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103-529: The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages . A type of ringed cross , it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses erected across the islands, especially in regions evangelised by Irish missionaries , from the ninth through the 12th centuries. A staple of Insular art ,

206-455: A nomen sacrum . The extensive adoption of the cross as a Christian iconographic symbol arose from the 4th century. However, the cross symbol was already associated with Christians in the 2nd century, as is indicated in the anti-Christian arguments cited in the Octavius of Minucius Felix , chapters IX and XXIX, written at the end of that century or the beginning of the next, and by

309-479: A deacon ; his grandfather Potitus was a priest from Bonaven Tabernia. However, Patrick's confession states he was not an active believer in his youth, and considered himself in that period to be "idle and callow". According to the Confession of Saint Patrick , at the age of sixteen, he was captured by a group of Irish pirates, from his family's Villa at "Bannavem Taburniae". They took him to Ireland where he

412-526: A circle, representing the material world, supported by a square Christian cross intersecting it. After the Fall of France , Vichy government relied on pre-existing organisations to implement its youth policy according to the principles of the National Revolution . The field was dominated by Catholic scout movements, the leaders of which were put in charge of Secretariat-General of Youth. In 1941,

515-469: A cleric, he returned to spread Christianity in northern and western Ireland. In later life, he served as a bishop, but little is known about where he worked. By the seventh century, he had already come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day , considered his feast day, is observed on 17 March, the supposed date of his death. It is celebrated in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora as

618-562: A few centuries the emblem of Christ was a headless T-shaped tau cross rather than a Latin cross. There are few extant examples of the cross in 2nd century Christian iconography . It has been argued that Christians were reluctant to use it as it depicts a purposely painful and gruesome method of public execution . A symbol similar to the cross, the staurogram , was used to abbreviate the Greek word for cross in very early New Testament manuscripts such as P66 , P45 and P75 , almost like

721-532: A flag with a Celtic cross in the centre. A version of the Celtic cross is used as a symbol by white supremacists . It was used by Nazis in Norway in the 1930s and 1940s, and more recently it has been used by neo-Nazis , Klansmen , and other white supremacist groups. In general, white supremacists use a version of the symbol with a square cross as opposed to the traditional elongated cross. This symbol forms part of

824-691: A head in cross form include the Cross of Kells , Ardboe High Cross , the crosses at Monasterboice , the Cross of the Scriptures, Clonmacnoise and those in Scotland at Iona and the Kildalton Cross , which may be the earliest to survive in good condition. Surviving, free-standing crosses are in Cornwall , including St Piran 's cross at Perranporth , and Wales. Other stone crosses are found in

927-574: A major force in Ireland. The introduction attributes it to Patrick, Auxilius, and Iserninus, a claim which "cannot be taken at face value." Legend credits Patrick with teaching the Irish about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity by showing people the shamrock , a three-leafed plant, using it to illustrate the Christian teaching of three persons in one God. The earliest written version of the story

1030-492: A major role in formation of Fédération Nationale Catholique and Ligue DRAC  [ fr ] . The same year, impressed by Quickborn  [ de ] , a Catholic organisation within the German Youth Movement , he founded its local equivalent, Cadets. Doncœur, inspired by the G. K. Chesterton's novel The Ball and the Cross , decided that the symbol of the movement, croix cadet , should consist of

1133-540: A number of theories as to its origin in Ireland and Britain. Some scholars consider the ring a holdover from earlier wooden crosses, which may have required struts to support the crossarm. Others have seen it as deriving from indigenous Bronze Age art featuring a wheel or disc around a head, or from early Coptic crosses based on the ankh . However, Michael W. Herren, Shirley Ann Brown, and others believe it originates in earlier ringed crosses in Christian art . Crosses with

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1236-676: A perfect Cross, it retained still the Original Name", and he declared: "The Form then of the Cross on which our Saviour suffered was not a simple, but a compounded, Figure, according to the Custom of the Romans , by whose Procurator he was condemned to die. In which there was not only a straight and erected piece of Wood fixed in the Earth, but also a transverse Beam fastened unto that towards the top thereof". Frederick Elworthy claims that for

1339-607: A religious and cultural holiday. In the Catholic Church in Ireland , it is both a solemnity and a holy day of obligation . Two Latin works survive which are generally accepted as having been written by St. Patrick. These are the Declaration ( Latin : Confessio ) and the Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus ( Latin : Epistola ), from which come the only generally accepted details of his life. The Declaration

1442-559: A ring representing the celestial sphere developed from the writings of the Church Fathers . The "cosmological cross" is an important motif in Coelius Sedulius 's poem Carmen Paschale , known in Ireland by the seventh century. It is not clear where the first high crosses originated. The first examples date to about the ninth century and occur in two groups: at Ahenny in Ireland, and at Iona , an Irish monastery off

