upright 0.75 , A Celtic cross symbol The Celtic cross is a form of ringed cross, a

Christian cross The Christian cross, seen as representing the crucifixion of Jesus, is a religious symbol, symbol of Christianity. It is related to the crucifix, a cross that includes a ''corpus'' (a representation of Jesus' body, usually three-dimensional) a ...

featuring a nimbus or ring, that emerged in the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

and

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

in the

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

. It became widespread through its use in the

high cross A high cross or standing cross (, , ) is a free-standing Christian cross made of stone and often richly decorated. There was a unique Early Medieval tradition in Ireland and Britain of raising large sculpted stone crosses, usually outdoors. Th ...

es erected across the British Isles, especially in regions evangelised by

Hiberno-Scottish mission The Hiberno-Scottish mission was a series of expeditions in the 6th and 7th centuries by Gaels, Gaelic Missionary, missionaries originating from Ireland that spread Celtic Christianity in Scotland, Wales, History of Anglo-Saxon England, England a ...

aries, from the ninth through the 12th centuries. A staple of

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

, the Celtic cross is essentially a Latin cross 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

Ringed crosses similar to older Continental forms appeared in Ireland, England 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 is any of 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 The ankh or key of life is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol used to represent the word for "life" and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself. The ankh has a T-shape topped by a droplet-shaped loop. It was used in writing as a tri ...

. However, Michael W. Herren, Shirley Ann Brown, and others believe it originates in earlier ringed crosses in

Christian art Christian art is sacred art which uses subjects, themes, and imagery from Christianity. Most Christian groups use or have used art to some extent, including early Christian art and architecture and Christian media. Images of Jesus and narrative ...

. 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 sphere, ...

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 peri ...

. The "cosmological cross" is an important motif in Coelius Sedulius'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 Ahenny () is a small village and townland in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is notable for its ancient Irish high crosses. Close to the village is the early Christian foundation of Kilclispeen monastery and in the adjoining graveyard stand tw ...

in Ireland, and at

Iona Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...

, 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 stone A Pictish stone is a type of monumental stele, generally carved or incised with symbols or designs. A few have ogham inscriptions. Located in Scotland, mostly north of the River Clyde, Clyde-River Forth, Forth line and on the Eastern side of the ...

s. A variety of crosses bear inscriptions in

ogham Ogham (also ogam and ogom, , Modern Irish: ; , later ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish language ( scholastic ...

, 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, the crosses at Monasterboice, the Cross of the Scriptures,

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise or Clonmacnois (Irish language, Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery in County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, Ciarán, ...

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 I ...

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

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, including St Piran's cross at

Perranporth Perranporth () is a seaside resort town on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is 2.1 miles east of the St Agnes Heritage Coastline, and around 7 miles south-west of Newquay. Perranporth and its long beach face the Atla ...

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

Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...

and Scotland, and further south in England, where they merge with the similar Anglo-Saxon cross making tradition, in the

Ruthwell Cross The Ruthwell Cross is a stone Anglo-Saxon cross probably dating from the 8th century, when the village of Ruthwell, now in Scotland, was part of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria. It is the most famous and elaborate Anglo-Saxon monumental ...

for example. Most examples in Britain were destroyed during the Protestant

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. 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 (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

or possibly Saint Declan, 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

, 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 incorporate ...

County Tyrone * Carndonagh high cross, County Donegal *

Drumcliff Drumcliff or Drumcliffe () is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is north of Sligo, Sligo town on the N15 road (Ireland), N15 road on a low gravel ridge between the mountain of Ben Bulben and Drumcliff Bay. It is on the Drumcliff River, o ...

, County Sligo *

Dysert O'Dea Monastery Dysert O'Dea Church ( Irish: ''Díseart Uí Dheá'' - "the hermitage of Deá") near Corofin in County Clare, Ireland stands on the site of an early Christian monastery which is thought to have been founded by St. Tola in the 8th century. Mos ...

, County Clare *

Glendalough Glendalough (; ) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead min ...

County Wicklow St. Kevin's Cross *

Killamery Killamery () is a village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Located near the County Tipperary border, it is in a townland and civil parish of the same name. Killamery lies on the N76 national secondary road, halfway between Kilkenny to the northeast ...

, County Kilkenny * Kloster Fahan

Fahan Fahan (; pronounced 'Fawn'. ) is a district of Inishowen in the north of County Donegal, Ireland, located south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, Saint Mura, first abbot of Fahan, an early Christian monastery. Hi ...

, County Donegal * Monasterboice, County Louth *

Cross of the Scriptures, County Offaly *

Moone Moone (; ) is a small village in the south of County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the former N9 road (Ireland), N9 road (now by-passed) about south of Dublin. It has only a few hundred inhabitants, a church, a National scho ...

, County Kildare

Notable high crosses with the Celtic shape in Scotland

* Campbeltown Cross *

Iona Abbey Iona Abbey is an abbey located on the island of Iona, just off the Isle of Mull on the West Coast of Scotland. It is one of the oldest History of early Christianity, Christian religious centres in Western Europe. The abbey was a focal point ...

Crosses * Inchbraoch Cross *

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

Meigle Meigle (, ) is a village in Strathmore, Angus, Strathmore, Scotland. It lies in the council area of Perth and Kinross in the Coupar Angus and Meigle ward. It lies on the A94 road, A94 road between Perth and Forfar.The A94 used to be the main ro ...

