Antique Russian Orthodox Cross SAVE PROTECT Saints Barbara, Anthony, Theodosius

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Antique Russian Orthodox Cross SAVE PROTECT Saints Barbara, Anthony, Theodosius :
$39.00

Vintage/antique Russian Eastern Orthodox or Eastern/Greek Catholic, or Ukrainian Catholic Cross pendant. Made from a brass-like copper-based alloy. The cross is scratched, but no visible cracks or other structural damage are present. Overall good vintage condition, lightly worn out likely due to devotional wearing by several generations of Christians. Could have been worn as a \"body\" (worn below all garments and underwear) pectoral cross by a layman, a deacon or a priest. Exact age unknown, could have be an artifact from mid- to late 1800s.
The artistic design of this cross is unique, featuring floral ornaments, iconic images of Jesus Christ as the King of Glory and three Saints, venerated in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and text of a protective Orthodox prayer.The cross is two sided. The obverse representsa Latin- or Catholic style cross. The ends of the crossbars are \"budded\" and bear symbolic images of small flower buds, three on each end.
Additionally, each of the four crossbar ends bears floral ornaments, similar to fleur-de-lis, or lily flowers. Similar artwork appears in the history quite early: Roman Gaulish coins show the first Western designs which look similarly to modern fleur-de-lis. A 9th-century mosaic from San Giovanni church in Rome shows Saint Peter handling the Oriflamme, the imperial banner, to Charlemagne. The finial of the oriflamme is clearly a spearhead, like the earliest depictions of the fleur-de-lis, on the seals of Robert II (circa 1000 AD) and Phillip II (c. 1180).
Interestingly, the Byzantine three-bar cross characteristic of the Russian Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches, is not shown on this pendant.
The reverse of the cross pendant bears an image of the Latin-style Cross incorporating text of a prayer in Church Slavonic meaning \"LORD, SAVE, PROTECT, AND HAVE MERCY ON ME\".
The top budded end of the vertical crossbar bears an image of the Resurrected Christ as the King of Gloryextending His Hands as for an embrace or a prayer. His image is marked with two Cyrillic letters \"I.X.\" meaning an abbreviation of the Holy Name of Jesus Christ in Greek or in Church Slavonic.
The left and right crossbar budded ends bear the images of Eastern Orthodox saints, St. Anthony of Kiev and St. Theodosius of Kiev, the 11th-century Orthodox monks and founders of the Kiev Monastery (now Lavra) of the Caves.
Below the inscription, in the lower vertical budded crossbar, there is an image of Saint Barbara, also known in the Eastern Orthodox Churches as the \"Saint Great Martyr Varvara\". This name in abbreviated form is overarching the image of St. Barbara. St. Barbara is an early Christian saint venerated in the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches, with her feast day celebrated on December 4.
Please examine all photographs carefully and do your own research if necessary. Please note that photographs are an important part of the item\'s description. The U.S. quarter coin, measuring meter and decorative stone are not for sale, and are photographed with the item in order to provide a size reference and artistic background.Please ask all questions before making a purchase.There are no guarantees with the listing because most items are original artifacts that are quite old. All items are sold \"as is\" with no returns because of a change of mind offered. Shipping and handling is free for the continental US. International buyers, please ask me for a shipping quote prior to buying.Please note that customs regulations differ from country to country, and it is a buyer\'s responsibility to ensure that any customs fees or other duties collected by the buyer\'s country are paid and satisfied in full.