Symbols
Celtic Cross
The first Celtic Cross, going back to the 10,000 a.C., has been found
in one cove of the French Pyrenees.
Today, like centuries ago, great crosses
of stone punctuate the campaigns, the cities and the monastery of Ireland.
They are found again, in smaller measure and various in the shape, in the remaining
areas of celtic Europe: Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. Carved generally
in sandstone stone, they are scattered everywhere: often to indicate the borders
of the monastery, a grave, dedicated to a king or a saint, placed in the places
of prayer or to protection against the infernal forces.
Beginning from 16th/17th
century d.C. were developed and perfected until XII the century, disappearing
after the English conquest of 1170. The culminating period of this shape of
sculpture was that one of the centuries churns from the invasions vikings and
scandinavians to you, when the raids of these Barbarian populations attacked
the great Irish monastic centres.
Celtic Cross is also called “Wheel
of the sun”, “Crossed Ring”, “Seals of the Druids”
or “Cross of the Druids”.
It is probably
the most complete symbol and the most universal and has been adopted in the
symbolic patrimony from nearly all the civilizations. Various interpretations
and legends can be found on the history of the symbolism inborn in the Celtic
Cross. There are some symbols that can be considered the predecessor of this
type of cross. One of these is “Chi-Rho”, therefore called because
formed from the two letters of the Greek alphabet that compose the monogram
of Christ. It is a common symbol in the Christianity of the Roman Empire of
IV the century, since it is the symbol of the eternity that emphasizes the
demonstrated divine love through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The
Latin cross up appears in sense to crisma the same but conserve the ring that
remembers P (rho) and forces to find in the ancient crossing X (chi) straightened.
A legend narrates of how Saint Patrizio created first Celtic Cross. He was
preaching in front of a sacred stone delimited from a circle, during his work
of conversion, he traced a circle inside the sacred stone and blessed the stone,
creating therefore the first Celtic Cross. This legend does not have to be
interpreted literally, but rather it goes inserted in the work of the celtic
christianity to use already present symbols and ideas in the local culture.
However the Celtic Cross was not a symbol commonly used from Christians until
the 5th century.
There are different types of Celtic Crosses, some of which
introduce recordings and workings many complexes. They can represent human
figures, in order to narrate Biblical events. In general terms, however, the
nodes, the spirals, interlace to it geometric and the animal representations
are those that more often appear; these are the same elements that characterize
the objects in metal and manuscripts of the same age. On the contrary of the
scenes of crucifixion of Southern Europe that show the suffering of Christ,
generally half-naked and tortured from the wounds, Celtic Cross aesthetically
seems made in order to be beautiful. When the human figures appear, these seem
much simple if compared to the complex decorated items they have around. It
is the vertical cross that diagonal with the arms of the same length is of
the present symbols in very many cultures. These two symbols, circle and cross,
nearly seem to have antithetic valences: the circle does not have a beginning
or one fine and it does not have direction, while the cross has a motion that
expand itself towards the outside beginning from a single
point central. The circle is often feminine lunar symbol, while the cross registered
in a circle is male solar symbol. In fact, some theories “New Age” see
in this symbol the representation of the Sun and the Moon, the God and the
Goddess, the Male Principle and that Feminine one, making to go back the origin
of Celtic Cross to a Hindu symbol.
Celtic Cross could also represent
one some shape of garland prevails them in honour of the Cross of the Redemption.
But Celtic Cross represents also: the Tree of the life; the four elements joined
to fifth, since the circle is seen like energy symbol; the four festivities
age them (Samhain 1 November, Imbolc 1 February, Beltane 1 May, Lugfhnasadh
1 August); the bridge between the world land and that divine one enclosed in
infinity of the universe.
It is a symbol spaces them and temporal and this
property renders it adapted to express the mystery of the cosmos, in which
the earth is inserted. To case many abbeys do not have a plant to cross shape,
it comes to being the centre of the world, and the man, to its inside orient
itself expanding in the four directions of the four points cardinals.
Celtic
Cross could very adapt to one symbolic reading in watertight key according
to the paradigm of Ermete Trismegisto “like up, therefore low”.
In the Celtic Cross we can, in fact, to see one representation of the microcosm
in relation to the macrocosm: the man (microcosm) through of it orients itself,
leaving from the single point to the centre of the cross, towards the four
points cardinals, the four elements, in order to reach the circle of the seasons
scans from the solstices and the equinoxes and of the universe
(the macrocosm). The created relationship therefore is not static, but dynamic,
determined from a centrifugal movement that gives to the microcosm door to
the centripetal macrocosm or, from the macrocosm to the microcosm.
In the course of the history the crisma it was used also like emblem from
Constantine in order symbolizing the triumph, like sign of auspice in the battle
of Milvio Bridge and like imperial symbol in occasion of the coronation of
Carl Magnus in the 800.
The symbol was diffused in juvenile atmospheres of the right since was the symbol of the Charlemagne division of Waffen SS, formed from French volunteers who fought until the last days of life of the Hitler’s Reich to Berlin against the Soviet ones. It became a symbol in France from the Jeune Nation of Sidos in 1955, endured after in Belgium from the Pnf, and 1958 in Italy from the juvenile national formations. The neo-fascist movements have decided to resume this symbol, adding a flame from the Italian colours that burn on the background of the Celtic Cross. The symbol was proposed from the “rautiani” inside of the M.S.I in first years '70; from '76/'77 it diffuses itself very much in all the ambience of the right juvenile neo-Fascist.