Sant Saeran Llanynys Sir Ddinbych Denbighshire North Wales 09

The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone

high cross A high cross or standing cross ( ga, cros ard / ardchros, gd, crois àrd / àrd-chrois, cy, croes uchel / croes eglwysig) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradit ...

es erected across the islands, especially in regions evangelized by Irish missionaries, from the ninth through the 12th centuries. A staple of

Insular art Insular art, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art, was produced in the post-Roman era of Great Britain and Ireland. The term derives from ''insula'', the Latin term for "island"; in this period Britain and Ireland shared a largely common style dif ...

, the Celtic cross is essentially a

Latin cross A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...

with a nimbus surrounding the intersection of the arms and stem. Scholars have debated its exact origins, but it is related to earlier crosses featuring rings. The form gained new popularity during the

Celtic Revival The Celtic Revival (also referred to as the Celtic Twilight) is a variety of movements and trends in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries that see a renewed interest in aspects of Celtic culture. Artists and writers drew on the traditions of Gae ...

of the 19th century; the name "Celtic cross" is a convention dating from that time. The shape, usually decorated with interlace and other motifs from Insular art, became popular for funerary monuments and other uses, and has remained so, spreading well beyond Ireland.

Early history

Celtic Art in Pagan and Christian Times, p185

Ringed crosses similar to older Continental forms appeared in Ireland and Scotland in incised stone slab artwork and artifacts like the Ardagh chalice. However, the shape achieved its greatest popularity by its use in the monumental stone

es, a distinctive and widespread form of

. These monuments, which first appeared in the ninth century, usually (though not always) take the form of a ringed cross on a stepped or pyramidal base. The form has obvious structural advantages, reducing the length of unsupported side arms. There are a number of theories as to its origin in Ireland and Britain. Some scholars consider the ring a holdover from earlier wooden crosses, which may have required struts to support the crossarm. Others have seen it as deriving from indigenous Bronze Age art featuring a wheel or disc around a head, or from early

Coptic cross The Coptic cross refers to a number of Christian cross variants associated in some way with Coptic Christians. Typical form The typical form of the "Coptic cross" used in the Coptic Church is made up of two bold lines of equal length that in ...

es based on the ankh. However, Michael W. Herren, Shirley Ann Brown, and others believe it originates in earlier ringed crosses in Christian art. Crosses with a ring representing the

celestial sphere In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an abstract sphere that has an arbitrarily large radius and is concentric to Earth. All objects in the sky can be conceived as being projected upon the inner surface of the celestial sphe ...

developed from the writings of the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

. The "cosmological cross" is an important motif in

Coelius Sedulius Sedulius (sometimes with the nomen Coelius or Caelius, both of doubtful authenticity) was a Christian poet of the first half of the 5th century. Biography Extremely little is known about his life. Sedulius is the Latin form of the Irish name Si ...

's poem '' Carmen Paschale'', known in Ireland by the seventh century. It is not clear where the first high crosses originated. The first examples date to about the ninth century and occur in two groups: at Ahenny in Ireland, and at

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though ther ...

, an Irish monastery off the Scottish coast. The Ahenny group is generally earlier. However, it is possible that St. Johns Cross at Iona was the first high cross; Iona's influence as a center of pilgrimage may have led this cross to inspire the Ahenny group as well as other ringed crosses in Pictish stones. A variety of crosses bear inscriptions in ogham, an early medieval Irish alphabet. Standing crosses in Ireland and areas under Irish influence tend to be shorter and more massive than their Anglo-Saxon equivalents, which have mostly lost their headpieces. Irish examples with a head in cross form include the Cross of Kells,

Ardboe High Cross Ardboe High Cross ( ga, Seanchrois Ard Bó) is a high cross and national monument dating from the tenth century located in Ardboe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The cross stands at the entrance to a cemetery and a monastery and a church fro ...

, the crosses at Monasterboice, the Cross of the Scriptures, Clonmacnoise and those in Scotland at

and the

Kildalton Cross The Kildalton Cross is a monolithic high cross in Celtic cross form in the churchyard of the former parish church of Kildalton (from Scottish Gaelic ''Cill Daltain'', "Church of the Foster Son" (i.e. St John the Evangelist) on the island of Isla ...