1545-534: A shamrock and discoursed on the Christian Trinity". Patricia Monaghan says there is no evidence that the shamrock was sacred to the pagan Irish. However, Jack Santino speculates that it may have represented the regenerative powers of nature, and was recast in a Christian context. Icons of St Patrick often depict the saint "with a cross in one hand and a sprig of shamrocks in the other". Roger Homan writes, "We can perhaps see St Patrick drawing upon

1648-525: A shepherd and strengthened his relationship with God through prayer, eventually leading him to deepen his faith. After six years of captivity, he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home, and then that his ship was ready. Fleeing his master, he travelled to a port, two hundred miles away, where he found a ship and with difficulty persuaded the captain to take him. After three days' sailing, they landed, presumably in Britain, and apparently all left

1751-465: A single upright torture stake rather than a two-beam cross, arguing that the Greek term stauros indicated a single upright pole. Although early Watch Tower Society publications associated with the Bible Student movement taught that Christ was executed on a cross, it no longer appeared on Watch Tower Society publications after the name Jehovah's witnesses was adopted in 1931, and use of

1854-451: A supposed prophecy by the druids which gives an impression of how Patrick and other Christian missionaries were seen by those hostile to them: Across the sea will come Adze -head, crazed in the head, his cloak with hole for the head, his stick bent in the head. He will chant impieties from a table in the front of his house; all his people will answer: "so be it, so be it." The second piece of evidence that comes from Patrick's life

1957-509: A vision a few years after returning home: I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: "The Voice of the Irish". As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut , which is beside the western sea—and they cried out, as with one voice: "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us." A.B.E. Hood suggests that

2060-508: Is Cumméne Fota , associated with Clonfert , or Cumméne Find —does refer to Patrick, calling him "our papa"; that is, pope or primate . Two works by late seventh-century hagiographers of Patrick have survived. These are the writings of Tírechán and the Vita sancti Patricii of Muirchú moccu Machtheni. Both writers relied upon an earlier work, now lost, the Book of Ultán . This Ultán, probably

2163-577: Is a name for the Rock of Cashel , and the place-names Cothrugu and Catrige are attested in Counties Antrim and Carlow . The dates of Patrick's life are uncertain; there are conflicting traditions regarding the year of his death. His own writings provide no evidence for any dating more precise than the 5th century generally. His Biblical quotations are a mixture of the Old Latin version and

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2266-404: Is general agreement that he was active as a missionary in Ireland during the fifth century. A recent biography on Patrick shows a late fourth-century date for the saint is not impossible. According to tradition dating from the early Middle Ages, Patrick was the first bishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland , and is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland , converting a pagan society in

2369-417: Is given by the botanist Caleb Threlkeld in his 1726 Synopsis stirpium Hibernicarum , but the earliest surviving records associating Patrick with the plant are coins depicting Patrick clutching a shamrock which were minted in the 1680s. In pagan Ireland, three was a significant number and the Irish had many triple deities , a fact that may have aided Patrick in his evangelisation efforts when he "held up

2472-449: Is identified by Mac Neill as "a word of British origin meaning swineherd". Cothirthiacus also appears as Cothraige in the 8th-century biographical poem known as Fiacc's Hymn and a variety of other spellings elsewhere, and is taken to represent a Primitive Irish : * Qatrikias , although this is disputed. Harvey argues that Cothraige "has the form of a classic Old Irish tribal (and therefore place-) name", noting that Ail Coithrigi

2575-515: Is said to have borne. Tírechán 's seventh-century Collectanea gives: "Magonus, that is, famous; Succetus, that is, god of war; Patricius, that is, father of the citizens; Cothirthiacus, because he served four houses of druids." "Magonus" appears in the ninth-century Historia Brittonum as Maun , descending from British *Magunos , meaning "servant-lad". "Succetus", which also appears in Muirchú moccu Machtheni 's seventh-century Life as Sochet ,

2678-461: Is so impressed that he converts to Christianity, while in others he is killed by the bull. In parts of Ireland, Lughnasa (1 August) is called 'Crom's Sunday' and the legend could recall bull sacrifices during the festival. The twelfth-century work Acallam na Senórach tells of Patrick being met by two ancient warriors, Caílte mac Rónáin and Oisín , during his evangelical travels. The two were once members of Fionn mac Cumhaill 's warrior band

2781-428: Is suspended above the altar table and is a focal point of the chancel . In many Baptist churches, a large cross hangs above the baptistry . Although Christians accepted that the cross was the gallows on which Jesus died, they had already begun in the 2nd century to use it as a Christian symbol. During the first three centuries of the Christian era the cross was "a symbol of minor importance" when compared to

