Ringed cross

Last updated

The ringed cross is a class of Christian cross symbols featuring a ring or nimbus. The concept exists in many variants and dates to early in the history of Christianity. One variant, the cruciform halo, is a special type of halo placed behind the head of Jesus in Christian art. Other common variants include the Celtic cross, used in the stone high crosses of France, Ireland and Britain; some forms of the Coptic cross; and ringed crosses from Galicia.

Contents

History

Crux Gemmata at Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe Ravenna BW 4.JPG
Crux Gemmata at Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe

The nimbus or ringed shape was appended to the Christian cross and other symbols relatively early. In these contexts it apparently derived from the earlier Roman garland of victory. The Chi Rho-in-circle motif was widespread in the Roman Empire by the late 4th century, and garlanded and ringed crosses were popular in imperial Ravenna by the 5th century, influencing the later versions. [1] The cruciform halo or cross halo, a halo incorporating a cross, emerged as a distinctive type of halo painted behind the head of members of the Holy Trinity, especially Jesus, and occasionally others. [2] In other cases, the combination of cross and nimbus symbolized the presence of Christ throughout the cosmos, with the nimbus representing the celestial sphere. Notable early examples include the cosmological ringed cross in the 5th-century Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and the 6th-century Crux Gemmata in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe. [3]

Symbolic forms

Examples

Celtic crosses in France, Ireland and Great Britain

The Celtic cross is a variant of the ringed cross that emerged in France, Ireland and Britain in the Early Middle Ages. It is a Latin cross featuring a nimbus surrounding the intersection of the stem and arms. The Celtic cross became widespread through the distinctive stone high crosses erected across the islands beginning in the early 8th century; most, but not all, of these monuments take the form of the Celtic cross. Scholars debate the origins of the type, but it is related to earlier types of ringed crosses such as the "cosmological cross" used in Ravenna. [3] St. John's Cross at Iona, an Irish monastery off the coast of Scotland and a major pilgrimage center, may be the prototype for all other high crosses. [4] Most high crosses were made between the 8th and 10th centuries, with a briefer revival occurring in Ireland in the late 11th and 12th centuries. [5]

The Celtic cross saw a resurgence in the mid-19th century, following new studies and reconstructions of the medieval high crosses. They subsequently became common objects in art, architecture, and merchandise during the Celtic Revival. They have since remained popular symbols of Ireland and "Celtic" identity. [6]

In France, the celtic crosses are called the croix celtique or croix nimbée ("cross with nimbus"). They are found mainly in the western part of France: in Brittany, Normandy, Limousin as far as Auvergne in the centre. Most of them were made around the 16th century. One can be seen on the spire of Orléans Cathedral, in the Loire valley.

In Lower Normandy, in Cotentin, many churches have kept their tombstones decorated with a celtic cross. [7] [8]

Galicia

A distinct form of ringed cross similar to Celtic variant is found in Galicia in Spain, often topping horreos (granaries) as a protective measure against any kind of evil. [9] They can also be found atop churches and, since the beginning of the 20th century, in cemeteries, but they are unusual in cruceiros (high crosses). There is a very characteristic Galician Medieval style [10] that combines a Celtic cross with a Celtic simple knot; it is similar to the St Maur cross at Glanfeuil Abbey. [11] [12]

Estonia

Rongasrist Saha kabeliaias Rongasrist Saha kabeliaias.jpg
Rõngasrist Saha kabeliaias

There is an example of a circled cross in the cemetery around the 13th-century Saha Chapel in North Estonia.

Coptic cross

Old Coptic crosses often incorporate a circle, as in the form called a "Coptic cross" by Rudolf Koch in his The Book of Signs (1933). Sometimes the arms of the cross extend through the circle (dividing it into four quadrants), as in the "Celtic cross". The circle cross was also used by the early Gnostic sects.

Nestorian cross

Crosses used by the Church of the East sometimes incorporate a circle, similar to the Celtic cross or a sun cross.

Use with computer systems

Although many image files exist (and are used in this article), just one circled cross  the celtic cross  has an explicit code point in Unicode for use in transferable materials.

