A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or
crucifix, especially the large
crucifix set above the entrance to the
chancel of a
medieval church.
Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the
crucifixion of Jesus.
Derivation
''Rood'' is an archaic word for ''pole'', from
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
'pole', specifically '
cross', from , cognate to
Old Saxon ,
Old High German 'rod'.
''Rood'' was originally the only Old English word for the instrument of
Jesus Christ's
death. The words and in the North (from either
Old Irish or
Old Norse) appeared by late Old English; ''crucifix'' is first recorded in English in the
Ancrene Wisse of about 1225. More precisely, the Rood or
Holyrood was the
True Cross, the specific wooden cross used in Christ's crucifixion. The word remains in use in some names, such as
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...
and the
Old English poem ''
The Dream of the Rood
''The'' ''Dream of the Rood'' is one of the Christian poems in the corpus of Old English literature and an example of the genre of dream poetry. Like most Old English poetry, it is written in alliterative verse. ''Rood'' is from the Old English ...
''. The phrase "by the rood" was used in
swearing
Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, rud ...
, e.g. "No, by the rood, not so" in
Shakespeare's ''
Hamlet'' (Act 3, Scene 4).
The alternative term ''triumphal cross'' ( la, crux triumphalis, german: Triumphkreuz), which is more usual in Europe, signifies the triumph that the resurrected
Jesus Christ (''
Christus'' ) won over death.
Position
In
church architecture
Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of churches, convents, seminaries etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by borrowing other architectural styles as ...
the rood, or rood cross, is a life-sized crucifix displayed on the central axis of a church, normally at the
chancel arch. The earliest roods hung from the top of the chancel arch (rood arch), or rested on a plain "rood beam" across it, usually at the level of the capitals of the columns. This original arrangement is still found in many churches in Germany and Scandinavia, although many other surviving crosses now hang on walls.
If the choir is separated from the church interior by a
rood screen
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...
, the rood cross is placed on, or more rarely in front of, the screen. Under the rood is usually the altar of the Holy Cross.
History
Numerous near life-size crucifixes survive from the
Romanesque period or earlier, with the
Gero Cross in
Cologne Cathedral (AD 965–970) and the
Volto Santo of Lucca
The Holy Face of Lucca ( it, Volto Santo di Lucca) is an , ancient wooden carving of Christ crucified in Lucca, Italy. Medieval legends state that it was sculpted by Nicodemus who assisted St. Joseph of Arimathea in placing Christ in his tomb aft ...
the best known. The prototype may have been one known to have been set up in
Charlemagne's
Palatine Chapel in Aachen, apparently in gold foil worked over a wooden core in the manner of the
Golden Madonna of Essen, though figureless jeweled gold crosses are recorded in similar positions in
Hagia Sophia in
Constantinople in the 5th century. Many figures in precious metal are recorded in
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
monastic records, though none now survive. Notables sometimes gave their crowns (
Cnut the Great at
Winchester Cathedral), necklaces (
Lady Godiva to the Virgin accompanying the rood at
Evesham Abbey), or swords (
Tovi the Proud,
Waltham Abbey) to decorate them. The original location and support for the surviving figures is often unclear but a number of northern European churches preserve the original setting in full – they are known as a ' in German, from the "triumphal arch" (or "chancel arch") of Early Christian architecture. As in later examples the
Virgin and
Saint John often flank the cross, and
cherubim and other figures are sometimes seen. A gilt rood in the 10th-century
Mainz Cathedral
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was only placed on a beam on special
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
s.
Components
Image of Christ
In the
Romanesque era the crucified Christ was presented as ruler and judge. Instead of a crown of thorns he wears a crown or a
halo; on his feet he wears "shoes" as a sign of the ruler. He is victorious over death. His feet are parallel to each other on the wooden support ("four-nail type") and not one on top of the other. The
perizoma (loincloth)
Perizoma (from Greek language, Greek , from ''peri'' "around, about" and ''zoma'' "loin-cloth, drawers, band, belt") is a type of loincloth that originated with the Minoan civilization in Crete. Surviving depictions show it being worn by male and ...
is highly stylized and falls in vertical folds.