2884-481: Is the Letter to Coroticus or Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus , written after a first remonstrance was received with ridicule and insult. In this, Patrick writes an open letter announcing that he has excommunicated Coroticus because he had taken some of Patrick's converts into slavery while raiding in Ireland. The letter describes the followers of Coroticus as "fellow citizens of the devils" and "associates of

2987-661: Is the more biographical of the two. In it, Patrick gives a short account of his life and his mission. Most available details of his life are from subsequent hagiographies and annals , which have considerable value but lack the empiricism scholars depend on today. The only name that Patrick uses for himself in his own writings is Pātricius [paːˈtrɪ.ki.ʊs] , which gives Old Irish : Pátraic [ˈpˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ] and Irish : Pádraig ( [ˈpˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ] or [ˈpˠɑːɾˠɪɟ] ); English Patrick ; Scottish Gaelic : Pàdraig ; Welsh : Padrig ; Cornish : Petroc . Hagiography records other names he

3090-480: The Ardagh chalice . However, the shape achieved its greatest popularity by its use in the monumental stone high crosses , a distinctive and widespread form of Insular art . These monuments, which first appeared in the ninth century, usually (though not always) take the form of a ringed cross on a stepped or pyramidal base. The form has obvious structural advantages, reducing the length of unsupported side arms. There are

3193-668: The Catholic Encyclopedia stating that Patrick was born in Kilpatrick , Scotland. In 1926 Eoin MacNeill also advanced a claim for Glamorgan in south Wales, possibly the village of Banwen , in the Upper Dulais Valley, which was the location of a Roman marching camp. Patrick's father, Calpurnius, is described as a decurion (Senator and tax collector) of an unspecified Romano-British city , and as

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3296-608: The Church formally adopted an image inspired by Thorvaldsen's Christus statue underlain with the Church's name as an official symbol of the faith. In 2014, the Chinese Communist Party , which espouses a doctrine of state atheism , began a program of removing exterior crosses from church buildings "for reasons of safety and beauty." In 2016, 1,500 crosses were removed. In 2020, this campaign resumed, justified by

3399-460: The Confession . An early document which is silent concerning Patrick is the letter of Columbanus to Pope Boniface IV of about 613. Columbanus writes that Ireland's Christianity "was first handed to us by you, the successors of the holy apostles", apparently referring to Palladius only, and ignoring Patrick. Writing on the Easter controversy in 632 or 633, Cummian—it is uncertain whether this

3502-477: The Fianna , and somehow survived to Patrick's time. In the work St. Patrick seeks to convert the warriors to Christianity, while they defend their pagan past. The heroic pagan lifestyle of the warriors, of fighting and feasting and living close to nature, is contrasted with the more peaceful, but unheroic and non-sensual life offered by Christianity. A much later legend tells of Patrick visiting an inn and chiding

3605-645: The Vulgate , completed in the early 5th century, suggesting he was writing "at the point of transition from Old Latin to Vulgate", although it is possible the Vulgate readings may have been added later, replacing earlier readings. The Letter to Coroticus implies that the Franks were still pagans at the time of writing: their conversion to Christianity is dated to the period 496–508. The Irish annals date Patrick's arrival in Ireland at 432, but they were compiled in

3708-520: The cross potent , cross pattée , and cross moline , cross fleury . A version of the cross symbol was used long before the Christian era in the form of the ancient Egyptian ankh . John Pearson, Bishop of Chester ( c.  1660 ) wrote in his commentary on the Apostles' Creed that the Greek word stauros originally signified "a straight standing Stake, Pale, or Palisador", but that, "when other transverse or prominent parts were added in

3811-547: The sign of the cross . The crucifix, a cross upon which an image of Christ is present, is not known to have been used until the 6th century AD. The oldest extant depiction of the execution of Jesus in any medium seems to be the second-century or early third-century relief on a jasper gemstone meant for use as an amulet, which is now in the British Museum in London . It portrays a naked bearded man whose arms are tied at

3914-463: The tonsure at Lérins Abbey . Saint Germanus of Auxerre , a bishop of the Western Church , ordained him to the priesthood. Maximus of Turin is credited with consecrating him as bishop. Acting on his vision, Patrick returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. According to Bury, his landing place was Wicklow , County Wicklow , at the mouth of the river Inver-dea, which is now called

4017-402: The "Two Patricks" theory, which suggests that many of the traditions later attached to Saint Patrick actually concerned the aforementioned Palladius , who, according to Prosper of Aquitaine 's Chronicle , was sent by Pope Celestine I as the first bishop to Irish Christians in 431. Palladius was not the only early cleric in Ireland at this time. The Irish-born Saint Ciarán of Saigir lived in