Symbols designed for other purposes, such as U+1F728🜨ALCHEMICAL SYMBOL FOR VERDIGRIS, U+2295CIRCLED PLUS and U+2A01N-ARY CIRCLED PLUS OPERATOR, have been used as alternatives. These symbols (particularly 1F548 and 1F728) are not included in all computer fonts and consequently may not be displayed correctly or even at all. Furthermore, they may not be recognised by screen reader software used by people with visual impairment.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross</span> Geometrical figure

A cross is a compound geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a saltire in heraldic terminology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic knot</span> Decorative knot used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular art

Celtic knots are a variety of knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular art. These knots are most known for their adaptation for use in the ornamentation of Christian monuments and manuscripts, such as the 8th-century St. Teilo Gospels, the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. Most are endless knots, and many are varieties of basket weave knots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High cross</span> Free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated

A high cross or standing cross is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. These probably developed from earlier traditions using wood, perhaps with metalwork attachments, and earlier pagan Celtic memorial stones; the Pictish stones of Scotland may also have influenced the form. The earliest surviving examples seem to come from the territory of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, which had been converted to Christianity by Irish missionaries; it remains unclear whether the form first developed in Ireland or Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James the Great</span> One of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus

James the Great was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles to die, and the first to be martyred. Saint James is the patron saint of Spain and, according to tradition, his remains are held in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic cross</span> Christian cross superimposed on a circle

The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses erected across the islands, especially in regions evangelised by Irish missionaries, from the ninth through the 12th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chi Rho</span> Symbol for Jesus Christ (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ)

The Chi Rho is one of the earliest forms of the Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters—chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ in such a way that the vertical stroke of the rho intersects the center of the chi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun cross</span> Circle containing four or more spokes

A sun cross, solar cross, or wheel cross is a solar symbol consisting of an equilateral cross inside a circle.

The modern Celts are a related group of ethnicities who share similar Celtic languages, cultures and artistic histories, and who live in or descend from one of the regions on the western extremities of Europe populated by the Celts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christogram</span> Monogram for Jesus Christ

A Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a religious symbol within the Christian Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triquetra</span> Triangular motif formed of three interlaced arcs or loops

The triquetra is a triangular figure composed of three interlaced arcs, or (equivalently) three overlapping vesicae piscis lens shapes. It is used as an ornamental design in architecture, and in medieval manuscript illumination. Its depiction as interlaced is common in Insular ornaments from about the 7th century. In this interpretation, the triquetra represents the topologically simplest possible knot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halo (religious iconography)</span> Religious symbol representing a ring of light

A halo (from Ancient Greek ἅλως 'threshing floor, disk'; also called a nimbus, aureole, glory, or gloriole is a crown of light rays, circle or disk of light that surrounds a person in works of art. The halo occurs in the iconography of many religions to indicate holy or sacred figures, and has at various periods also been used in images of rulers and heroes. In the religious art of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, sacred persons may be depicted with a halo in the form of a circular glow, or flames in Asian art, around the head or around the whole body—this last form is often called a mandorla. Halos may be shown as almost any colour or combination of colours, but are most often depicted as golden, yellow or white or as red. Depending on how you define a halo, the earliest extant artistic depictions of halos were in Egypt or Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross of Saint James</span> Heraldic symbol of Spain

The Cross of Saint James, also known as the Santiago cross, cruz espada, or Saint James' Cross, is a cruciform (cross-shaped) heraldic badge. The cross, shaped as a cross fitchy, combines with either a cross fleury or a cross moline. Its most common version is a red cross resembling a sword, with the hilt and the arm in the shape of a fleur-de-lis.

Circled plus (⊕) or n-ary circled plus (⨁) may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian symbolism</span> Use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork or events, by Christianity

Christian symbolism is the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork or events, by Christianity. It invests objects or actions with an inner meaning expressing Christian ideas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coptic cross</span> Cross associated with Coptic Christians

The Coptic cross is any of a number of Christian cross variants associated in some way with Coptic Christians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Galicia (Spain)</span>

The coat of arms of Galicia is described in the Spanish Law 5 of 29 May 1984, the Law of the symbols of Galicia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag and coat of arms of Normandy</span> Regional flag and the heraldic visual design symbolising Normandy, France

The flag and coat of arms of Normandy are symbols of Normandy, a region in north-western France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian cross</span> Representative cross for Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox church

Ethiopian crosses, Abyssinian crosses, or Ethiopian-Eritrean crosses are a grouping of Christian cross variants that are symbols of Christianity in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and among Ethiopians and Eritreans. Their elaborate, stylized design is markedly distinct from other Christian cross variants. Ethiopian crosses are almost always made from elaborate latticework, the intertwined lattice represents everlasting life. No two crosses are exactly identical in style, the artisans who make them being allowed the freedom to exercise a measure of individual taste and creativity in their choice of shape and pattern. Crosses may be of the processional type with a socket at the base so they may be mounted on a staff and carried in church ceremonies or hand-held blessing crosses used by priests in benedictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monifieth sculptured stones</span>

The Monifieth Sculptured Stones are a series of five class II and III standing Pictish stones from the early Medieval period found in or around St Regulus' church in Monifieth, Angus, Scotland. Uncovered during the demolition of a pre-Reformation church and its kirkyard wall in the 19th and 20th centuries, the stones are now housed in the collection of the Museum of Scotland.

