The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the corpus (Latin for "body").

May 23, 2017 · One Christian legend says that the first Celtic cross was formed by St Patrick while bringing Christianity to the Druids. The Druids used to worship a large circular stone. St Patrick, on seeing the significance of this stone, drew a large cross through the middle of it in order to bless it.

Sep 30, 2016 · Today every Orthodox Christian wears a cross. It is not just the sign, which demonstrates our faith and religion, but it is the symbol of God’s victory over evil and death. The cross reminds us about the sacrifice, which God made for our salvation.

The Christian cross, seen as representing the crucifixion of Jesus, is a symbol of Christianity. [1] It is related to the crucifix, a cross that includes a corpus (a representation of Jesus' body, usually three-dimensional) and to the more general family of cross symbols.

Sep 13, 2023 · When we say the word cross, we tend to think of one specific image – the Christian cross. However, the cross symbol has existed for thousands of years, with the oldest religious symbol believed to be the solar cross. This first cross may have then influenced all subsequent types of crosses.

Feb 20, 2024 · Jesus was crucified next to two thieves (Mark 15:27). Historians say the cross was officially invented by the ancient Assyrians (who later were one of the empires that took Israelites into exile). There is a reference in the Old Testament to an execution method that came before the crucifixion, but it has some of its effects.

Jan 27, 2023 · Although the exact time the Cross was made is unknown, the use of the Cross predates Christianity. The symbol dates to one of the earliest periods in human history, the Stone Age. Incisions of crosses were even found in Petroglyph drawings on European caves.

Read all about the many different types of crosses including all the non-Christian and Christian cross variants and their meanings in our extensive list.

While early Christians used the T-shape to represent the cross in writing and gesture, the use of the Greek cross and Latin cross, i.e. crosses with intersecting beams, appears in Christian art towards the end of Late Antiquity.

Though in our day, the cross is the most common Christian symbol -- by far -- it was not always so. During the period of persecutions before Constantine I, we generally don't find the cross on monuments and catacomb sepulchres.