4120-614: The 1850s, the Celtic cross has been used extensively as grave markers, straying from medieval usage, when the symbol was typically used for a public monument. The Celtic cross now appears in various retail items. Both the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Northern Ireland national football team have used versions of the Celtic cross in their logos and advertising. The Church in Wales since 1954 have used

4223-543: The Biblical account of the staff of the prophet Moses . In Exodus 7:8–7:13 , Moses and Aaron use their staffs in their struggle with Pharaoh's sorcerers, the staffs of each side turning into snakes. Aaron's snake-staff prevails by consuming the other snakes. Post-glacial Ireland never had snakes . "At no time has there ever been any suggestion of snakes in Ireland, so [there was] nothing for St. Patrick to banish", says naturalist Nigel Monaghan, keeper of natural history at

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4326-849: The Body of Saint Patrick ( Cath Coirp Naomh Padraic ): The Uí Néill and the Airgíalla attempted to bring it to Armagh; the Ulaid tried to keep it for themselves. When the Uí Néill and the Airgíalla came to a certain water, the river swelled against them so that they were not able to cross it. When the flood had subsided the Ui Neill and the Ulaid united on terms of peace, to bring the body of Patrick with them. It appeared to each of them that each had

4429-745: The Celtic cross is essentially a Latin cross with a nimbus surrounding the intersection of the arms and stem. Scholars have debated its exact origins, but it is related to earlier crosses featuring rings. The form gained new popularity during the Celtic Revival of the 19th century; the name "Celtic cross" is a convention dating from that time. The shape, usually decorated with interlace and other motifs from Insular art, became popular for funerary monuments and other uses, and has remained so, spreading well beyond Ireland. Ringed crosses similar to older Continental forms appeared in Ireland, England and Scotland in incised stone slab artwork and artifacts like

4532-501: The Dagda , an Irish god who owns a cauldron of plenty. In a later legend, the pagan chieftain is named Crom . Patrick asks the chieftain for food, and Crom sends his bull, in the hope that it will drive off or kill Patrick. Instead, it meekly submits to Patrick, allowing itself to be slaughtered and eaten. Crom demands his bull be returned. Patrick has the bull's bones and hide put together and brings it back to life. In some versions, Crom

4635-686: The Dublin Industrial Exhibition. In 1857, Henry O'Neill published Illustrations of the Most Interesting of the Sculptured Crosses of Ancient Ireland . These two events stimulated interest in the Celtic cross as a symbol for a renewed sense of heritage within Ireland. New versions of the high cross were designed for fashionable cemetery monuments in Victorian Dublin in the 1860s. From Dublin,

4738-532: The Irish church. Other presumed early materials include the Irish annals , which contain records from the Chronicle of Ireland . These sources have conflated Palladius and Patrick. Another early document is the so-called First Synod of Saint Patrick . This is a seventh-century document, once, but no longer, taken as to contain a fifth-century original text. It apparently collects the results of several early synods, and represents an era when pagans were still

4841-519: The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, who has searched extensively through Irish fossil collections and records. Tírechán wrote in the 7th century that Patrick spent forty days on the mountaintop of Cruachán Aigle , as Moses did on Mount Sinai . The 9th century Bethu Phátraic says that Patrick was harassed by a flock of black demonic birds while on the peak, and he banished them into

4944-456: The Scots [of Dalriada and later Argyll] and Apostate Picts ". Based largely on an eighth-century gloss , Coroticus is taken to be King Ceretic of Alt Clut . Thompson however proposed that based on the evidence it is more likely that Coroticus was a British Roman living in Ireland. It has been suggested that it was the sending of this letter which provoked the trial which Patrick mentions in

5047-728: The Scottish coast. The Ahenny group is generally earlier. However, it is possible that St. Johns Cross at Iona was the first high cross; Iona's influence as a center of pilgrimage may have led this cross to inspire the Ahenny group as well as other ringed crosses in Pictish stones . A variety of crosses bear inscriptions in ogham , an early medieval Irish alphabet. Standing crosses in Ireland and areas under Irish influence tend to be shorter and more massive than their Anglo-Saxon equivalents, which have mostly lost their headpieces. Irish examples with

5150-530: The Vartry. Bury suggests that Wicklow was also the port through which Patrick made his escape after his six years' captivity, though he offers only circumstantial evidence to support this. Tradition has it that Patrick was not welcomed by the locals and was forced to leave and seek a more welcoming landing place further north. He rested for some days at the islands off the Skerries coast, one of which still retains

5253-620: The Victoricus of St. Patrick's vision may be identified with Saint Victricius , bishop of Rouen in the late fourth century, who had visited Britain in an official capacity in 396. However, Ludwig Bieler disagrees. Patrick studied in Europe principally at Auxerre . J. B. Bury suggests that Amator ordained Patrick to the diaconate at Auxerre. Patrick is thought to have visited the Marmoutier Abbey, Tours and to have received

