Is it possible to wear a cross with a crucifix? Jewelry in the online store "Angel"

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Which cross is considered canonical? Why is it unacceptable to wear a cross with the image of the crucified Savior and other images?

Every Christian from holy baptism to the hour of death must wear on his chest the sign of his faith in the crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord and God Jesus Christ. We wear this sign not over our clothes, but on our body, which is why it is called a body sign, and it is called octagonal (eight-pointed) because it is similar to the Cross on which the Lord was crucified on Golgotha.

Unwritten legends keep many nuances. So, after the publication of this article, one Old Believer bishop, and then a reader of the site, pointed out that the word cross, just like the word icon, does not have a diminutive form. In this regard, we also appeal to our visitors with a request to respect the symbols of Orthodoxy and monitor the correctness of their speech!

Male pectoral cross

The pectoral cross, which is always and everywhere with us, serves as a constant reminder of the Resurrection of Christ and that at baptism we promised to serve Him and renounced Satan. Thus, the pectoral cross is able to strengthen our spiritual and physical strength, and protect us from the devil’s evil.

The oldest surviving crosses often take the form of a simple equilateral four-pointed cross. This was customary at a time when Christians venerated Christ, the apostles, and the holy cross symbolically. In ancient times, as you know, Christ was often depicted as a Lamb surrounded by 12 other lambs - the apostles. Also, the Cross of the Lord was depicted symbolically.

Later, in connection with the discovery of the original Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, St. Queen Helena, the eight-pointed shape of the cross begins to be depicted more and more often. This was also reflected in the crosses. But the four-pointed cross did not disappear: as a rule, an eight-pointed cross was depicted inside a four-pointed one.

In order to remind us of what the Cross of Christ means to us, it is often depicted on the symbolic Calvary with a skull (the head of Adam) at the base. Next to him you can usually see the instruments of the Lord’s passion - a spear and a cane.

Letters INCI(Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews), which are usually depicted on larger crosses, are given in memory of the inscription mockingly nailed above the head of the Savior during the crucifixion.

The explanatory inscription under the titles reads: King of Glory Jesus Christ Son of God" Often the inscription “ NIKA” (Greek word meaning Christ's victory over death).

Individual letters that may appear on pectoral crosses mean “ TO” – copy, “ T” – cane, “ GG” – Mount Golgotha, “ GA” – head of Adam. “ MLRB” – Place Execution Paradise Was (that is: at the site of the execution of Christ, Paradise was once planted).

We are sure that many people do not even realize how perverted this symbolism is in our usual deck of cards . As it turned out in, four card suits are a hidden blasphemy against Christian shrines: cross– this is the Cross of Christ; diamonds- nails; peaks- centurion's copy; worms- This is a sponge with vinegar, which the torturers mockingly gave to Christ instead of water.

The image of the Crucified Savior on body crosses appeared quite recently (at least after the 17th century). Pectoral crosses with the image of the Crucifixion non-canonical , since the image of the Crucifixion turns the pectoral cross into an icon, and the icon is intended for direct perception and prayer.

Wearing an icon hidden from view carries the danger of using it for other purposes, namely as a magical amulet or amulet. The cross is symbol , and the Crucifixion is image . The priest wears a cross with a Crucifix, but he wears it in a visible way: so that everyone sees this image and is inspired to pray, inspired to have a certain attitude towards the priest. The priesthood is an image of Christ. But the pectoral cross that we wear under our clothes is a symbol, and the Crucifixion should not be there.

One of the ancient rules of St. Basil the Great (IV century), which was included in the Nomocanon, reads:

“Anyone who wears any icon as an amulet must be excommunicated from communion for three years.”

As we see, the ancient fathers very strictly monitored the correct attitude towards the icon, towards the image. They stood guard over the purity of Orthodoxy, protecting it in every possible way from paganism. By the 17th century, a custom had developed to place on the back of the pectoral cross a prayer to the Cross (“May God rise again and His enemies be scattered…”), or only the first words.

Women's pectoral cross

In the Old Believers, the external difference between “ female" And " male” crosses. The “female” pectoral cross has a smoother, rounded shape without sharp corners. Around the “female” cross, a “vine” is depicted with a floral ornament, reminiscent of the words of the psalmist: “ Your wife is like a fruitful vine in the countries of your home. ”(Ps. 127: 3).

It is customary to wear a pectoral cross on a long gaitan (braid, woven thread) so that you can, without removing it, take the cross in your hands and make the sign of the cross (this is supposed to be done with the appropriate prayers before going to bed, as well as when performing the cell rule).

If we talk about crosses with the image of the crucifixion more broadly, then a distinctive feature of canonical crosses is the style of depicting the body of Christ on them. Widespread today on New Believer crosses the image of the suffering Jesus is alien to the Orthodox tradition .

