Photo Monument – July 16, 2009

Crosses
by Julie Cahill Tarr

 “Handful of Crosses,”  by Rev Dan Catt, taken at Hanley Cemetery (England), obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY-SA). 

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The cross symbol has been around for a long time.  It’s closely associated with Christianity, but according to Douglas Keister in his book Stories in Stone, the cross may actually predate Christianity (page 172).

In general, the cross symbolizes a faith in God.  The cross is often seen in cemeteries either as a gravestone adornment or freestanding marker.

There are so many variations of the cross, often times to distinguish faiths.  But according to Keister, there are three main crosses:  the Greek cross, the Latin cross, and the Celtic cross.

Greek Cross

The Greek cross resembles a plus sign (+).  It is typically found as a decoration on a grave marker as opposed to a freestanding cross.

The first photo is an example of a Greek cross as an adornment on the gravestone.  The second example shows a freestanding Greek cross.

“Iron Cross,” by John Kratz, obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY-SA).

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Photo by Paul & Aline, taken at Fleet Parish Church (Fleet, England), obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY-SA).

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This next example is a variation of the Greek cross known as the floré.  The ends of the arms are petal-like and represent the Trinity.

Photo by BZalewski, taken at Old Port Washington  Cemetery (Port Washington, Wisconsin), obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA).

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Latin Cross

The Latin cross, also known as the Christian cross, takes the form of the letter “t” (†).  It is the most common of crosses associated with Christianity. 

Below are several examples of the Latin cross.  Some have adornments, such as ivy, and others bare the monogram IHS, which is the first three letters for Jesus in Greek.

 

Photo by helena.40proof, obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY-SA). 

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Photo by BZalewski, taken at St. Mary’s Cemetery (Port Washington, Wisconsin), obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA).

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“Suero Gravestone,” by joodles77, taken at Mt. Carmel Cemetery (Hillside, Illinois), obtain from Flickr (used with permission).

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Photo by BZalewski, taken at Forest Home Cemetery (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA).

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“Babcock Monument,” by midgefrazel, taken at River Bend Cemetery (Westerly, Rhode Island), obtain from Flickr (used with permission).

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“Evelsizer Gravestone,” by joodles77, taken at Park Hill Cemetery (Bloomington, Illinois), obtain from Flickr (used with permission).

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Celtic Crosses

The Celtic cross, in my opinion, are some of the most beautiful markers and adornments found in cemeteries.  The Celtic cross closely resembles the Latin cross in that it takes the shape of the letter “t” (†).  But the Celtic cross incorporates a nimbus, encircling the point of intersection.

According to Keister, “the Celtic cross is pagan in orgin and predates Christianity by a number of centuries.”  The Celtic cross is also closely associated with the Irish and the Scottish.

Celtic crosses are sometimes simple in design, but it seems more often than not, they are elaborate in their design.  Many times these designs incorporate additional symbols (notice the serpent in the second image below).

“Celtic Dross in the Old Mystic Cemetery,” by bobtravis, taken at Elm Grove Cemetery (Mystic, Connecticut), obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY-NC).

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“Ornate Cross,” by midgefrazel, taken at River Bend Cemetery (Westerly, Rhode Island), obtain from Flickr (used with permission).

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“Celtic Cross Etched in Stone,” by joodles77, taken at Holy Cross Cemetery (Normal, Illinois), obtain from Flickr (used with permission).

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Photo by stevem_nyvi, obtained from Flickr under Creative Commons (BY).

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I’m sure you have found some interesting gravestones the use the symbol of the cross.  Please share some in the comments by providing a link to a blog post or image.