Altar crucifix on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
An altar crucifix or altar cross is a cross placed upon an altar, and is often the principal ornament of the altar.
An altar crucifix or altar cross is a cross placed upon an altar, and is often the principal ornament of the altar.
History
Early Christians were wary of publicly exposing the cross or crucifix for fear of subjecting it to the insults of pagans, or scandalizing the weak. To avoid this, they often usedsymbol
A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different conc ...
s like the anchor or trident.
The first appearances of a cross upon the altar occurred approximately in the 6th century, although it remained unusual for several centuries, and even discouraged. When it was used, it seems to have been only during the actual service, and was likely a processional cross detachable from its staff, and placed on the altar after processing. This was at first almost always a cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...
rather than a true crucifix; these began to be made specifically for altars in the late 11th century, and became more common from the 12th century, though they may have been expensive at first.
By the start of the 13th century, treatises by Pope Innocent III expected there to be a cross between two candles on the altar during the Mass.J. H. Miller: "Crucifix; New Catholic Encyclopedia COM-DYS", page 485. Catholic University of America, 1967 This period was also the era when candlesticks, also probably carried in procession at the start of a service, started appearing upon altars instead of nearby, and as such marked a rather large evolution in the adornment of altars. Around the 14th century, altar crosses were almost universally replaced by crucifixes, probably now affordable by all churches, however, it was not until the 1570 Roman Missal of Pope Pius V that there is any mention of an obligation to have a crucifix on the altar.
Purpose and use
Catholic Usage
Roman Catholic liturgical norms require a crucifix (with the corpus or body of Jesus) near or on the altar whenever Mass is celebrated. In some cases, to better fulfill this requirement, the crucifix is instead hung on the wall behind the altar, so that when the priest is facing the congregation the crucifix is not obstructed. In some churches, the crucifix is hung mid-air via chains or metal cords, directly above the altar itself. This is called a rood cross, which may also refer to a crucifix placed on a beam above the altar, along with figures of theBlessed Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...
and Saint John the Apostle, or above a rood screen
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...
.
Protestant Usage
Usage of an altar cross, or sometimes a crucifix, varies widely by custom. It is near universal inAnglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
churches. Most mainline Protestant
The mainline Protestant churches (also called mainstream Protestant and sometimes oldline Protestant) are a group of Protestant denominations in the United States that contrast in history and practice with evangelical, fundamentalist, and charis ...
churches will have a cross displayed on or near the altar or communion table
Communion table or Lord's table are terms used by many Protestant churches—particularly from Reformed, Baptist and low church Anglican and Methodist bodies—for the table used for preparation of Holy Communion (a sacrament also called the '' ...
or at some central location. Lutheran churches retained both altar and crucifix (with the body of Jesus displayed) after the Reformation, and is the norm in Europe. The influence of the Reformed tradition, which comprises the Protestant majority in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, many Lutheran churches there prefer a plain altar cross rather than a crucifix.
See also
* Processional Cross * Crucifix * AltarReferences
{{Christian crosses Altar crosses Eucharistic objects Crosses by function