According to canonical ideas, reflected in icon painting and copper sculpture, the body of the Savior on the Cross was never depicted suffering, sagging on nails, etc., which testifies to His divine nature.

The manner of “humanizing” the suffering of Christ is characteristic of Catholicism and was borrowed much later than the church schism in Rus'. Old Believers consider such crosses worthless . Examples of canonical and modern New Believer casting are given below: the substitution of concepts is noticeable even with the naked eye.

The stability of traditions should also be noted: the collections in the photographs were replenished without the goal of showing only ancient forms, that is, hundreds of types of modern “ Orthodox jewelry ” – an invention of recent decades against the background of almost complete oblivion of the symbolism and meaning of the image of the honorable Cross of the Lord.

Illustrations on the topic

Below are illustrations selected by the editors of the “Old Believer Thought” website and links on the topic.

An example of canonical pectoral crosses from different times:

An example of non-canonical crosses from different times:

Cross with an unusual back side that you can read about

Modern male cross

Catalog of ancient crosses - online version of the book " Millennium Cross » – http://k1000k.narod.ru

A well-illustrated article on early Christian pectoral crosses with high-quality illustrations in color and additional material on the topic on the website Culturology.Ru – http://www.kulturologia.ru/blogs/150713/18549/

Comprehensive information and photos about cast icon crosses from Novgorod manufacturer of similar products : https://readtiger.com/www.olevs.ru/novgorodskoe_litje/static/kiotnye_mednolitye_kresty_2/

Orthodox pectoral cross without crucifix has a fairly ancient history, and this is probably why today you can find so many varieties of these items. As we all know from history, over time, different peoples of the Christian world had a variety of body wear - with and without a crucifix, with a different number of ends - three-pointed, made in the shape of the letter “T”, four-pointed, eight-pointed, equilateral or unequal. But the most common option in the Orthodox world is considered to be an eight-pointed pectoral cross, on which a crucifixion may or may not be depicted. Although many priests say that there are no strict rules about wearing a pectoral cross of a certain shape.

Pectoral crosses that do not have the Savior’s crucifixion on them are considered the most ancient. At the very beginning of the Christian era, only the geometric shape of the cross was depicted, which in itself was a symbol of Christianity. After some time, the crucifixion of Christ began to be depicted on the cross in combination with some other symbolic elements. The crucifixion on body and other crosses began to be depicted only in the second and third centuries. And already in the seventh century, the Greek scholar monk Sinaite (who at that time was the abbot of Mount Sinai) wrote his polemical work, which later became famous, and illustrated it with an image of the Crucifixion.

At the same time, in his work he was the first to use the Greek crucifix, in other words, an eight-pointed cross. And subsequently, when the scribes copied his work, he asked them to redraw this cross as carefully as possible. And since the Monk Anastasius Sinaite was a very respected person, the image of such a cross becomes widespread in the East.

We can say that the depiction of the crucifixion on pectoral crosses began to be performed relatively recently. According to the testimony of many historians and experts, until the seventeenth century, it was in use pectoral cross without crucifix. And according to many priests, pectoral crosses with a crucifix on them do not correspond to Christian canons - since they have an image of Christ on them, they automatically turn into an icon, and it, in turn, is intended for prayer and direct perception. And if you wear it, hiding it from human eyes, then there is a high probability that it will be used for other purposes, that is, as a magical amulet or amulet. After all, the cross is a sacred symbol, and the crucifix is ​​an image. And if priests wear crosses with a crucifix on their chests, then they wear them in plain sight, so those around them, seeing him, are inspired to pray. Well, as for the pectoral crosses that we wear on our chests, it is believed that there should not be a crucifix on them, since they are a symbol.

But it should be noted that you should not be embarrassed by this circumstance and fight it in any way. But it is advisable to perceive the meaning of this image in the spirit of the ancient Church. And as an example illustrating the attitude towards these seemingly insignificant rules, we can cite the following episode. Back in the fourth century, the rule of Basil the Great was adopted, which was included in the Nomocanon, which, in particular, said: “Anyone who wears any icon as an amulet must be excommunicated for three years from holy communion.” As can be seen, already in those days the holy fathers of the Church quite strictly monitored the attitude towards the image, icon, stood guard over Orthodoxy and in every possible way protected it from manifestations of paganism.

Tradition to wear pectoral cross without crucifix or with the crucifixion is rooted not only in the tradition of veneration of the Lord’s Cross, but also in the entire content of a Christian’s existence. After all, even during the baptismal ceremony, when the priest places a pectoral cap on a person, he reminds him of his life’s path. That is, Christ said, “Whoever wants to follow me, take up your cross and follow me.”

