Symbolism in the Church: The Cross

Symbolism in the Church: The Cross 

Have you ever thought about the history and meaning behind symbols you see around the church? Christians universally recognize the cross as one of the most prominent symbols of Christianity, with close to four hundred variations. To talk about each style would take quite some time, so let’s focus on a few of the more prominent variations.

The Latin Cross

Of the 400 variations of the cross, there are about 50 that are used in Christian symbolism. The Latin cross (also known as the Cross of the Passion) is the most commonly used. It is believed that this is the style of the cross in which Jesus was crucified. In older times, it was used indiscriminately with the Greek cross (more on that later!) but when the Eastern and Western churches split the Western Orthodox primarily used the Latin cross and the Eastern Orthodox used the Greek cross.

The Construction of Latin Cross

Perfect squares stacked 8 high and 5 wide construct the Latin cross, recognized as a symbol of faith. Any religious body with a confession of the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior through his atoning death can use it almost anywhere.

Since these symbols represent the teachings of the church and our faith as believers in Christ, we rely on them for designs to make beautiful vestments and paraments to decorate our worship spaces and worship leaders. At the center of one of our fabrics, you can find the Latin cross incorporated into the Luther Rose. Also in embroidery designs, we use all types of vestments.

Symbolism in the Church: The Cross – Where do you observe the use of Latin crosses as symbols?

If you enjoy learning about church symbolism, you may also enjoy learning about the Christmas Rose and Legend in one of our other blog posts.

Be sure to visit our online store front Ecclesiastical Sewing where you may shop for Liturgical Fabrics, altar linen fabrics, church vestment-making patterns, liturgical machine embroidery designs,  church vestment trims and notions and so much more. You may also find us on  Ecclesiastical Sewing on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Sign up for our mailing list at the bottom of the page on our online store front and receive a free copy of our Small Linens Booklet as our way of saying thank you for following along.

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