1 Cross * St. Martin's Cross at

* St Gordian's Kirk Cross * Govan Old Parish Church Cross * Weem, Aberfeldy

Notable Celtic crosses in India

* Mateer Memorial Church, Kerala, India

Celtic cross monument gallery

File:Lugasson Croix celtique 02.jpg, Croix celtique de Lugasson, France File:Clonmacnoise 6.jpg, Early crosses at

, Ireland File:Kingswood War Memorial - geograph.org.uk - 7032.jpg, Kingswood war memorial in

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, England File:Monasterboice 12.jpg, A

at Monasterboice, Ireland 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:Ansgars kors.jpg, (to

Ansgar Ansgar (8 September 801 – 3 February 865), also known as Anskar, Saint Ansgar, Saint Anschar or Oscar, was Archbishopric of Bremen, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen in the northern part of the Kingdom of the East Franks. Ansgar became known as the ...

Birka Birka (''Birca'' in medieval sources), on the island of Björkö, Ekerö, Björkö (lit. "Birch Island") in present-day Sweden, was an important Viking Age trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as many parts of Continent ...

, Sweden

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 actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles on film during the 1930s and 1940s. Early life Henry O'Neill was born in Orange, New J ...

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. The two worked on the island of

in Scotland from 1899 to 1940 and popularised use of the Celtic cross in jewelry. 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; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

and the

Northern Ireland national football team The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in men's international association football. From 1882 to 1950, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team (1882–1950), Ireland ...

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

Church in Wales The Church in Wales () 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 position is currently held b ...

since 1954 have used a flag with a Celtic cross in the centre.

Gallery

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

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply 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 by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

Staining village flag.svg, Flag of Staining, Lancashire Flag of Irish Heritage Quebec.svg, Flag of Irish Heritage Quebec Bleimor Scouting flag.svg, Flag of Bleimor (c.1946–1962) Proposed flag of Ireland (1951).svg, Proposed flag of Ireland (1951)

White supremacist symbolism

A version of the Celtic cross is used as a symbol by

white supremacists White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine o ...

. It was used by

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

in Norway in the 1930s and 1940s; more recently, it has been used by

neo-Nazis Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), to att ...

Klansmen The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian extremist, white supremacist, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction in the devastated South. Various historians hav ...

, and other white supremacist groups. In general, white supremacists 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. It is suggested that adoption of the symbol in the context of right-wing politics is linked with the activity of Jesuit priest , a prominent figure of the interwar

scout movement Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including ...

in France. In 1924, the victory of anti-clerical Cartel des Gauches in general elections caused the mobilisation of right-wing forces, with Doncœur playing a major role in formation of Fédération Nationale Catholique and . The same year, impressed by , a Catholic organisation within the

German Youth Movement The German Youth Movement () is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement included German Scouting and the ...

, he founded its local equivalent, Cadets. Doncœur, inspired by the G. K. Chesterton's novel '' The Ball and the Cross'', decided that the symbol of the movement, ''croix cadet'', should consist of a circle, representing the material world, supported by a square Christian cross intersecting it. After the

Fall of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Net ...

Vichy government Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

relied on pre-existing organisations to implement its youth policy according to the principles of the National Revolution. The field was dominated by Catholic scout movements, the leaders of which were put in charge of Secretariat-General of Youth. In 1941, the symbol of Doncœur, now named ''croix celtique'', was adopted as an emblem for Cadets of the Légion in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, a youth movement within

Légion Française des Combattants The French Legion of Veterans (, or LFC) was a paramilitary association established in Vichy France and French colonial empire, Vichy's colonial territories in World War II. Legion Shortly after the Battle of France, French defeat, the newly es ...

, a veteran organisation which the government hoped could be transformed to function as the

single party A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a governance structure in which only a single political party controls the ruling system. In a one-party state, all opposition parties are either outlawed or en ...

of the state. Then it was used as insignia of Equipes nationales, a youth

civilian service Alternative civilian service, also called alternative services, civilian service, non-military service, and substitute service, is a form of national service performed in lieu of military conscription for various reasons, such as conscientious o ...

institution founded in 1942. After the war, Pierre Sidos appropriated the symbol as an emblem of the far-right movement

Jeune Nation Jeune Nation (; English: Young Nation) was a French nationalist, neo-Pétainist and neo-fascist far-right movement founded in 1949 by Pierre Sidos and his brothers. Inspired by Fascist Italy and Vichy France, the group attracted support from ma ...

, founded by him in 1949. 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. Furthermore, according to the American Anti-Defamation League, the cross itself does not denote white supremacy.

Gallery

File:White Nationalism flag (black).svg, A Celtic cross flag used by white supremacists 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 A code point, codepoint or code position is a particular position in a Table (database), table, where the position has been assigned a meaning. The table may be one dimensional (a column), two dimensional (like cells in a spreadsheet), three dime ...

Unicode Unicode or ''The Unicode Standard'' or TUS is a character encoding standard maintained by the Unicode Consortium designed to support the use of text in all of the world's writing systems that can be digitized. Version 16.0 defines 154,998 Char ...

for this symbol, though the is very similar.

References

Bibliography

* J. Romilly Allen: ''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. * * H. Richardson: ''An Introduction to Irish High Crosses''. 1990, .

External links

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

Early history

Notable high crosses with the Celtic shape in Ireland

Notable high crosses with the Celtic shape in Scotland

Notable Celtic crosses in India

Celtic cross monument gallery

Modern times

Celtic Revival

Gallery

White supremacist symbolism

Gallery

Unicode

See also

References

Bibliography

External links