; 17-18). And the new sinless Adam - Jesus Christ - voluntarily took on other people's sins, and death as a consequence of them, and thorny suffering, to her leading the thorny path.

Christ's Apostles Matthew (27; 29), Mark (15; 17) and John (19; 2) tell that warriors, gossip crown of thorns, put on his head, and by his stripes we were healed(Isaiah 53; 5). From this it is clear why since then wreath symbolizes victory and reward, starting with the books of the New Testament: crown of truth(2 Tim. 4; 8), crown of glory(1 Pet. 5; 4), crown of life(James 1; 12 and Apoc 2; 10).

Schema Cross or Golgotha

The inscriptions and cryptograms on Russian crosses have always been much more diverse than on Greek ones.

Since the 11th century, under the lower oblique crossbar of the eight-pointed cross, a symbolic image of the head of Adam appears, who, according to legend, was buried on Golgotha. (in Hebrew - place of the forehead), where Christ was crucified. In the place where I will be buried, the Word of God will be crucified and sprinkle my skull with His blood, - Adam prophesied. These words of his clarify the tradition that had developed in Rus' by the 16th century to produce the following designations near the image of Golgotha: M.L.R.B.- the place of the frontal was crucified, G.G. - Mount Calvary, G.A. - the head of Adamov; moreover, the bones of the hands lying in front of the head are depicted: right on the left, as during burial or communion.

Letters TO And T mean copy centurion of Longinus and cane with a sponge, depicted along the cross.

Above the middle crossbar are the inscriptions: IC XC- the name of Jesus Christ; and below it: NIKA-Winner; On or near the title is the inscription: SN BZHIY - Son of God or abbreviation I.N.Ts.I.- Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews; the inscription above the title: KING OF GLORY- King of Glory.

Such crosses are supposed to be embroidered on the vestments of the great and angelic schema; three crosses on the paraman and five on the kukul: on the forehead, on the chest, on both shoulders and on the back.

The Golgotha ​​cross (Fig. 55) is also depicted on the funeral shroud, which marks the preservation of the vows given at baptism, like the white shroud of the newly baptized, meaning cleansing from sin.

Unlike cross image, depicting directly the Crucified Christ Himself, the sign of the cross conveys his spiritual meaning, depicts his real meaning, but the Cross itself does not show.

The Cross is the guardian of the entire universe, the Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross is the power of the kings, the Cross is the faithful affirmation, the Cross is the glory of the angel, the Cross is the plague of the demon, - affirms the absolute Truth of the luminaries of the feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross.

Calvary Cross - the most symbolic cross

Calvary Cross- this is a church jewelry, the most symbolic, in the literal sense of the word. The pectoral cross is, in general, a symbol of the Christian faith. are the hallmarks of adherents of the Christian faith. Crosses over the two millennia of the history of the Christian faith have acquired many canonical forms, changing from the simplest to the most bizarre. Images of the Lord, Christian saints, biblical subjects are applied to the crosses. But sometimes they do without icon-painting images, replacing them with stylized images, or even replacing them with symbols.

Calvary cross- This is a pectoral cross of a simple four-pointed shape, massive and laconic. On the front side of the cross is a schematic image of an eight-pointed cross - the Crucifixion, standing on Mount Golgotha. Calvary is a hill or a small rock near the city of Jerusalem, on which Jesus Christ was executed. Translated from Hebrew, "calvary" means "place of execution." For Christians, Golgotha, like the Holy Sepulcher, is the greatest shrine.

Golgotha ​​is the place where Christ's blood was shed, redeeming mankind, where the path to the Kingdom of Heaven was opened to mankind. Golgotha ​​on a cross symbolically depicted in the form of three steps, and signed with the monogram "MLRB", which means "The place of the frontal paradise was." The three steps symbolize the steps of spiritual rebirth.

• Under the upper step is an image of a skull, which is signed with the letters "G" and "> A" - "Adam's head". The skull of Adam, washed by the blood of the crucified Jesus, symbolizes the sins of mankind, which were redeemed by the Son of God at the cost of his life.
• There is no body of Jesus in the schematic image, it is marked with the monograms "Is Xs" - Jesus Christ.
• Above the eight-pointed cross is the inscription "King of Glory", meaning that Jesus, by his life and death, acquired all earthly glory.
• On the sides of the cross, also symbolically, are depicted the instruments of torture and murder of Christ - a cane with a sponge and a spear, marked with the letters "K" and "T", and the signature "Nika", which means "defeated". With this word, Jesus was resurrected.
• In the upper part of the cross there is also an abbreviated inscription "Son of God", which speaks of the divine nature of the Savior.

