The ringed cross is a class of
Christian cross symbols featuring a ring or
nimbus. The concept exists in many variants and dates to early in the
history of Christianity. One variant, the
cruciform halo, is a special type of
halo placed behind the head of
Jesus in
Christian art. Other common variants include the
Celtic cross
The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...
, used in the stone
high cross
A high cross or standing cross ( ga, cros ard / ardchros, gd, crois àrd / àrd-chrois, cy, croes uchel / croes eglwysig) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval traditi ...
es of
Ireland and
Britain; some forms of the
Coptic cross
The Coptic cross refers to a number of Christian cross variants associated in some way with Coptic Christians.
Typical form
The typical form of the "Coptic cross" used in the Coptic Church is made up of two bold lines of equal length that inte ...
; and ringed crosses from western
France and
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
.
History
The
nimbus or ringed shape was appended to the
Christian cross and other symbols relatively early. In these contexts it apparently derived from the earlier Roman
garland of victory. The
Chi Rho
The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation ; also known as ''chrismon'') is one of the earliest forms of Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters— chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek word ( Christos) in such a way t ...
-in-circle motif was widespread in the Roman Empire by the late 4th century, and garlanded and ringed crosses were popular in imperial
Ravenna by the 5th century, influencing the later versions. The
cruciform halo or cross halo, a
halo incorporating a cross, emerged as a distinctive type of halo painted behind the head of members of the
Holy Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
, especially
Jesus, and occasionally others. In other cases, the combination of cross and nimbus symbolized the presence of Christ throughout the cosmos, with the nimbus representing the
celestial sphere
In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an abstract sphere that has an arbitrarily large radius and is concentric to Earth. All objects in the sky can be conceived as being projected upon the inner surface of the celestial sphere, ...
. Notable early examples include the cosmological ringed cross in the 5th-century
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and the 6th-century
Crux Gemmata in the
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe.
Examples
Celtic cross
The
Celtic cross
The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...
is a variant of the ringed cross that emerged in
Ireland and
Britain in the
Early Middle Ages. It is a
Latin cross featuring a nimbus surrounding the intersection of the stem and arms. The Celtic cross became widespread through the distinctive stone
high cross
A high cross or standing cross ( ga, cros ard / ardchros, gd, crois àrd / àrd-chrois, cy, croes uchel / croes eglwysig) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval traditi ...
es erected across the islands beginning in the early 8th century; most, but not all, of these monuments take the form of the Celtic cross. Scholars debate the origins of the type, but it is related to earlier types of ringed crosses such as the "cosmological cross" used in Ravenna.
[ St. John's Cross at ]Iona
Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...
, an Irish monastery off the coast of Scotland and a major pilgrimage center, may be the prototype for all other high crosses. Most high crosses were made between the 8th and 10th centuries, with a briefer revival occurring in Ireland in the late 11th and 12th centuries.
The Celtic cross saw a resurgence in the mid-19th century, following new studies and reconstructions of the medieval high crosses. They subsequently became common objects in art, architecture, and merchandise during the Celtic Revival. They have since remained popular symbols of Ireland and "Celtic" identity.
File:St_Martins_Cross_on_Iona.jpg, St. Martin's Cross, Iona
Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there ...
, Scotland
File:Muiredach%27s_High_Cross_(west_face)_(photo).jpg, Muiredach's High Cross
Muiredach's High Cross is a high cross from the 10th or possibly 9th century, located at the ruined monastic site of Monasterboice, in County Louth, Ireland. There are two other high crosses at Monasterboice; in local terms Muiredach's cross i ...
, Monasterboice, Ireland
File:The "Doorty" Cross, Kilfenora - geograph.org.uk - 66908.jpg, Doorty's Cross, Kilfenora, Ireland
File:Ardboe Cross.jpg, Ardboe High Cross
Ardboe High Cross ( ga, Seanchrois Ard Bó) is a high cross and national monument dating from the tenth century located in Ardboe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
The cross stands at the entrance to a cemetery and a monastery and a church from ...
, Ardboe, Northern Ireland
File:Gosforth_cross.jpg, Gosforth Cross
The Gosforth Cross is a large stone monument in St Mary's churchyard at Gosforth in the English county of Cumbria, dating to the first half of the 10th century AD. Formerly part of the kingdom of Northumbria, the area was settled by Scandinavia ...