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5356-646: The areas of Birdoswald , twenty miles (32 km) east of Carlisle on Hadrian's Wall . Thomas 1981 , pp. 310–14. In 1993, Paor glossed it as "[probably near] Carlisle ". There is a Roman town known as Bannaventa in Northamptonshire, which is phonically similar to the Bannavem Taburniae mentioned in Patrick's confession, but this is probably too far from the sea. Claims have also been advanced for locations in present-day Scotland , with

5459-482: The body conveying it to their respective territories. The body of Patrick was afterwards interred at Dun Da Lethglas with great honour and veneration; and during the twelve nights that the religious seniors were watching the body with psalms and hymns, it was not night in Magh Inis or the neighbouring lands, as they thought, but as if it were the full undarkened light of day. Irish academic T. F. O'Rahilly proposed

5562-470: The centre of a Christian family's home altar as well. Catholics , Orthodox Catholic , Oriental Orthodox , members of the major branches of Christianity with other adherents as Lutheranism and Anglicans , and others often make the Sign of the Cross upon themselves. This was already a common Christian practice in the time of Tertullian . The Feast of the Cross is an important Christian feast. One of

5665-814: The citizens); Cothirtiacus (because he served four houses of druids)." Muirchu records much the same information, adding that "[h]is mother was named Concessa". The name Cothirtiacus , however, is simply the Latinised form of Old Irish Cothraige , which is the Q-Celtic form of Latin Patricius . The Patrick portrayed by Tírechán and Muirchu is a martial figure, who contests with druids , overthrows pagan idols, and curses kings and kingdoms. On occasion, their accounts contradict Patrick's own writings: Tírechán states that Patrick accepted gifts from female converts although Patrick himself flatly denies this. However,

5768-467: The conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. It may be doubted whether such accounts are an accurate representation of Patrick's time, although such violent events may well have occurred as Christians gained in strength and numbers. Much of the detail supplied by Tírechán and Muirchu, in particular the churches established by Patrick, and the monasteries founded by his converts, may relate to

5871-532: The cross and crucifix in the Lutheran Church , which remains an important feature of Lutheran devotion and worship today. Luther wrote: Crux sola est nostra theologia , "The cross alone is our theology." On the other hand, the Great Iconoclasm was a wave of rejecting sacred images among Calvinists of the 16th century. Some localities (such as England) included polemics against using

5974-468: The cross at Wigmore. Writers during the 19th century indicating a Pagan origin of the cross included Henry Dana Ward , Mourant Brock, and John Denham Parsons . David Williams, writing of medieval images of monsters, says: "The disembodied phallus is also formed into a cross, which, before it became for Christianity the symbol of salvation, was a pagan symbol of fertility." The study, Gods, Heroes & Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain states: "Before

6077-698: The cross in worship. For example, during the 16th century, theologians in the Anglican and Reformed traditions Nicholas Ridley , James Calfhill , and Theodore Beza , rejected practices that they described as cross worship. Considering it a form of idolatry, there was a dispute in 16th century England over the baptismal use of the sign of the cross and even the public use of crosses. There were more active reactions to religious items that were thought as 'relics of Papacy ', as happened for example in September 1641, when Sir Robert Harley pulled down and destroyed

6180-704: The cross itself does not denote white supremacy. There is no formal code point in Unicode for this symbol, though the U+2316 ⌖ is very similar. Christian cross The basic forms of the cross are the Latin cross with unequal arms and the Greek cross with equal arms; there are numerous variants , partly with confessional significance—such as the tau cross , the double-barred cross , triple-barred cross , and cross-and-crosslets —and many heraldic variants , such as

6283-401: The cross was officially abandoned in 1936. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Jesus died on a cross; however, their prophet Gordon B. Hinckley stated that "for us the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ." When asked what was the symbol of his religion, Hinckley replied "the lives of our people must become

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6386-417: The dates given for Patrick's death in the Annals are reliable. A recent biography argues that a late fifth-century date for the saint is not impossible. Patrick was born at the end of Roman rule in Britain . His birthplace is not known with any certainty; some traditions place it in what is now England—one identifying it as Glannoventa (modern Ravenglass in Cumbria ). In 1981, Thomas argued at length for

6489-402: The demon withering away. It then flees in a flash of flame, and Patrick decrees that people should have a drink of whiskey on his feast day in memory of this. This is said to be the origin of "drowning the shamrock" on Saint Patrick's Day. According to the Annals of the Four Masters , an early-modern compilation of earlier annals, his corpse soon became an object of conflict in the Battle for

6592-429: The east. One day, Dáire's horses die after grazing on the church land. He tells his men to kill Patrick, but is himself struck down with illness. Dáire's men beg Patrick to heal him, and Patrick's holy water revives both Dáire and his horses. Dáire rewards Patrick with a great bronze cauldron and gave him the hill of Ard Mhacha to build a church, which eventually became the head church of Ireland. Dáire has similarities with