Calvary Cross, as we have already said, has a schematic representation of the Crucifixion in the form of an eight-pointed cross. The eight-pointed cross is most characteristic of Orthodox tradition. According to the gospel description, three crossbars were nailed to a vertical tree - a pillar - a tablet with the name of the person sentenced to death, a crossbar to which Christ's hands were nailed, and a footstool where his feet rested. The bowed foot also has a symbolic interpretation. It is the measure of the sin of the executed. Jesus was executed along with two criminals. One of them repented and asked for forgiveness from God, and the footstool on his side went up, pointing the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. The second, who is on the other side of Christ, at the hour of death did not admit his guilt, sins and cursed the Lord. The foot showed him the way down to hell.

Myself Calvary pectoral cross has a simple four-pointed shape. The cross is interpreted by Christian theologians as an ideal model of the world. The vertical indicates the direction from the earth to the sky, the horizontal is a symbol of everything earthly. In general, the four ends of the cross, connected at the point of intersection of the beams, are latitude, longitude, depth and height, fastened Divine power. The upper part of the cross symbolizes the divine region, and everything below the horizontal beam is the earthly kingdom.

Calvary Cross decorated with floral ornaments. This is not accidental either. Floral ornament symbolizes the earthly and heavenly kingdoms. On earth, plants are symbols of spiritual rebirth, renewal, as well as the Virgin Mary. In the Kingdom of Heaven, these are heavenly places and Christ. The floral ornament that wraps around the Orthodox pectoral cross on the sides and on the reverse side of the cross is the whole world, striving for the center of the cross - for God.

On the reverse side of the cross is a prayer praising the cross. The whole ideological and artistic design of the Calvary Cross is to glorify the Life-Giving Cross. The guardian of the universe, the beauty of the church, the power of kings, the affirmation of the faithful, the glory of angels and demons with a plague, this prayer magnifies the cross.

Silver crosses from the Tver-Yuvelir company:

Other Orthodox items:

Crosses:

Rings:

Icons:

Easter eggs (pendants on a chain):

Our cross reproduces the type of pectoral cross widely used in the Old Believer Church, which arose in Rus' in the 17th century.

His characteristic features are a simple four-pointed form with straight beams, where the vertical beam is longer than the horizontal one, and a fixed rounded table of contents with a two-tiered pyramid.

The central and main element of the composition of the front side is the eight-pointed cross - the image of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, installed on Mount Golgotha. Inside the mountain there is a skull depicting the head of Adam, because. according to legend, the remains of Adam were buried in this place. In addition, the connection between Christ and Adam is thus marked. The Fathers of the Church call Christ the New Adam, who atoned for original sin and opened the way to eternal life for man. On the sides of the Calvary Cross are depicted instruments of passion - a spear and a cane with a sponge. They, along with the Cross, are worshiped, so the spear and cane are invariably present on all Old Believer crosses, making up a single composition with the eight-pointed cross and Golgotha. According to the opinion prevailing in the Old Believer environment, the image of the Savior cannot be depicted on pectoral crosses, because. the cross is never allowed to be removed, and at the same time, a person has to go to places where it is obscene to bring the image of the Savior.

On the free field of the cross there are traditional inscriptions that are doctrinal and glorifying in nature. In the upper part of the cross is Tsr slva (King of Glory), an inscription that appeared on Byzantine crosses no later than the 12th century. (ΒΑΣΙΛΥΣ ΤΗΕ ΔΟΞΗΣ), the antonym of the ironic Pilate's inscription, speaking of the Ascension of the Lord in Glory. At the edges of the horizontal beam - I & C X & C (Jesus * Christ), affirming the promised Old Testament Messianic Savior. Along the horizontal beam - NIKA (Victor), reminiscent of the victory of Christ over hell and death.

The inscription I&C X&C NIKA was first written on crosses made by order of Emperor Constantine immediately after Queen Elena received the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord.

It is worth dwelling separately on the meaning of the eight-pointed cross, about which there were so many disputes in the history of the post-reform Church, and which today is not only especially revered by the Old Believers, but is also a symbol of the entire Russian Orthodox Church.

