The Cross of Saint Peter, also known as the Petrine Cross, is an inverted Latin cross traditionally used as a Christian symbol, associated with the

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

dom of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

. The symbol originates from the Catholic tradition that when sentenced to death, Peter requested that his

cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

be upside down.

History

The origin of the symbol comes from the tradition that

was

crucified Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Carthaginians, ...

upside down. This narrative first appears in the ''Martyrdom of Peter'', a text found in, but possibly predating, the ''

Acts of Peter The Acts of Peter is one of the earliest of the apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (genre), Acts of the Apostles in Christianity, dating to the late 2nd century AD. The majority of the text has survived only in the Vetus Latina, Latin translation of ...

'', an

apocryphal Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...

work which was originally composed during the second half of the 2nd century. In the ''Acts of Peter'', the author writes that Peter's request to be crucified upside-down was to make a point: that the values of those crucifying him were upside-down, and that we need to look beyond the inverted values of this world and adopt the values of Jesus if we wish to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Sometime in the middle of the 3rd century,

Origen of Alexandria Origen of Alexandria (), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises i ...

popularized the tradition that Peter requested to be crucified upside-down. At the end of the 4th century,

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

wrote in his ("On Illustrious Men") that the reason for this request was that Peter felt he was unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus. The 19th-century French mystic Eugène Vintras (1807–1875), founder of the Work of Mercy movement, led a mystical Christian sect sometimes referred to as neo-Catholic. His teachings emphasized

Marian visions A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance of Mary, the mother of Jesus. While sometimes described as a type of vision, apparitions are generally regarded as external manifestations, whereas visions are more often understood as ...

, apocalyptic prophecy, and Eucharistic miracles, positioning his movement within a heterodox Christian framework. According to scholar Ruben van Luijk, Vintras incorporated the Petrine Cross into his vestments, particularly on his stole, as part of his movement's esoteric Christian symbolism. He was accused of heresy by the Catholic Church and the movement was formally condemned by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

in 1851.

Joris-Karl Huysmans Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel (1884, pub ...

' novel '' Là-bas'' (1891), which describes a

Black Mass A Black Mass is a ceremony celebrated by various Satanic groups. It has allegedly existed for centuries in different forms, and the modern form is intentionally a sacrilegious and blasphemous parody of a Catholic Mass. In the 19th century the ...

where participants wear vestments with inverted crosses, fictionalized Vintras' use of the

inverted cross The inverted cross, also known as the upside-down cross, is a symbol that has been used in both Christian and anti-Christian contexts. Historically, it is most commonly associated with Saint Peter, who, according to tradition, was crucified upsi ...

in an anti-Christian context.

Use in heraldry

The Cross of Saint Peter appears in ecclesiastical

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

as a reference to the apostle’s martyrdom. According to ''Saints, Signs, and Symbols'' by Hilarie and James Cornwell, Saint Peter's coat of arms features an inverted cross with crossed keys, symbolizing both his crucifixion upside down and his role as the keeper of the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven ( Matthew 16:19). This composition is prominently used in heraldic designs associated with Saint Peter and the Papacy, particularly in the arms of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

and

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

, where it represents papal authority and

apostolic succession Apostolic succession is the method whereby the Christian ministry, ministry of the Christian Church is considered by some Christian denominations to be derived from the Twelve Apostles, apostles by a continuous succession, which has usually been ...

References

External links

Saint Peter
- ''

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

'' {{Christian crosses Christian crosses Christian iconography Christian symbols Christian terminology

Saint Peter

History

Use in heraldry

See also

References

External links