, which may be the earliest to survive in good condition. Surviving, free-standing crosses are in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...

, including St Piran's cross at

Perranporth Perranporth ( kw, Porthperan) is a seaside resort town on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is 1 mile east of the St Agnes Heritage Coastline, and around 8 miles south-west of Newquay. Perranporth and its long beach ...

, and Wales. Other stone crosses are found in the former

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

and Scotland, and further south in England, where they merge with the similar Anglo-Saxon cross making tradition, in the Ruthwell Cross for example. Most examples in Britain were destroyed during the Protestant

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. By about A.D. 1200 the initial wave of cross building came to an end in Ireland. Popular legend in Ireland says that the Christian cross was introduced by

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints b ...

or possibly

Saint Declan In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

, though there are no examples from this early period. It has often been claimed that Patrick combined the symbol of Christianity with the sun cross to give pagan followers an idea of the importance of the cross. By linking it with the idea of the life-giving properties of the sun, these two ideas were linked to appeal to pagans. Other interpretations claim that placing the cross on top of the circle represents Christ's supremacy over the pagan sun. ;Notable high crosses with the Celtic shape in Ireland: * Ahenny, County Tipperary *

Ardboe Ardboe () is a large parish civil parish in east County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It borders the western shore of Lough Neagh and lies within the Mid Ulster District Council area. It is also the name of the local civil parish, which incorporat ...

County Tyrone *

Carndonagh Carndonagh (; ) is a town on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, close to Trawbreaga Bay. It is the site of the Donagh Cross (or St. Patrick's Cross), believed to date to the 7th century. The Irish name, ''Carn Domhnach'', mea ...

, County Donegal * Drumcliff, County Sligo * Dysert O'Dea Monastery, County Clare * Glendalough County Wicklow St. Kevin's Cross * Killamery, County Kilkenny * Kloster Fahan Fahan, County Donegal * Monasterboice, County Louth * Clonmacnoise Cross of the Scriptures, County Offaly * Clonmacnoise North Cross, County Offaly * Clonmacnoise South Cross, County Offaly * Kells, County Meath * Moone, County Kildare ; ;Notable high crosses with the Celtic shape in Scotland * Campbeltown Cross * Iona Abbey Crosses * Inchbraoch Cross *

Massacre of Glencoe Monument The Massacre of Glencoe Monument is a memorial to the Massacre of Glencoe ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Mort Ghlinne Comhann''), which took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692, following the Jacobite uprising of 1689–92. ...

* Meigle 1 Cross * St. Martin's Cross at Iona Abbey * St Gordian's Kirk Cross * Govan Old Parish Church Cross * Weem, Aberfeldy ; ;Notable Celtic crosses in India : * Mateer Memorial Church, Kerala, India

Modern times

Celtic Revival

The

of the mid-19th century led to an increased use and creation of Celtic crosses in Ireland. In 1853, casts of several historical high crosses were exhibited at the Dublin Industrial Exhibition. In 1857,

Henry O'Neill Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961) was an American film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years He was born in Orange, New Jersey. Caree ...

published ''Illustrations of the Most Interesting of the Sculptured Crosses of Ancient Ireland''. These two events stimulated interest in the Celtic cross as a symbol for a renewed sense of heritage within Ireland. New versions of the high cross were designed for fashionable cemetery monuments in Victorian Dublin in the 1860s. From Dublin, the revival spread to the rest of the country and beyond. Since the Celtic Revival, the ringed cross became an emblem of Celtic identity, in addition to its more traditional religious symbolism. Modern interest in the symbol increased because of

Alexander and Euphemia Ritchie Alexander Ritchie (1856–1941) and Euphemia Ritchie (1862–1941) were Celtic craft entrepreneurs from Iona, Scotland. Artistry Alexander Ritchie (1856–1941) and Euphemia Ritchie (1862–1941) met at the Glasgow School of Art, marrying in 1898. ...

