Immediately on either side of Jesus Christ‘s head, His name is inscribed as the abbreviation IC XC. On this Crucifix, the Mother of God ( ΜΡ ΘΥ – Greek, rather than Slavonic) and St John the Theologian ( св. Иоанн Богослов) are shown as in icons of the Crucifixion, though they are not always present on crosses like these. The middle bar is that on which the Lord’s hands were nailed.
#Crucifix letters full#
In the explanation below, I mainly give the full inscriptions. As is often the case in icons, the Slavonic inscriptions on the cross are sometimes shortened, with curly lines over the letters which are omitted. Note that Jesus is not shown wearing a crow of thorns, but with a halo of glory, and that He is not shown in agony and suffering, but peacefully reposed. The most “complete” Crucifix is the so-called eight-pointed cross, which shows Christ crucified.
However, crucifixes are often covered with inscriptions – usually in Greek or Slavonic – which are worth translating, as they proclaim clearly Christian teaching on Christ and the Cross. These type of crucifixes are, in effect, cross-shaped icons of the Crucifixion. Orthodox Crucifixes are often elaborately decorated, as in the one shown above, which is a modern wooden cross with a card print glued to the surface. Crosses and crucifixes, therefore, are extremely common and widely used. In Orthodoxy the cross has always been a symbol of great victory and power, as it was through the Christ’s voluntary sacrifice on the cross that death was overcome and salvation became possible for us.
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The Third Sunday, and mid-point, of Lent celebrates the Holy Cross. Orthodox Crucifix with Russian Inscriptions
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