<i>Mogao Christian painting</i> 9th-century Christian painting

The Mogao Christian painting, also known as Painting of a Christian figure or Fragment of a Christian figure, is a fragmentary silk painting of a haloed man with crosses on his head and chest who has been interpreted as a Christian figure associated with the Church of the East. The painting dates to the end of the 9th century, during the Guiyi rule of Dunhuang under the Zhang family. It was discovered by the Hungarian-born British archaeologist Aurel Stein at the Library Cave of the Mogao Caves in 1908, and is now kept in the British Museum, London.

References

  1. Herren, Michael W.; Brown, Shirley Ann (2002). Christ in Celtic Christianity: Britain and Ireland from the Fifth to the Tenth Century. Boydell Press. pp. 192–193. ISBN   0851158897.
  2. Sill, Gertrude Grace (2011). A Handbook of Symbols in Christian Art. Simon & Schuster. pp. 59–60. ISBN   978-1439123843.
  3. 1 2 Herren, Michael W.; Brown, Shirley Ann (2002). Christ in Celtic Christianity: Britain and Ireland from the Fifth to the Tenth Century. Boydell Press. pp. 199–200. ISBN   0851158897.
  4. Werner, Martin (1990). "On the Origins of the Form of the Irish High Cross". Gesta. 29 (1): 98–110. doi:10.2307/767104. JSTOR   767104. S2CID   192024681.
  5. Cronin, Rhoda (1998). "Late High Crosses in Munster: Tradition and Novelty in Twelfth-Century Irish Art". In Monk, Michael A.; John, Sheehan (eds.). Early Medieval Munster: Archaeology, History and Society. Cork University Press. pp. 138–146. ISBN   1859181074 . Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  6. William, Maggie McEnchroe (2001). "Constructing the Market Cross at Tuam: The Role of Cultural Patriotism in the Study of High Crosses". In Hourihane, Colum (ed.). From Ireland Coming: Irish Art from the Early Christian to the Late Gothic Period and Its European Context. Princeton University Press. pp. 141–160. ISBN   069108825X . Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  7. Frédéric Scuvée, Les croix nimbées du Cotentin in Heimdal n°2, 1971.
  8. Stéphane Laîné, Baligan ou les avatars d'un émir », in Remembrances et Resveries, Recueil d'articles en hommage à Jean Batany rassemblés et édités par Huguette Legros, Denis Hüe et Joël Grisward, Orléans, Éditions Paradigme.
  9. Mariño Ferro, Xosé Ramón (2010). Dicionario de etnografia e antropoloxía de Galiza (1 ed.). Vigo: Nigra Trea. p. 212. ISBN   978-84-95364-84-5.
  10. "There are many types of (church roof) crosses, but the interlaced ones are the most characteristic and the most flamboyant of all those to be found throughout the country (Galicia). They are made up, in most cases, by a Christian cross of equal arms, not unlike a Pate or Greek cross, with a circle that surrounds it; along with this, the cross is ornamented with interlaces in the way of the purest early Celtic art" ("Hai cruces antefixas de moitos tipos pero son as entrelazadas as máis chamativas e características de todas as que podemos atopar polo país. Están formadas na maior parte dos casos por unha cruz cristiá xeralmente de brazos iguais, do tipo da cruz de paté ou grega, e un circulo que a rodea; xunto con isto está ornamentada cun entrelazado da máis pura arte celta primitiva") Romero, Bieito (2009). Xeometrías máxicas de Galicia. Vigo: Ir Indo. pp. 122–176. ISBN   978-84-7680-639-5.
  11. The meaning of the St Maur cross (French) Archived 2011-11-21 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "photos de l' abbaye de St Maur en Anjou". erwan.levourch.pagesperso-orange.fr. Archived from the original on 2013-04-28.