CROSS 



583 



previous to the union with Scotland. The crow of 

 St A ndrew, </, ilitl.-i .-.I entirely in form from the Latin 

 or Greek cross. This crow, or rnu- <l tt.ixata, con- 

 sisted of two shafts of equal length crossed diagon- 

 ally at tin- mi-Idle, us in tin- annexed cut. Accord- 

 ing to i In- legend, this was the form of cross on 

 which St Aiidri-w, the national saint of Scotland, 



suH'ere.l martyrdom (see A NDKKW ). A.s till- Scottish 



n, it is now blended with the cross of St George 

 in the t'nion .lack. 



Tin- ( 'IDSS of the Resurrection in a floriated cross ; 

 and is usually represented as heading a lance, to 

 which is fastened a banner upon which a cross is 

 depicted. The earliest and finest floriated cross 

 is tli.u in the mosaic of San Ponziano, where, how- 

 ever, the flowers spring from the shaft, and on the 

 arms stand two lighted candles. The idea of the 

 floriated cross seems to have been to connect it 

 with Aaron's rod that budded, and so to signify the 

 eternal priesthood of Christ. 



In medieval times a cross, the Rood, stood over 

 the screen letween the nave of a church and the 

 chancel. This was always veiled in Lent. The 

 crutched cross, like the letter T wa8 the symbol 

 of St Anthony the Hermit. Processional crosses 

 are those carried in processions (see CROSIER); 

 pectoral crosses, those worn on the breast by 

 ecclesiastics of rank. Many orders have distinc- 

 tive crosses. See LEGION OF HONOUR, 



The Order of the Cross, originally a spiritual 

 order of knighthood, sprang up in Palestine in the 

 time of the Crusades, and was then called the 

 Bethleliemite Order. Pope Gregory IX. confirmed 

 the order in 1238. Its principal seat was in Bohemia. 

 There is also a Brazilian Order of the Cross. 



Sanctuary, Boundary, or Monumental Crosses, as 

 they are called, consist of an upright flat pillar 

 or obelisk, covered with sculptural devices, and set 



St Mai tin's Cross, lona. 



in a socket level with the ground. Occasionally, 

 they appear to have marked lioiindarics, hut more 

 frequently were monuments over the graves of 

 heroes, kings, bishops, &c. A vast numl>er of ex- 

 tremely rude and early crosses of granite occur in 

 Cornwall and Devon : some of these have apparently 

 been fashioned out of prehistoric monoliths. In 

 some instances, they probably marked the verge of 

 a sanctuary. A characteristic type of cross is the 



Celtic Croxn, most frequently found in Ireland and 

 in the north and west of Scotland. Such croiwes 

 vary much, from a cro.su incised on a flat slab to an 

 elaborate cruciform monument. The majority of 

 the latter seem to lielong to the period lietween the 

 12th and 15th centuries. One of the l>e*t known i* 

 that at lona called St Martin's Cross, standing in 

 the grounds of the cathedral. It i- a column of 

 compact mica schist, 14 feet high, 18 inches broad, 

 and I) inches thick, and is fixed in a pedestal formed 

 out of a massive block of red granite, about 3 feet 

 high. In connection with certain ancient religious 

 houses in Ireland, there were very fine Celtic 

 crosses. Some crosses of this type show Scandi- 

 navian workmanship ; hence they are often called 

 Runic crosses. The cross of Ruth well (q.v.) in 

 Dumfriesshire, and that at Bewcastle (q.v.) in 

 Cumberland are interesting samples. 



Churchyard Crosses seem to have existed in all 

 churchyards before the Reformation : some still 

 exist, and the remains of others are numerous. In 

 France, in connection with the cemetery cross, in 

 some parts, a perpetual lamp was kept burning, 

 and the contrivance for the lamp remains in some 

 of them. 



Many very beautiful crosses exist in England, 

 upon the points of gables of churches, or grave- 

 stones, ana in other situations, as also in heraldry. 

 Among these, the cross most commonly seen is 

 called the cross crosslet ( see below ). 



Memorial Crosses are such as are erected in 

 memory of a beloved object, or in commemoration 

 of some event of local importance. In England 

 there are some superb crosses of this kind ; 

 they are popularly called Norman Crosses. This 

 species of cross resembled a Gothic turret set on 

 the ground, or on a base of a few steps, and was 

 decorated with niches for figures aim pinnacles. 

 The best- 

 known ex- 

 amples are 

 those erected 

 by Edward 

 I. (1290) in 

 memory of his 

 queen, Elea- 

 nor; being 

 placed on the 

 spots where 

 the body 

 rested in its 

 funereal pro- 

 gress to \V est- 

 ininster. The 

 crosses at 

 W a 1 t h a in, 

 C h e a p s i d e, 

 and Charing 

 were of the 

 number. That 

 at Charing 

 was removed 

 by the parlia- 

 ment in 1647; 

 a modern re- 

 production 

 now occupies 

 its site. The Waltham Cross, restored. 



Walt h a in 



Cross, repaired in 1890, remains as a testimonial of 

 the affection and piety of the greatest of the 

 Plantagenets. 



Village Crosses stood in the centre of most vil- 

 lages in ancient times. In the west of England a 

 good many remain. 



Town of Market Crosses were erected as stands to 

 preach from, or in commemoration of events re- 

 garding which it was deemed proper to evoke pious 



