Plague Cross
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The term plague cross can refer to either a mark placed on a building occupied by victims of plague; or a permanent structure erected, to enable plague sufferers to trade while minimising the risk of contagion. A wide variety of plague cross existed in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, until the plague largely disappeared by the eighteenth century. Additionally, the term "plague cross" can specifically refer to the "Plague Cross of Saint Zacharias of Jerusalem", a
Western Christian Western Christianity is one of two subdivisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic Ch ...
sacramental A sacramental (Latin pl. ''sacramentalia'') is a sacred sign, a ritual act or a ceremony, which, in a certain imitation of the sacraments, has a spiritual effect and is obtained through the intercession of the Church. Sacramentals surround the sa ...
invoking
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
's protection against diseases and plagues that often takes the form of a
cross necklace __NOTOC__ A cross necklace is any necklace featuring a Christian cross or crucifix as its pendant. Crosses are often worn as an indication of commitment to the Christian faith, and are sometimes received as gifts for rites such as baptism and c ...
or a wall cross.


Plague notices

At times of plague, it was common to mark the doors of victims of the disease with a large painted cross, either in red or black paint. In later times, large printed crosses were often affixed to doors.
Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translati ...
reported, at the time of the Great Plague in 1665, that the
Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
, in his regulations, stated:
"That every house visited y the diseasebe marked with a red cross of a foot long in the middle of the door, evident to be seen, and with these usual printed words, that is to say, "Lord, have mercy upon us," to be set close over the same cross, there to continue until lawful opening of the same house."
About the same time,
Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...
wrote on 7 June 1665:
"I did in Drury-lane see two or three houses marked with a red cross upon the doors, and "Lord have mercy upon us" writ there - which was a sad sight to me, being the first of that kind that to my remembrance I ever saw."


Market structures and "vinegar stones"

In some locations, stone structures were set up outside established market areas, as temporary
market cross A market cross, or in Scots, a mercat cross, is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, where historically the right to hold a regular market or fair was granted by the monarch, a bishop or a baron. History Market crosses ...
es denoting places where town and country dwellers could trade with one another while supposedly minimising the risk of contagion. For example, at
Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...
in
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
in 1603 and 1646, Greenway cross was "used as a 'plague cross,' to which country people came to sell their provisions to the dwellers in the town." At
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
, stone crosses were erected during an outbreak of plague in 1604, on main roads about one mile outside the city, to denote temporary locations where trading could take place. There, each cross held a small pool of water into which money was placed and from which it could be removed in trading. In Derby in 1665, a headless cross or "vinegar stone" was erected, in which the water was replaced by
vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
as a disinfectant. The "vinegar stone" at Wentworth in Yorkshire is supposed to have a similar origin. In
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, stone crosses or ''Pestkreuze'' were also set up in some locations to commemorate those who died as a result of the plague. Memorial crosses to individual plague victims were also set up at churches, as at Trittenheim.


Examples

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Brugherio Brugherio (; in ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan. It was established December 9, 1866 unifying the suppressed municipalities of Cassina Baraggia ...
, Italy: Three plague crosses in Piazza Roma, Viale Lombardia and Torazza. *
Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, near the border with Wales. It had a population estimated at 10,978 in 2021. It lies in the south-east of the county, on the River Wye and on the northern edge of the Fore ...
, UK: the churchyard contains a Plague Cross or "Corpse Cross" commemorating the 315 local residents who died in a plague outbreak in 1637 and who were buried in
mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may Unidentified decedent, not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of exec ...
s. Local monuments, Ross-on-Wye.com
Accessed 19 May 2012


Plague columns

Plague columns, also known as Marian or Holy Trinity columns, are found throughout Europe, and frequently as thanksgiving for the ending of a plague. Examples include: *
Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
: Plague Pillar


Gallery

File:The Vinegar Stone - geograph.org.uk - 1318227.jpg, A "vinegar stone", at Wentworth,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
File:Trittenheim-Pestkreuz.JPG, Memorial cross to plague victims at Trittenheim, Germany File:Colonnina votiva Viale Lombardia, angolo Via Vittorio Veneto.JPG, One of the plague crosses in Brugherio, Italy, which record where there were open air altars in 1576 File:Headless cross1.jpg, The Plague Stone or Vinegar Stone at Friargate,
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
, England


See also

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Fourteen Holy Helpers The Fourteen Holy Helpers (, ) are a group of saints venerated together by Catholics because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. This group of ''Nothelfer'' ("helpers in need") orig ...


References


External links

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Plague Cross holy card - Caritas Publishing
{{Christian crosses Crosses by function Types of monuments and memorials Burial monuments and structures Plague monuments and memorials Great Plague of London