In the transition to the
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 ...
style, the triumphant Christ becomes a suffering Christ, the pitiful Man of Sorrows. Instead of the ruler's crown, he wears the
crown of thorns, his feet are placed one above the other and are pierced with a single nail. His facial expression and posture express his pain. The wounds of the body are often dramatically portrayed. The loincloth is no longer so clearly stylized. The attendant figures Mary and John show signs of grief.
Attendant figures
A triumphal cross may be surrounded by a group of people. These people may include Mary and John, the "beloved disciple" (based on
John's Gospel
The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...
– , , and ), but also apostles, angels and the benefactor.
* The triumphal cross of
Öja Church
Öja Church ( sv, Öja kyrka) is a medieval church in Öja on the Swedish island of Gotland. The church dates from the 13th century and contains an unusual large and elaborately decorated triumphal cross or rood. It belongs to the Church of Sweden ...
in
Öja Öja may refer to:
* Öja (Finland), an island in Kokkola region, Finland
* Öja, Nynäshamn, an island in the Stockholm archipelago, Sweden
* Öja, Gotland
Öja is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish isla ...
on
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
stands on a transverse beam beneath the triumphal arch and is flanked by two people: Mary and John.
* The triumphal cross in the
abbey church of Wechselburg stands in an elevated position on the rood screen and also has the same pair of attendant figures.
* The
triumphal cross in Schwerin Cathedral is also flanked by Mary and John. At the end of the cross' beam the evangelist's symbols may be seen.
* In
St. Mary's Church in Osnabrück there are only the empty stone pedestals of the attendant figures.
* The triumphal cross above the screen in Halberstadt Cathedral is not flanked by Mary and John, but by two angels.
* On the supporting beam of the
triumphal cross in Lübeck Cathedral there is also a bishop, presumably the benefactor of the cross.
Rood screens
Rood screen
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...
s developed in the 13th century as wooden or stone
screens
Screen or Screens may refer to:
Arts
* Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing
* Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry
* Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...
, usually separating the
chancel or
choir from the
nave, upon which the rood now stood. The screen may be elaborately carved and was often richly painted and
gilded
Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...
. Rood screens were found in Christian churches in most parts of Europe by the end of the Middle Ages, though in Catholic countries the great majority were gradually removed after the
Council of Trent, and most were removed or drastically cut down in areas controlled by
Calvinists and
Anglicans. The best medieval examples are now mostly in the
Lutheran countries such as Germany and Scandinavia, where they were often left undisturbed in country churches.
Rood screens are the Western equivalent of the
Byzantine templon beam, which developed into the
Eastern Orthodox iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
. Some rood screens incorporate a rood loft, a narrow
gallery or just flat walkway which could be used to clean or decorate the rood or cover it up in
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
, or in larger examples used by singers or musicians. An alternative type of screen is the
Pulpitum, as seen in
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 140 ...
, which is near the main altar of the church.
The rood provided a focus for worship, most especially in
Holy Week when worship was highly elaborate. During
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
the rood was veiled; on
Palm Sunday it was revealed before the procession of palms, and the congregation knelt before it. The whole
Passion story would then be read from the rood loft, at the foot of the
crucifix, by three ministers.
Few original medieval rood crosses have survived in churches of the United Kingdom. Most were deliberately destroyed as acts of
iconoclasm during the
English Reformation
The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
and the
English Civil War, when many rood screens were also removed. Today, in many British churches, the "rood stair" that gave access to the gallery is often the only remaining sign of the former rood screen and rood loft.
In the 19th century, under the influence of the
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...
, roods and screens were again added to many Anglican churches.
Representative examples
File:Mg-k_d1102279_Linde-Triumphkruzifix.jpg, Cross from Linde Church
Linde Church ( sv, Linde kyrka) is a medieval church on the Swedish island of Gotland. The church was built between the 12th and the early 13th century and is Romanesque in style. I lies in the Diocese of Visby.