6695-533: The emphasis Tírechán and Muirchu placed on female converts, and in particular royal and noble women who became nuns, is thought to be a genuine insight into Patrick's work of conversion. Patrick also worked with the unfree and the poor, encouraging them to vows of monastic chastity. Tírechán's account suggests that many early Patrician churches were combined with nunneries founded by Patrick's noble female converts. The martial Patrick found in Tírechán and Muirchu, and in later accounts, echoes similar figures found during

6798-411: The fact that by the early 3rd century the cross had become so closely associated with Christ that Clement of Alexandria , who died between 211 and 216, could without fear of ambiguity use the phrase τὸ κυριακὸν σημεῖον (the Lord's sign) to mean the cross, when he repeated the idea, current as early as the apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas , that the number 318 (in Greek numerals , ΤΙΗ) in Genesis 14:14

6901-406: The fact that some crosses were higher than the Chinese national flag. Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( Latin : Patricius ; Irish : Pádraig [ˈpˠɑːɾˠɪɟ] or [ˈpˠaːd̪ˠɾˠəɟ] ; Welsh : Padrig ) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland . Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland ,

7004-405: The feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican bishops place a cross (+) before their name when signing a document. The dagger symbol (†) placed after the name of a dead person (often with the date of death) is sometimes taken to be a Christian cross. In many Christian traditions, such as the Methodist Churches , the altar cross sits atop or

7107-555: The former Northumbria and Scotland, and further south in England, where they merge with the similar Anglo-Saxon cross making tradition, in the Ruthwell Cross for example. Most examples in Britain were destroyed during the Protestant Reformation . By about A.D. 1200 the initial wave of cross building came to an end in Ireland. Popular legend in Ireland says that the Christian cross was introduced by Saint Patrick or possibly Saint Declan , though there are no examples from this early period. It has often been claimed that Patrick combined

7210-425: The fourth century CE, the cross was not widely embraced as a sign of Christianity, symbolizing as it did the gallows of a criminal." This reaction in the Anglican and other Reformed Churches was short-lived and the cross became ubiquitous in these Christian traditions. Jehovah's Witnesses do not use the symbol of the cross in their worship, which they believe constitutes idolatry . They believe that Jesus died on

7313-431: The hollow of Lugnademon ("hollow of the demons") by ringing his bell. Patrick ended his fast when God gave him the right to judge all the Irish at the Last Judgement , and agreed to spare the land of Ireland from the final desolation . A later legend tells how Patrick was tormented on the mountain by a demonic female serpent named Corra or Caorthannach. Patrick is said to have banished the serpent into Lough Na Corra below

7416-420: The innkeeper for being ungenerous with her guests. Patrick tells her that a demon is hiding in her cellar and being fattened by her dishonesty. He says that the only way to get rid of the demon is by mending her ways. Sometime later, Patrick revisits the inn to find that the innkeeper is now serving her guests cups of whiskey filled to the brim. He praises her generosity and brings her to the cellar, where they find

7519-516: The island and of sometimes difficult interactions with the ruling elite. He does claim of the Irish: Never before did they know of God except to serve idols and unclean things. But now, they have become the people of the Lord, and are called children of God. The sons and daughters of the leaders of the Irish are seen to be monks and virgins of Christ! Patrick's position as a foreigner in Ireland

7622-403: The late second or early third century, most likely in conventional Christian contexts". The Jewish Encyclopedia says: The cross as a Christian symbol or "seal" came into use at least as early as the second century (see "Apost. Const." iii. 17; Epistle of Barnabas, xi.-xii.; Justin, "Apologia," i. 55–60; "Dial. cum Tryph." 85–97); and the marking of a cross upon the forehead and the chest

7725-436: The late seventh or early eighth century. The earliest writings about Patrick ridding Ireland of snakes are by Jocelyn of Furness in the late twelfth century, who says that Patrick chased them into the sea after they attacked him during his fast on a mountain. Gerald of Wales also mentions the story in the early thirteenth century, but he is doubtful of its truthfulness. The hagiographic theme of banishing snakes may draw on

7828-442: The later date, the annals record that in 553 "the relics of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille " (emphasis added). The death of Patrick's disciple Mochta is dated in the annals to 535 or 537, and the early hagiographies "all bring Patrick into contact with persons whose obits occur at the end of the fifth century or the beginning of the sixth". However, E. A. Thompson argues that none of

7931-455: The logo of Stormfront . It is suggested that adoption of the symbol in the context of right-wing politics is linked with the activity of Jesuit priest Paul Doncœur  [ fr ] , a prominent figure of the interwar scout movement in France. In 1924, the victory of anti-clerical Cartel des Gauches in general elections caused the mobilisation of right-wing forces, with Doncœur playing

