Russian Orthodox cross

Not to be confused with Russian cross (religion).

Orthodox cross
Russian cross


The Russian Orthodox Cross (or just the Orthodox Cross by some Russian Orthodox traditions)[1] is a variation of the Christian cross since the 16th century in Russia, although it bears some similarity to a cross with a bottom crossbeam slanted the other way (upwards) found since the 6th century in the Byzantine Empire. The Russian Orthodox cross has three horizontal crossbeams, with the lowest one slanted downwards. Today it is a symbol of the Russian Orthodox Church[2][3][4] and a distinctive feature of the cultural landscape of Russia.[5] Other names for the symbol include the Russian cross, and Slavonic or Suppedaneum cross.

The earliest cross with a slanted footstool (pointing upwards, unlike the Russian cross) was introduced in the 6th century before the break between Catholic and Orthodox churches, and was used in Byzantine frescoes, arts, and crafts. In 1551 during the canonical isolation of the Russian Orthodox Church, Ivan the Terrible, Grand Prince of Moscow, first used this cross, with the footstool tilted the other way, on the domes of churches.[6][7] From this time, it started to be depicted on the Russian state coat of arms and military banners. In the second half of the 19th century, this cross was promoted by the Russian Empire in the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a symbol of its Russification policy.[8]

One variant known as the Russian cross has only two horizontal crossbeams with the lower one slanted;[9] another is the cross over crescent variant.[10][11][6] Some Russian sources distinguish the Russian Orthodox cross from the Orthodox cross.[12] In Unicode the symbol (☦) is denoted as Orthodox cross.[13] The same USVA headstone emblem is called Russian Orthodox cross.[14]

  1. ^ "The Russian Orthodox Cross - Questions & Answers". www.oca.org. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  2. ^ Liungman, Carl G. (2004). Symbols - Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms. Ionfox AB. p. 140. ISBN 978-91-972705-0-2.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference gundyaev was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Фещин А. Довірся Хресту // Християнский голос. — 2002. — № 18 (2854). С. 232.
  5. ^ Бурштын Я. Ірына Дубянецкая: Дзякуючы намаганням РПЦ пачынае мяняцца культурны ландшафт Беларусі (Фота і відэа) // Служба інфармацыі «ЕўраБеларусі», 16 ліпеня 2016 г.
  6. ^ a b Hunter, Shireen (2016). Islam in Russia: The Politics of Identity and Security: The Politics of Identity and Security. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-29011-9. Thus the conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible was also viewed as the triumph of Christianity over Islam, symbolized by the cross placed above the crescent atop Russian churches.
  7. ^ Русский крест: символика православного надглавного креста. — Москва, 2006. С. 149.
  8. ^ Мілаш Я. Традыцыі ўшанавання крыжа беларусамі ў канцы XIX ст. // Наша Вера. № 3 (65), 2013.
  9. ^ Рэлігія і царква на Беларусі: Энцыкл. даведнік — Мн.: БелЭн, 2001. С. 168.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stevens1891 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference JSAMES1993 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Православные кресты: как разобраться в значениях" [Orthodox crosses: how to understand the meanings] (in Russian). 30 September 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  13. ^ Unicode Character 'ORTHODOX CROSS' (U+2626).
  14. ^ Available Emblems of Belief for Placement on Government Headstones and Markers, Supreme Court of the United States