History and architecture
Linde Chur ...
on Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
(today in the Swedish History Museum
The Swedish History Museum ( sv, Historiska museet or Statens historiska museum) is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operat ...
) also displays the symbol of a ruler, demonstrating the origin of the name.
File:Triumphkreuz2.jpg, Triumphal cross of Notke in Lübeck Cathedral
File:Bad Doberan - Kreuz im Bad Doberaner Münster (Christusseite).jpg, Triumphal cross (Christ's side) in Doberan Minster
File:Soest130811hohnekirscheib.jpg, The "plate cross" (''Scheibenkreuz'') in St. Mary's (''Hohnekirche'') in Soest (around 1200)
File:Merzig StPeter Chor.jpg, Forked cross in St. Peter's at Merzig
Kaysersberg SteCroix29.JPG, Triumphal cross in the Holy Cross Church in Kaysersberg
Kaysersberg (german: Kaisersberg ; Alsatian: ''Kaiserschbarig'') is a historical town and former commune in Alsace in northeastern France. The name is German for ''Emperor's Mountain''. The high fortress that dominates the town serves as a remi ...
(late 15th-century)
Germany
* the
Gero Cross in
Cologne Cathedral
* the
Ottonian Cross
The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...
in
Kollegiatskirche St. Peter und Alexander, Aschaffenburg
* the Helmstedt Cross in the treasure chamber of
Werden Abbey
* the triumphal cross in
Lübeck Cathedral from the workshop of
Bernt Notke, 1477, height 17 m
* in
St. Catherine's Church, Lübeck, around 1450
* in
Halberstadt Cathedral
The Halberstadt Cathedral or Church of St Stephen and St Sixtus (german: Dom zu Halberstadt) is a Gothic church in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was the episcopal see of the Bishopric of Halberstadt, established by Emperor Charlemagne ...
* in
Wechselburg Abbey
Wechselburg Priory, formerly Wechselburg Abbey (Kloster Wechselburg) is a Benedictine order, Benedictine priory in Wechselburg in Saxony, dissolved in the 16th century and re-founded in 1993.
First foundation
Dedo V of Wettin (dynasty), Wettin f ...
, Holy Cross
basilica
* in
Naumburg Cathedral
* in
Doberan Minster
* in
Schwerin Cathedral
Schwerin Cathedral (german: Schweriner Dom) is an Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral located in the town of Schwerin, Germany. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John. Along with St. Mary's Church, Lübeck and St. Nicholas' Church, Stra ...
(from
St. Mary's, Wismar)
* in
Osnabrück in
St. Mary's and in
St. Peter's Cathedral
* in
Alfeld (Leine) in St. Nicholas' Church, around 1250
* in
DinslakenSt. Vincentaround 1310
Sweden
* On
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
in several of the medieval churches, including
Alskog,
Alva,
Bro, Fide,
Fröjel
Fröjel () is a populated area, a ''socken'' (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Fröjel District, established on 1January 2016. In 2014, it had a population of 358. ...
,
Grötlingbo
Grötlingbo is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Grötlingbo District, established on 1January 2016.
The Kattlund farm in Grötlingbo i ...
, Hamra,
Hemse
Hemse is a locality situated on the Swedish island of Gotland with 1,700 inhabitants in 2014. It is the second largest locality (after Visby) on the island. Hemse is the main center of population in the southern part of the island, and it is kno ...
,
Klinte
Klinte is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Klinte District, established on 1January 2016.
Geography
Klinte is the name of the socken ...
,
Lye,
Öja Öja may refer to:
* Öja (Finland), an island in Kokkola region, Finland
* Öja, Nynäshamn, an island in the Stockholm archipelago, Sweden
* Öja, Gotland
Öja is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish isla ...
, Rute, Stenkumla and
Stenkyrka
Stenkyrka is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Stenkyrka District, established on 1January 2016.
Geography
Stenkyrka in the northwest ...