, Gosforth, England
File:Columbas cross.JPG, St Columba’s Cross, St Columb Major, Cornwall
Continental Europe
France
A type of ringed cross, called the ''croix nimbée'' ("cross with nimbus") is found in France. Their design is different from the Celtic cross, but all the French examples are quite analogous in shape to each other. They are found mainly in the western part of France: in Normandy, Limousin as far as Auvergne in the centre. Most of them were made around the 16th century. One can be seen on the spire of Orléans Cathedral
Orléans Cathedral ( French: ''Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans'') is a Roman Catholic church located in the city of Orléans, France. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Orléans.
It was originally built from 1278 to 1329. It ...
, in the Loire valley.
In Lower Normandy, in Cotentin, many churches have kept their tombstones decorated with a cross.
File:Veules.JPG, Normandy, Veules-les-Roses
Veules-les-Roses () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
Veules-les-Roses is a tourism and farming village situated on the coast of the English Channel in the Pays de Caux, some south ...
Cross, 15th century
File:Croix nimbéee Saint-Pierre.jpeg, Normandy, Saint-Pierre-en-Port
Saint-Pierre-en-Port () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
A farming village in the Pays de Caux, situated some northeast of Le Havre, at the junction of the D33 and D79 roads. The ...
Cross, 15th or 16th century
File:Croix-celtique-Saint-Cado.jpg, Brittany, Sant-Kadoù Island, Stêr an Intel (Étel river), erected 1990
File:Chambon-sur-Lac2.jpg, Auvergne, details of a high cross at Chambon-sur-Lac
Chambon-sur-Lac () is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France.
See also
*Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department
The following is a list of the 464 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department of France ...
, 16th century
File:Croix-nimbees-au-sol-eglise-Flamanville-R.jpg, Normandy, Tombstones in the St Germain church, Flamanville, Middle Ages
Galicia
A distinct form of ringed cross similar to Celtic variant is found in Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
in Spain, often topping '' horreos'' (granaries) as a protective measure against any kind of evil. They can also be found atop churches and, since the beginning of the 20th century, in cemeteries, but they are unusual in ''cruceiros'' (high crosses). There is a very characteristic Galician Medieval style that combines a Celtic cross with a Celtic simple knot; it is similar to the St Maur cross at Glanfeuil Abbey
Glanfeuil Abbey, otherwise the Abbey of St Maurus (french: Abbaye de Glanfeuil, ''Abbaye Saint-Maur de Glanfeuil'', ''Abbaye de Saint-Maur-sur-Loire''), was a French Benedictine monastery founded in the 9th century in the village of Saint-Maur-sur ...
.
Different Types of Crosses and Their Meanings
/ref>
File:Agnus Dei Tallara.jpg, Modern copy of the Romanesque ''Agnus Dei'' topping the church of Saint Mary Salome, in Santiago de Compostela
File:Cruz de Santa Susana.JPG, Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
cross atop the church of Saint Susanna, in Santiago de Compostela
File:As cruces do hórreo.jpg, A Latin cross and a high cross atop a Galician hórreo (granary)
File:Virxe da Barca.jpg, high crosses topping the sanctuary of a Virxe da Barca ('Our Lady of the Boat'), Muxía
Muxía () is a coastal town and municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Fisterra. It is one of the final destinations for pilgrims on the Way of St. Ja ...
File:Cruz de San Lázaro.jpg, Cross topping the church of Saint Lazarus, Santiago de Compostela
Estonia
E.g., in Saha cemetery around the chapel in North Estonia.
Coptic cross
Old Coptic crosses often incorporate a circle, as in the form called a "Coptic cross" by Rudolf Koch in his The Book of Signs (1933). Sometimes the arms of the cross extend through the circle (dividing it into four quadrants), as in the "Celtic cross". The circle cross was also used by the early Gnostic sects.
Nestorian cross
Crosses used by the Church of the East
The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...
sometimes incorporate a circle, similar to the Celtic cross
The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...
or a sun cross.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ringed cross
Crosses by form