8034-446: The mid-6th century at the earliest. The date 432 was probably chosen to minimise the contribution of Palladius , who was known to have been sent to Ireland in 431, and maximise that of Patrick. A variety of dates are given for his death. In 457 "the elder Patrick" ( Irish : Patraic Sen ) is said to have died: this may refer to the death of Palladius, who according to the Book of Armagh

8137-400: The mountain, or into a hollow from which the lake burst forth. The mountain is now known as Croagh Patrick (Cruach Phádraig) after the saint. According to tradition, Patrick founded his main church at Armagh (Ard Mhacha) in the year 445. Muirchú writes that a pagan chieftain named Dáire would not let Patrick build a church on the hill of Ard Mhacha, but instead gave him lower ground to

8240-593: The name of Inis-Patrick. The first sanctuary dedicated by Patrick was at Saul . Shortly thereafter Benin (or Benignus ), son of the chieftain Secsnen, joined Patrick's group. Much of the Declaration concerns charges made against Patrick by his fellow Christians at a trial. What these charges were, he does not say explicitly, but he writes that he returned the gifts which wealthy women gave him, did not accept payment for baptisms , nor for ordaining priests, and indeed paid for many gifts to kings and judges, and paid for

8343-466: The new Christian communities. He converted wealthy women, some of whom became nuns in the face of family opposition. He also dealt with the sons of kings, converting them too. The Confessio is generally vague about the details of his work in Ireland, though giving some specific instances. This is partly because, as he says at points, he was writing for a local audience of Christians who knew him and his work. There are several mentions of travelling around

8446-538: The only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship." Prophet Howard W. Hunter encouraged Latter-day Saints "to look to the temple of the Lord as the great symbol of your membership." Images of LDS temples and the Angel Moroni (who is found in statue on most temples) are commonly used to symbolize the faith of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . In April 2020, under President Russell M. Nelson ,

8549-728: The other patron saints being Brigid of Kildare and Columba . Patrick was never formally canonised by the Catholic Church, having lived before the current laws it established for such matters. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church , the Church of Ireland (part of the Anglican Communion ), and in the Eastern Orthodox Church , where he is regarded as equal-to-the-apostles and Enlightener of Ireland. The dates of Patrick's life cannot be fixed with certainty, but there

8652-556: The power of the cross[.] In Christianity, communicants of the Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches are expected to wear a cross necklace at all times; these are ordinarily given to believers at their baptism . Many Christians, such as those in the tradition of the Church of the East , continue the practice of hanging a Christian cross in their homes, often on the east wall . Crosses or crucifixes are often

8755-413: The process. He has been generally so regarded ever since, despite evidence of some earlier Christian presence. According to Patrick's autobiographical Confessio , when he was about sixteen, he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland. He writes that he lived there for six years as an animal herder before escaping and returning to his family. After becoming

8858-517: The prominence given to it later, but by the second century it was closely associated with Christians, to the point where Christians were mocked as "adorers of the gibbet" ( crucis religiosi ), an accusation countered by Tertullian . and it was already a tradition for Christians to trace repeatedly on their foreheads the sign of the cross. Martin Luther at the time of the Reformation retained

8961-487: The revival spread to the rest of the country and beyond. Since the Celtic Revival, the ringed cross became an emblem of Celtic identity, in addition to its more traditional religious symbolism. Modern interest in the symbol increased because of Alexander and Euphemia Ritchie . The two worked on the island of Iona in Scotland from 1899 to 1940 and popularised use of the Celtic cross in jewelry. Since its revival in

9064-487: The same person as Ultan of Ardbraccan , was Tírechán's foster-father. His obituary is given in the Annals of Ulster under the year 657. These works thus date from a century and a half after Patrick's death. Tírechán writes, "I found four names for Patrick written in the book of Ultán, bishop of the tribe of Conchobar : holy Magonus (that is, "famous"); Succetus (that is, the god of war); Patricius (that is, father of

9167-634: The ship, walking for 28 days in a "wilderness" and becoming faint from hunger. Patrick's account of his escape from slavery and return home to Britain is recounted in his Declaration . After Patrick prayed for sustenance, they encountered a herd of wild boar ; since this was shortly after Patrick had urged them to put their faith in God, his prestige in the group was greatly increased. After various adventures, he returned home to his family, now in his early twenties. After returning home to Britain, Patrick continued to study Christianity. Patrick recounts that he had

9270-503: The situation in the seventh century, when the churches which claimed ties to Patrick, and in particular Armagh , were expanding their influence throughout Ireland in competition with the church of Kildare . In the same period, Wilfred , Archbishop of York , claimed to speak, as metropolitan archbishop , "for all the northern part of Britain and of Ireland" at a council held in Rome in the time of Pope Agatho , thus claiming jurisdiction over

