Description

Orthodox, Byzantine[1][2][3][need quotationtoverify] or Russian (Orthodox) Cross,[4][5] also known astheSuppedaneum cross,[6] is a variation of the Christiancross,commonly[quantify] found in some Slavic Eastern OrthodoxChurches,as well as the Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine riteand theSociety for Eastern Rite Anglicanism. The cross hasthreehorizontal crossbeams—the top one represents the plate whichin theolder Greek tradition is inscribed with a phrase based onJohn'sGospel "The King of Glory", but in later images it representsINRI,and the bottom one, a footrest. In the Russian Orthodoxtradition,the lower beam is slanted: the side to Christ's right isusuallyhigher. This is because the footrest slants upward towardthepenitent thief St. Dismas, who was (according totradition[citationneeded]) crucified on Jesus' right, and downwardtoward impenitentthief Gestas. It is also a common perception thatthe foot-restpoints up, toward Heaven, on Christ’s right hand-side,anddownward, to Hades, on Christ’s left. One of the OrthodoxChurch’sFriday prayers clearly explains the meaning: "In the midst,betweentwo thieves, was Your Cross found as the balance-beamofrighteousness; For while one was led down to hell by the burdenofhis blaspheming, the other was lightened of his sins untotheknowledge of things divine, O Christ God glory toYou."[citationneeded] The earliest version of a slanted footstoolcan be found inJerusalem, but throughout the Eastern Christianworld until the17th century, the footstool is slanted the otherway, pointingupwards rather than downwards, making the downwardfootstool aRussian innovation. In the Greek and most other OrthodoxChurches,the footrest remains straight, as in earlierrepresentations, or issometimes slanted the other way (upwards), incontrast to theRussian cross. Common variations include the "Crossover Crescent"and the "Calvary cross".