PATRIARCHAL CROSS

The 'Patriarchal cross' is a variant of the Christian cross, the universal religious symbol of Christendom. Similar to the familiar "Latin" cross, the Patriarchal cross possesses a smaller crossbar placed above the main one, so that both crossbars are near the top. Sometimes the patriarchal cross has a short, slanted crosspiece near its foot. This slanted, lower crosspiece often appears in Byzantine Greek and Eastern European iconography, as well as Eastern Orthodox churches.
Webster's Dictionary (1913) defined the Patriarchial cross as "a cross, the shaft of which is intersected by two transverse beams, the upper one being the smaller."

Contents

Imagery

Other variations

See also

Imagery

The top beam represents the plaque bearing the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (often abbreviated in the Latinate "INRI"). A popular view is that the slanted bottom beam is a foot rest, however there is no evidence of foot rests ever being used during crucifixion, and it has a deeper meaning. The bottom beam may represent a balance of justice. Some sources suggest that, as one of the thieves being crucified with Jesus accepted him and was thus lifted into Heaven, the other thief rejected and mocked Jesus and would therefore descend into Hell.

Other variations

The Eastern Orthodox cross (also known as ''Crux Orthodoxa,'' the Byzantine cross, the Eastern cross, and the "Russian" cross) can be considered a modified version of the Patriarchal cross. This cross always has a slanted crossbar near the bottom (with the left side usually being higher, or having negative slope) and the top bar is noticeably smaller and thinner. The most likely explanation of the slanted crossbar would suggest the Cross Saltire, as tradition holds that the Apostle St. Andrew introduced Christianity to lands north of the Black Sea: today's Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine.

The Cross of Lorraine originally differed from the patriarchal cross: it had two horizontal bars of equal length placed with the lower bar located close to the bottom and the upper bar close to the top. On the patriarchal cross on the other hand, both bars are near the top and the upper is noticeably smaller than the other. In the twentieth century the cross of Lorraine began to be represented, as in the flag of the Free French Forces, as almost identical with the patriarchal cross, the only difference being that the two horizontal crossbars, of unequal length, were placed somewhat lower than is traditional in the patriarchal cross.
Though the two-barred cross is here called a patriarchal cross, Roman Catholic and some other archbishops also use it as a symbol of their office. It distinguishes the coat-of-arms of Roman Catholic archbishops from that of bishops who do not have the rank of archbishop. The primatial staff (similar to a crozier) of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church has the same design.

See also

★ Cross of Lorraine

★ Coat of Arms of Hungary

★ Coat of Arms of Slovakia (describes the meaning of the cross and how the patriarchal cross probably became the cross of Lorraine)

★ Papal cross