. The one at Öja is particularly lavish.
Finland
* Hauho church,
Hauho
Hauho is a former municipality of Finland. It was situated in the province of Southern Finland and is today a part of the region of Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme / Egentliga Tavastland).
Hauho was amalgamated with the municipality of Hämeenlinna ...
,
Hämeenlinna
* Kumlinge church,
Kumlinge,
Åland
United Kingdom
*
Church of the Annunciation, Marble Arch
The Church of the Annunciation, Marble Arch, is a Church of England parish church in the Marble Arch district of London, England. It is dedicated to the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a Gothic revival building designed by Sir ...
,
London
*
St Augustine's, Kilburn, London
*
St Gabriel's, Warwick Square, London
*
Grosvenor Chapel,
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
, London
*
St Mary-le-Bow
The Church of St Mary-le-Bow is a Church of England parish church in the City of London. Located on Cheapside, one of the city's oldest and most important thoroughfares, the church was founded in 1080 by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury. Rebui ...
, London
*
St Matthew's Church, Sheffield
St Matthew's Church, more usually known as St Matthew's Carver Street, is situated on Carver Street in the centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building
*
Peterborough Cathedral
*
Church of St Protus and St Hyacinth, Blisland
Charlton-on-Otmoor Garland
A unique rood exists at
St Mary's parish church, Charlton-on-Otmoor, near
Oxford, England, where a large wooden cross, solidly covered in greenery stands on the early 16th-century rood screen (said by Sherwood and
Pevsner to be the finest in
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
).
[Sherwood & Pevsner, 1974, page 530] The cross is redecorated twice a year, on 1 May and 19 September (the
patronal festival, calculated according to the
Julian Calendar), when children from the local primary school, carrying small crosses decorated with flowers, bring a long, flower-decorated, rope-like garland. The cross is dressed or redecorated with locally obtained
box
A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...
foliage. The rope-like garland is hung across the rood screen during the "May Garland Service".
[Hole, 1978, pages 113–114]
An engraving from 1822/1823 (Dunkin) shows the dressed rood cross as a more open, foliage-covered framework, similar to certain types of
corn dolly, with a smaller attendant figure of similar appearance.
Folklorist
Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
s have commented on the garland crosses' resemblance to human figures, and noted that they replaced statues of
St Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
and
Saint James the Great which had stood on the rood screen until they were destroyed during the Reformation. Until the 1850s, the larger garland cross was carried in a
May Day procession, accompanied by
morris dancers, to the former
Benedictine Studley priory (as the statue of St Mary had been, until the Reformation). Meanwhile, the women of the village used to carry the smaller garland cross through Charlton,
[ though it seems that this ceased some time between 1823 and 1840, when an illustration in J.H. Parker's ''A Glossary of Terms Used in Grecian, Roman, Italian, and Gothic Architecture'' shows only one garland cross, centrally positioned on the rood screen.][Parker, 1840, page not cited]
See also
* Chancel rails
*'' Dream of the Rood''
* Holy Rood Church (disambiguation)
*Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
*''Legend of the Rood
The ''Legend of the Rood'' ( la, De ligno sancte crucis) is a complex of medieval tales loosely derived from the Old Testament.
In its fullest form, the narrative tells of how the dying Adam sends his son Seth back to Paradise to seek an elixir ...
''
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*Manuela Beer: ''Triumphkreuze des Mittelalters. Ein Beitrag zu Typus und Genese im 12. und 13. Jahrhundert. Mit einem Katalog der erhaltenen Denkmäler'' ("Rood Crosses of the Middle Ages. An Article on the Typology and Genesis in the 12th and 13th Centuries. With a catalogue of surviving monuments"). Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg, 2005,
''Der Erlöser am Kreuz: Das Kruzifix''
("The Saviour on the Cross: the Crucifix"), rescissions in the portrayal of the Crucifix or Rood Cross.
External links
*
*
{{Christian crosses
Church architecture
English folklore
Christian terminology
Crosses by function