- For other uses, see Cross (disambiguation).
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A Greek cross (all arms of equal length), straight and rotated by 45 degrees.
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A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars intersecting each other at a 90° angle, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire. The cross is one of the most ancient human symbols, and is used by many religions, most notably Christianity. It is frequently a representation of the division of the world into four elements (or cardinal points), or alternately as the union of the concepts of godhead/divinity (the vertical line) and the world/Earth (the horizontal line) [Rudolf Koch, The Book of Signs, Dover, NY, 1955].
History of the Cross
It is not known when the first cross image was made; after circles, crosses are one of the first symbols drawn by children of all cultures. Some of the earliest images of crosses were found in the Central Asian steppes and some were found in Altay. The cross in the old Altaic religion called Tengriism symbolizes God Tengri; it wasn't a "dagger" cross, instead resembling a plus sign (+).
The first Christian books from Armenia and Syria contained evidence that the cross originated with horsemen from the east, possibly referring to the first Turkic people. In old Armenian temples some influence of Turkic style on the cross was found. Named 'animal', the symbol was found in the plans of temples, with the pillars from above looking like an additional cross.
Crosses as markings
A cross is often used as a check mark, clearer than a small dot, easier to create with an ordinary pen or pencil, and less obscuring the text or image that is already present, than a large dot. It also allows marking a position more accurately than a large dot.
A large cross through a text means it is wrong and/or should be considered deleted.
Crosses as emblems
Crosses as symbols
| Cross Name |
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| Christian cross |
The Christian Cross, Latin Cross, or Crux ordinaria identifies a Christian in most Christian groups and is a symbol for the Christian God (especially Jesus as a reminder of the redeeming sacrifice of the Crucifixion on the True Cross), or a Christian object or location in most Christianity groups. In the New Testament, Jesus was nailed to a cross of this type for his crucifixion.
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| Greek Cross |
The Greek Cross has all branches of equal length. It is also known as the Crux immissa quadrata.
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| Saint Peter |
St. Peter's Cross is an upside-down Latin cross, since according to legend St. Peter died on such a cross. It also symbolizes a word.
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| Saint Andrew |
Used in Scotland's national flag, it is also called the Saltire, the Boundary Cross (because it was used by the Romans as a barrier) and the Crux decussata. St. Andrew suffered a martyr's death on such a cross, hence its name. The cross doesn't have to be at this particular angle for it to be a Saltire, the symbol X is also a Saint Andrew's Cross.
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| Saint Anthony |
St. Anthony's Cross is also known as the Tau Cross, the Egyptian Cross, and the Crux commissa. It is shaped like the letter T. St. Francis used it as his signature.
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| High crosses |
The High crosses are free-standing Celtic crosses in Britain and Ireland, very common in churches and graveyards.
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| The Odin Cross |
Odin's symbol in Norse mythology was a cross in a circle. Also known as the Sunwheel.
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| Swastika |
The ancient Swastika or Fylfot Cross (adopted later by the Nazi party), is derived from the Pagan sunwheel. It was used by early Christians as a disguised cross to avoid persecution, hence its name of Crux dissimulata. It is also known as the Crux gammata because it can be seen as made up of four upper-case Greek gamma letters.
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| Cross Voided |
Also known as the Gammadia, it can be seen as a Greek cross with its centre lines removed, or as composed of four angles (L shapes) separated by a thin space.
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| Ankh Cross |
The Ancient Egyptian Ankh is also a type of cross, which is sometimes given a Latin name if it appears in specifically Christian contexts, as the Crux Ansata ("handled cross"). It is also known as the Key of the Nile and the Looped Tau Cross.
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| The Thieves' Cross |
The Fork, shaped like the letter Y, is also known as the Furka Cross.
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| The "Peace Cross" |
The "Peace Cross", consisting of a cross whose horizontal arms have pivoted down to the five and seven o'clock positions, was in ancient times a house and holding mark, used to mark possessions (including livestock). It was then referred to as the Crow's Foot or Witch's Foot.
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| Cross of Sacrifice |
The Cross of Sacrifice is a symbol used by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at the site of many war memorials.
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| Crusaders' Cross |
Also known as the Jerusalem Cross.
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| Quadrate |
No information known. Help by editing this article.
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| Coptic Cross |
It is a small circle from which emanate four branches of equal length, and in the corners are angled T shapes (cross-pieces outward), representing the nails used in the crucifixion.
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Crosses in flags
- Main article: flag terminology
Several flags have Crosses, including all the nations of Scandinavia, whose crosses are known as Scandinavian crosses, and many nations in the Southern Hemisphere, which incorporate the Southern Cross. See gallery of flags by design.
The cross in heraldry
There are numerous variations on the cross in heraldry. See heraldry for details.
Constellation
The Southern Cross is a constellation of the Southern Hemisphere.
Others
See Cross (disambiguation)
Tallest Cross
The tallest cross— 152.4 meters high— is part of Generalissimo Francisco Franco's monumental "Valley of the Fallen", the Monumento Nacional de Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caidos in Spain.
See also
External links
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