The eight-pointed cross as an image of the instrument of execution of the Savior has been found in church art since the 9th century. And by the 16th century in Rus', the image of the Calvary Cross became predominantly eight-pointed. Such a graphic form, which has developed over the centuries, is the best spiritual image of the true cross of the Lord - a symbol of the Sacrifice and Victory of the Savior. The eight-pointed form, in turn, consists of three parts - the four-pointed cross itself and two additional horizontal bars at the top and bottom.

The four-pointed cross graphically repeats the figure of the crucified Savior, “Who created and contains everything above and below, Who connected the above with the earthly, descended from above to the earth, and then ascended from the earth to heaven; He united everything in Himself and called all the ends of the earth to Himself.

The top bar marks Pilate's title mentioned in all four Gospels. But Pilatov's own inscription of the alleged guilt of the Savior "Jesus the Nazarene - King of the Jews" until the 16th century. it was not used on crosses, because her false content and a mocking nature were incompatible with the worship of the Cross. Instead, the true title of the Savior "Jesus Christ the King of Glory" was written, and more often just the abbreviated name of the Lord I & C X & C. After all, titles (titulus - lat.) in the Roman tradition were called “boards, meaning royal power depicting emperors or writing their names.

On Pilatov's Russian crosses there is an inscription on the title in the form of the Slavic abbreviation I.N.Ts.I. appears from the 17th century. and is usually present only in conjunction with the figure of the crucified Christ. However, on the eight-pointed crosses themselves without the Crucifixion, the inscriptions are not depicted, but are written side by side.

Thus, the upper crossbar, crowning the cross, denotes the true dignity of the Savior in accordance with the inscriptions located nearby.

The bottom bar indicates the foot. Despite the fact that the Gospel does not mention the foot and there is no reliable archaeological evidence of its existence, it is mentioned by many Church Fathers and has been on Byzantine and Russian images of the Crucifix since ancient times.

Most researchers believe that the foot, according to the Byzantine ceremonial, means the greatness of the depicted person. It shows the Cross as the throne of Christ, as a king, the King of Glory. In addition, the Cross is also perceived as an altar, an indispensable attribute of which is the foot. Thus, the footstool on the cross shows the crucified Christ not only as a sacrifice, but also as the High Priest who offers it. We find confirmation of these meanings of the foot in many books. Holy Scripture(Is.60.13; Ps.98:5; Ps.131:7; Mt.22:44; Heb.10:12-13). Given the importance of the foot, the Cross itself is often called the foot, and not just its separate part.

In the context of these meanings, the pedestal on ancient crosses had a voluminous cubic shape, sometimes decorated with ornaments, and was similar to the pedestal depicted on the icons at the throne of the Almighty. Recall that the figure of the crucified Christ in those days had the features of royal dignity. Over time (since the 9th century), the volumetric foot in Byzantine and Russian art turned into a wide board. In Russian crosses of the XVI-XVII centuries. she began to be depicted beveled with the right end up. The foot of this form fell in love and established itself in Russian icon painting and acquired a new symbolic meaning - "the measure of the righteous." The beveled foot of the cross reminds us of two thieves crucified on the sides of Christ, and denotes the yoke of scales Doomsday. One end is lowered down under the weight of the sins of the unrepentant, bringing him down to hell, and the other, freed by the repentance of the prudent thief, is lifted up, raising him, according to the promise of the Savior, to paradise. Thus, the meaning of repentance as a path to salvation is symbolically highlighted.

In addition, the reminder of the crucified thieves recreates a complete picture of the Crucifixion with three crosses, an important symbolic meaning of such a composition is to show the restoration of the lost paradise with two trees in the center. And then the Cross of Christ is the image of the Tree of Life, and the crosses of the thieves personify the dualism of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is possible that, combining the symbolism of the trees of Paradise, the eight-pointed cross with an oblique foot becomes the “Three-part honest tree”, sung in the canon of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross (Ode 8).

On the reverse side of our cross is the text of the prayer to the Honest and Life-Giving Cross in pre-reform writing: May God rise again, and thwart him, and may those who hate him flee from his face: like smoke disappears, let them disappear, like wax melts from the face of fire, so yes demons will perish from the face of those who love God and the sign ...

*This spelling of the name of Christ was used before the church reform of 1651-1685, and to this day it is accepted in the Old Believer Church.