. The two worked on the island of

in Scotland from 1899 to 1940 and popularised use of the Celtic cross in jewelry. Using the Celtic cross in fashion is still popular today. File:Ccross.svg, Ornamental Celtic cross with

Celtic knots Celtic knots ( ga, snaidhm Cheilteach, cy, cwlwm Celtaidd, kw, kolm Keltek, gd, snaidhm Ceilteach) are a variety of knots and Style (visual arts)#Stylization, stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively ...

File:Celtic-Cross-Vodicka-decorative-triquetras-red.svg, Decorative Celtic cross with

triquetra The triquetra ( ; from the Latin adjective ''triquetrus'' "three-cornered") is a triangular figure composed of three interlaced arcs, or (equivalently) three overlapping '' vesicae piscis'' lens shapes. It is used as an ornamental design in ar ...

s File:Cruz Celta con Trisquetas.svg, Celtic cross with

trefoil knot In knot theory, a branch of mathematics, the trefoil knot is the simplest example of a nontrivial knot. The trefoil can be obtained by joining together the two loose ends of a common overhand knot, resulting in a knotted loop. As the simplest k ...

s File:USVA headstone emb-41.svg, USVA headstone emblem 41 File:USVA headstone emb-46.svg, USVA headstone emblem 46 Since its revival in the 1850s, the Celtic cross has been used extensively as grave markers. Straying from medieval usage, when the symbol was typically used for a public monument. The Celtic cross now appears in various retail items. Both the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

and the

Northern Ireland national football team The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1920, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Fo ...

have used versions of the Celtic cross in their logos and advertising. The

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The pos ...

since 1954 have used a flag with a Celtic cross in the centre. File:Dietkirchen Kriegsgraeber Iren.jpg, Modern Celtic cross of a war monument in Limburg-Dietkirchen, Germany File:Perelachaise-croixCeltique-p1000394.jpg, Modern Celtic cross at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Paris File:IFA badge original.svg, Original crest of the

Irish Football Association The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team. ...

File:Church in Wales flag.svg, The Flag of the Church in Wales File:Flag of the Isle of Skye.svg, Flag of the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated b ...

White nationalism and white supremacy

A version of the Celtic cross is used as a symbol by white nationalists and white supremacists. It was used by

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

in Norway in the 1930s and 1940s, and more recently it has been used by neo-Nazis,

Klansmen The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and C ...

, and other white supremacist groups. In general, white nationalists use a version of the symbol with a square cross as opposed to the traditional elongated cross. This symbol forms part of the logo of Stormfront. This use is a type of

cultural appropriation Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from ...

. White supremacist use of the long and short Celtic cross represents only a small minority of the symbol's use. The symbol in both forms is used by non-extremists in contexts such as Christianity, neo-Paganism, and Irish patriotism. The vast majority of uses of the Celtic cross are not associated with white supremacists. File:White Nationalism flag (black).svg, White nationalist Celtic cross flag File:Neo-Nazi celtic cross flag.svg, Neo-nazi Celtic cross flag File:White Pride World Wide - Stormfront hate symbol.svg, White Pride World Wide symbol, logo of Stormfront File:National-Anarchist star.svg, National-anarchist star

Unicode

There is no formal code point in

Unicode Unicode, formally The Unicode Standard,The formal version reference is is an information technology standard for the consistent encoding, representation, and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems. The standard, ...

for this symbol, though other symbols representing the Celtic cross are included. Symbols designed for other purposes, such as may be considered as alternatives.

References

Bibliography

* * H. Richardson: ''An introduction to Irish high crosses.'' 1990, . *

J. Romilly Allen John Romilly Allen FSA FSAScot (9 June 1847 – 5 July 1907) was a British archaeologist. Life Allen was the son of George Baugh Allen. He was educated at King's College School, Rugby and King's College London. In 1867 he was articled to Ge ...

: ''Early Christian symbolism in Great Britain and Ireland before the thirteenth century.'' Whiting, London 1887. Neuauflage als ''The High Crosses of Ireland.'' Felinfach: Llanerch 1992, . * Peter Harbison: ''The high crosses of Ireland.'' Habelt, Bonn, 3 Baende, 1991.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Celtic Cross Christian art Insular art Crosses by culture High crosses National symbols of Ireland Nationalist symbols Stone crosses Celtic art