And it turns out that everyone who lives only for themselves ultimately turns out to be spiritually disembodied, and vice versa, those who have gone through the cross receive life with God.

Silver crosses from the Tver-Jeweler company:

Other Orthodox products:

Crosses:

Rings:

Icons:

Easter eggs (pendants on a chain):

Question: “Once my pectoral cross fell out, and they told me that it was Catholic, because it did not have the Crucifixion and the inscription “save and preserve.” Now I am tormented by doubts: is it possible to wear such a cross?”

Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov answers:
“It’s possible. I, too, wear a cross on my body without the inscription “save and preserve.” What does “is it possible or not” mean? Who can forbid you, anyway? What is such a fear of stupid people - it’s possible, it’s not, where is it written? Say: “ Give me a Church decree - ancient or new." There must be a paper - a Resolution of the Holy Synod, or a Council of Bishops, or even just a decree of the Patriarch. That is enough."
O. Alexander: "About the shape of the Cross."
O. Dmitry: “No, but the Cross is Greek. The four-pointed Cross has always been called Greek. Moreover, even if you look at the priestly Crosses, all of them, with rare exceptions, have an image of a four-pointed Cross on them. Then - the Catholic . There is no Catholic Cross, the Cross is exclusively that of Christ, on which Christ was crucified. And so, what tradition it was made in is completely unimportant. So, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. But many people, especially those who were unable to raise children in the Orthodox faith, they make up for it by trying to teach young people, and since they do not know either the Gospel, or the teachings of the Church, or the history of the Church, or its canons, they themselves make up all sorts of “dos and don’ts,” for example, through the left You can’t pass a candle on your shoulder - this is one of those crazy wishes, and they came up with a lot of things like that, “you can’t put a candle upside down” - where they find the legs of a candle is still a mystery to me, for example. And today I read one confession. I’ll tell you secret of confession. One servant of God writes (and I talk about this in every sermon about Lent, and she is our constant parishioner) that she sinned: “On Wednesday I ate ice cream, and asked the saleswoman if it was Lenten? The saleswoman said: “Lenten,” They asked if there was milk there, the saleswoman said: “No,” then she came home and looked at the ice cream with a magnifying glass, and through the magnifying glass she found milk there.” So, finally, this poor sinner woman found something to repent of. Although we don’t talk about milk, and about cottage cheese pancakes, and about everything else during the sermon about Lent, and all the time.
So our life is very difficult. But, if they pester you very much, it’s a wooden cross, well, take it and write there: “Save and preserve.” And I’ll tell you a secret - besides Russia there are several more Orthodox countries, and in these countries people also wear Crosses, and nowhere except Russia you will find Crosses with the inscription “Save and Preserve.” Patriarch Philotheus recently came; if he has a cross on his body, then there is no inscription on it: “Save and preserve.” And the tradition of writing this inscription generally arose only in recent years."

Very often, clergy in the Orthodox Church are asked the question whether it is possible to wear a cross without a crucifix. You can also hear another similar question: is it possible to wear a cross with a crucifix. To get the answer, you should carefully study church literature on this topic. First of all, it is worth saying that the Orthodox Church is very lenient about the shape of the pectoral cross and what is depicted on it, unlike many other churches. It is allowed to wear crosses, both with and without a crucifix. However, if the cross is with a crucifix, then it is worth finding out the main differences between it and the crosses that belong to other churches, for example, the Catholic one.

Wearing crosses without an image of Jesus Christ, as Orthodox clergy say, is completely acceptable. It is worth noting that previously it was precisely such crosses that in most cases were worn by Christians at the beginning of the formation of the Church of Christ. The shape of the cross can be four-pointed, six-pointed or eight-pointed. Please note that the Catholic Church only recognizes the four-pointed shape of the cross. In Orthodoxy, form, image and inscriptions are given less importance. The thing is that the main thing is not what the cross looks like, but what role it plays. But, nevertheless, Orthodox crosses differ from the symbols of faith that belong to other churches.

What does a cross look like without a crucifix?

As mentioned above, wearing a cross without a crucifix is ​​possible and acceptable by the Orthodox Church. Most often, the shape of crosses without a crucifix is ​​four-pointed. The front side is smooth, on the back there may be a small prayer or the inscription “Save and Preserve”. Sometimes crosses without a crucifix are decorated with stones: non-precious, semi-precious and precious. Crosses without a crucifix decorated with diamonds look very beautiful. As a rule, crosses are put on chains. You can buy men's silver neck chains. The Orthodox store also has a wide selection of gold chains.