Our cross can be made in silver with blackening and fragmentary gilding (Art. KS109) or decorated with hot enamel of various colors (Art. KS109/1).

Silver, gilding

Size: 36.5×16.6mm

Weight ~4.6 gr

A silver pectoral cross with Golgotha ​​and a prayer on the front side and a floral ornament on the back is made in the style of Russian crosses of the era of the reign of Peter I. Similar crosses, decorated with curls and red or metal beads in the middle cross, appeared in Russia at the end of the 17th - early XVIII century. They combined two types of crosses: the flourishing and the "sun". The curls symbolically depict simultaneously the sun with rays, a branch with berries wrapped around a cross, and a crown of thorns with drops of blood. This is an image of the glorification of Christ, the Righteous Branch (Jer. 23:15), the Crown of Truth (Tim. 4:8), the Crown of Glory (Peter 5:4), the Sun of Truth (Mal. 4:2); as well as the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, about which the Church says that “hoisted in the middle of the Universe” and “planted on the forehead” the Cross of Christ “grew a bunch of life” and “enlightened the entire Universe, dispelled darkness and announced light”; that, according to the gospel promise, he will be the first to appear in heaven before the Second Coming of Christ, “illuminating the whole earth from ends to ends, more than the brightness of the sun, and announcing the coming of the Lord Christ” (St. Ephraim the Syrian, †373).

The Orthodox Church has always had pectoral crosses both with the image of the Lord and without it, because the cross itself, as the great and victorious weapon of Christ, has been revered since apostolic times as the main sacred symbol of Christianity.

On this cross also there is no image of the Lord. But on the front side on Mount Golgotha, marked with a semicircle and the letters MLRB (Place of the Execution of Paradise to Be), the instruments of Christ's passion are depicted in relief: an eight-pointed cross, a cane with a sponge and a spear. Written on both sides holy name Christ "IC XC" and the word "NIKA", which means "defeated". After the resurrection, the Lord pronounced it, addressing the disciples: “Be of good cheer, for I have conquered the world” (John 16:33).

The form of the eight-pointed cross is used more often than others in the Orthodox tradition, and is revered by the Old Believers as the only true one. It corresponds to the Gospel description, which says that after the execution, two more crossbars were nailed to the four-pointed cross of Christ: a foot and a tablet with the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Full of symbolism and the main four-pointed form. “Just as the four ends of the cross are held and connected by its center, so is height and depth, longitude and breadth, that is, the visible and invisible creature, by the power of the Divine,” wrote the great theologian and ascetic St. John of Damascus (7th century). That is, in each cross there is both a mystical image of the Lord, His Kingdom of Glory, and an image of the earthly world transformed by holiness, so that “with all the saints they could comprehend what is the breadth and length, and depth and height” (Eph. 3, 18).

The main transverse beam, extending in breadth, marks the earthly, the vertical one indicates the underworld and Heaven and the growth of the earth towards Heaven. The upper part of the cross is the area of ​​Divine being, which, as it were, is separated by a short upper crossbar.

The earthly and heavenly kingdoms were often depicted in Christian art as trees or other plants. In the earthly world, they are symbols of spiritual renewal, rebirth, as well as the Mother of God, in the Heavenly world - paradise and Christ. The floral ornament on the back of the cross, as it were, depicts the whole world, all the ends of the earth, stretching towards God, striving to unite in Christ, symbolically indicated by a crucifer in the center. The shoots stretching towards the center consist of twelve joints. This is the image of the twelve apostles, disciples of Christ. They were called to preach the gospel to all ends of the earth to bring the world to God.

The main idea of ​​​​the artistic design of the cross is the glorification of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord and its saving power for man. The prayer written on the front side is also dedicated to this: “Cross the guardian of the whole universe, cross the beauty of the Church, cross the power of the kings, cross the faithful affirmation, cross the angels glory, cross the demons.” (On the product, the prayer is written in abbreviation).

The cross is a symbol of faith and love for God, a personal sacred sign of the Sacrament of Baptism performed on a person, in which he received a second, spiritual birth. A baptized person is adopted by God, is a member of His Church and lives with the hope of salvation and eternal life, because "unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (John 3:5). The cross protects a person from all evil, especially from invisible enemies, helping to become closer to God.

“If anyone wants to follow Me, deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24), says the Lord