Latin Cross

... it has been found in China and Africa. It appears on Scandinavian Bronze Age stones depicting the destructive hammer of Thor, their god of thunder and war. It is regarded a magical symbol, bringing good luck and diverting evil. Rock carvings of the cross have been interpreted as a solar symbol, or a symbol of Earth with its points representing north, south, east, and west. As a representation of the human form:

• upper section - corresponds to the north wind, the most powerful, the all-conquering giant, the head and intelligence
• lower section - the south wind, the seat of fire and passion, and of melting and burning
• right arm of the crossbeam - the east wind, the heart and the source of life and love
• left arm of the crossbeam - the gentle wind from the spirit land, the dying breath and the subsequent journey into the unknown

To alchemists, the cross was a symbol of the four elements: air, earth, fire, water. Elsewhere, the cross variously symbolised health, fertility, life, immortality, the union of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, the Sun and the stars.

...it is sometimes referred to as the Western Cross to differentiate from cross designs favoured in the East. The Latin Cross is typically used as the basic floor plan of Western churches¹. It can be the identification mark for a church or chapel, hence the alternative names: Chapel Cross or Church Cross².

As a representation of the Trinity, the three shorter sections represent the Three Persons of the Trinity and the longer, lower portion signifies the One Divinity.

It can also be called a Protestant Cross because it is plain, without any corpus³ attached. It does not deny the suffering on the cross but focuses the mind on Christ's resurrection and is mostly used in Protestant churches. When the cross includes a corpus, it is usually referred to as a crucifix and emphasises Christ's suffering and sacrifice which gives meaning and sense to His resurrection.

For many Catholics, the corpus is sacramental and its removal would be heretical⁴. Protestantism initially prohibited the corpus as a graven image and idolatrous. Rood screens were pulled down to allow closer access to the altar by lay worshippers and Altar Crosses were removed as illegal 'Ornaments Rubrics'.⁵ This helped Protestants distance themselves from Roman Catholics and even today, crucifixes are found more in Catholic churches than Protestant churches⁶. Generally today however, Protestants no longer protest too much and not averse to using a crucifix, and Catholics are quite happy to use a plain cross. Christ's resurrection is central to Christian doctrine, whatever the sect. (See also Empty Cross.)

...the Latin cross with its single horizontal bar, is known as a Passion Cross. (With two bars a cross is known as a Patriarchal Cross and with three bars, a Salem Cross, signifying the ultimate rank of the wearer. See also Cross and Crown.)

Christian Flag, for all Christians but mainly used by Protestants. Red - the blood shed by Jesus Christ, blue - royalty of Jesus Christ as King, white - purity of Jesus Christ

...the Latin Cross is seen on several regional flags; Recife (Brazil), Pernambuco (Brazil), and Tucumán (Argentina), for example. A heraldic version, such as the Greek and Nordic crosses, are seen on many national flags.

The posh name for this most common of all crosses is Crux Immissa. This simply means a cross with a horizontal beam (patibulum) inserted at right-angles to the upright post. Immissa means 'inserted'. Another name is Crux Capitata, which means 'with a head'.

There are no universally prescribed dimensions for a cross. Some are copied from flags and retain the flag's ratio (1:1.5, 1:1.6, etc). Other designers prefer the aesthetically pleasing 'Golden Ratio' of 1:1.1618 (though sometimes rejected as being too Pythagorean). In these pages, we have chosen a rather stunted ratio of 1:1.429.

There are two variations:

crux humilis - a Low Cross, where the victim's feet were close to the ground. This was the most common form of cross; cheaper, easier to use, and also give the mob opportunity to torture the victim further. Because of their extensive use during the Crusades, crosses have played a major role in heraldry. To suit the shape and size of escutcheons (shields), heraldic crosses are often crux humilis. See Greek Cross.

crux sublimis - Tall Cross, where the victim was high off the ground. This would not mean that the victim had commanded a high rank in society; the elite were rarely subject to capital or even corporal punishment. Instead, in the not-so-often cases where the rich and powerful were convicted of crime, the normal chastisement was exile or a fine - pretty much like today. Crucifixion was normally reserved for slaves and others of a low social status. The 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus mentions high ranking Jews who had their status removed by their crucifixion. This was one reason that crucifixion was the chosen method for putting Jesus to death.