Gold or women's ones in the form of a cross are usually worn under clothes. It is advisable to hide the symbol of faith from prying eyes. If you are a representative of the fair half of humanity and love clothes with a deep neckline, then you should think about such a chain length that you can hide a pectoral cross under the neckline. Sometimes crosses are put on strings, which can always be found in the Temple. What to wear on a body symbol of faith is not at all important. This could be a rope, a chain, or in some cases a pin on the back of the clothing.

What should it be Orthodox pectoral cross? Wooden or gold, large or small, with or without a crucifix, or maybe with images of other saints? What about wearable icons? These questions haunt many laity.

Orthodox cross

I remember back in school days, during an excursion in one of the Christian cathedrals, all participants at the entrance were given wooden pectoral crosses. And those who wore theirs under their shirts were asked to take them off and put on church ones. They explained this by saying that ours are just decoration, and you can’t go to church without a consecrated cross.

Editorial today "So simple!", has figured out Orthodox iconography and will tell you what kind of cross an Orthodox Christian should wear. After all, as the Holy Scripture says: “But I do not want to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”(Gal. 6:14).

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In the Orthodox world, opinions regarding the pectoral cross vary. Some priests strictly prohibit wearing a cross without a crucifix and the inscription “Save and Preserve,” while others, on the contrary, do not attach much importance to this and recommend wearing simple crosses, without inscriptions and images.

The only thing on which opinions agree is that the cross must be consecrated in the Orthodox Church. The material from which it is made is completely unimportant. It is strictly forbidden to talk about the religious advantages of expensive crosses over simple ones, because this will not affect the quality of the holy power of the cross. A person should not honor gold and silver, but the power and image on the cross.

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The Orthodox cross can be eight-pointed, six-pointed, four-pointed teardrop-shaped, trefoil or Latin four-pointed.

The depiction of the crucifixion is the subject of heated debate between representatives different faiths. Catholics believe that Jesus was crucified on the cross with three nails, Orthodox believe that with four. Therefore, on the Catholic cross the Savior’s legs are thrown one on top of the other, but on the Orthodox cross they are located side by side.

Historically, Jesus crucified on the cross only appeared in the 4th century. Until this time, only the image of the cross itself was revered. It was only in the 5th century that the tradition of depicting the crucified Christ took root. Hence the conclusion that it is permissible for a believing Orthodox Christian to wear a cross with or without a crucifix.

The combination of the crucifixion and the cross received final justification in 692 in the 82nd rule Trula Cathedral. It established the canon of the iconographic Orthodox depiction of the crucifixion, which shows both the death and the victory of the Savior. Catholics did not accept these rules and the symbolic image of Christ. They established a new type of crucifixion, in which the features of human suffering and the agony of execution on the cross predominate.

Therefore, the severity of some holy fathers regarding inscriptions and the crucifixion is understandable. The crucifix symbolizes faith in Christ, who died and rose again for our salvation. The crucifix is ​​another visible symbol of the Christian faith.

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Saint John of Kronstadt explains: “The Byzantine four-pointed cross is actually a “Russian” cross, since, according to Church Tradition, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir brought from Korsun, where he was baptized, exactly such a cross and was the first to install it on the banks of the Dnieper in Kyiv. A similar four-pointed cross has been preserved in the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral, carved on the marble plaque of the tomb of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, son of St. Vladimir. Both should be honored equally, since the shape of the cross itself has no fundamental difference for believers.”.

Hegumen Luka: “In the Orthodox Church, its holiness does not depend in any way on the shape of the cross, provided that the cross is made and consecrated precisely as a Christian symbol, and not originally made as a sign, for example, of the sun or part of a household ornament or decoration.”.

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The main rule of a Christian is do not show the cross and do not make it into decoration. The cross must be worn humbly, not forgetting what this wearing actually means. The cross is a symbol, and the crucifix is ​​an image that inspires prayer.

But only Old Believers are of the opinion that there should not be a crucifix on the body cross. The image of the Holy Crucifix can only be worn by priests, and this is a very strict rule. Also, in the Old Believer traditions, the concepts of a female and a male cross are still preserved. There is no such severe division in modern Orthodoxy.

If in doubt, Is it possible to wear a cross with a crucifix, do not hesitate to ask the priest about this. Remember, the most important thing is to be baptized in the Orthodox Church.

Is it possible to store it, or is it better to put it in the coffin of the deceased? The spiritual fathers do not give a general recommendation on this question. You can leave it as a memory, you can bury it. You can even wear such a cross, but only after consecration.

Alexandra Dyachenko is perhaps the most active editor of our team. She is an active mother of two children, a tireless housewife, and Sasha also has an interesting hobby: she loves making impressive decorations and decorating children's parties. The energy of this person cannot be put into words! Dreams of visiting the Brazilian carnival. Sasha's favorite book is “Wonderland Without Brakes” by Haruki Murakami.