9373-506: The sons of chiefs to accompany him. It is concluded, therefore, that he was accused of some sort of financial impropriety, and perhaps of having obtained his bishopric in Ireland with personal gain in mind. The condemnation might have contributed to his decision to return to Ireland. According to Patrick's most recent biographer, Roy Flechner, the Confessio was written in part as a defence against his detractors, who did not believe that he

9476-534: The symbol of Christianity with the sun cross to give pagan followers an idea of the importance of the cross. By linking it with the idea of the life-giving properties of the sun, these two ideas were linked to appeal to pagans. Other interpretations claim that placing the cross on top of the circle represents Christ's supremacy over the pagan sun. The Celtic Revival of the mid-19th century led to an increased use and creation of Celtic crosses in Ireland. In 1853, casts of several historical high crosses were exhibited at

9579-580: The symbol of Doncœur, now named croix celtique , was adopted as an emblem for Cadets of the Légion in Algeria , a youth movement within Légion Française des Combattants , a veteran organisation which the government hoped could be transformed to function as the single party of the state. Then it was used as insignia of Equipes nationales, a youth civilian service institution founded in 1942. After

9682-698: The twelve Great Feasts in Orthodox Catholicism is the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14, which commemorates the consecration of the basilica on the site where the original cross of Jesus was reportedly discovered in 326 by Helena of Constantinople , mother of Constantine the Great . The Catholic Church celebrates the feast on the same day and under the same name ( In Exaltatione Sanctae Crucis ), though in English it has been called

9785-539: The visual concept of the triskele when he uses the shamrock to explain the Trinity". Ireland was well known to be a land without snakes, and this was noted as early as the third century by Gaius Julius Solinus , but later legend credited Patrick with banishing snakes from the island. The earliest text to mention an Irish saint banishing snakes from Ireland is in fact the Life of Saint Columba (chapter 3.23), written in

9888-506: The war, Pierre Sidos appropriated the symbol as an emblem of the far-right movement Jeune Nation , founded by him in 1949. White supremacist use of the long and short Celtic cross represents only a small minority of the symbol's use. The symbol in both forms is used by non-extremists in contexts such as Christianity, neo-Paganism, and Irish patriotism. Still, according to the American Anti-Defamation League ,

9991-512: The wrists by short strips to the transom of a T-shaped cross. An inscription in Greek on the obverse contains an invocation of the redeeming crucified Christ. On the reverse a later inscription by a different hand combines magical formulae with Christian terms. The catalogue of a 2007 exhibition says: "The appearance of the Crucifixion on a gem of such an early date suggests that pictures of the subject (now lost) may have been widespread even in

10094-479: Was also called Patrick. In 461/2 the annals say that "Here some record the repose of Patrick"; in 492/3 they record the death of "Patrick, the arch-apostle (or archbishop and apostle) of the Scoti", on 17 March, at the age of 120. While some modern historians accept the earlier date of c.  460 for Patrick's death, scholars of early Irish history tend to prefer a later date, c.  493 . Supporting

10197-480: Was enslaved and held captive for six years. Patrick writes in the Confession that the time he spent in captivity was critical to his spiritual development. He explains that the Lord had mercy on his youth and ignorance, and afforded him the opportunity to be forgiven his sins and to grow in his faith through prayer. The Dál Riata raiders who kidnapped him introduced him to the Irish culture that would define his life and reputation . While in captivity, he worked as

10300-460: Was interpreted as a foreshadowing (a "type" ) of the cross (T, an upright with crossbar, standing for 300) and of Jesus (ΙΗ, the first two letters of his name ΙΗΣΟΥΣ , standing for 18). His contemporary Tertullian rejected the accusation of Christians being "adorers of the gibbet" ( crucis religiosi ). In his book De Corona , written in 204, Tertullian tells how it was already a tradition for Christians to trace repeatedly on their foreheads

10403-423: Was not an easy one. His refusal to accept gifts from kings placed him outside the normal ties of kinship, fosterage and affinity. Legally he was without protection, and he says that he was on one occasion beaten, robbed of all he had, and put in chains, perhaps awaiting execution. Patrick says that he was also "many years later" a captive for 60 days, without giving details. Murchiú's life of Saint Patrick contains

10506-521: Was regarded as a talisman against the powers of demons (Tertullian, "De Corona," iii.; Cyprian, "Testimonies," xi. 21–22; Lactantius, "Divinæ Institutiones," iv. 27, and elsewhere). Accordingly the Christian Fathers had to defend themselves, as early as the second century, against the charge of being worshipers of the cross, as may be learned from Tertullian, "Apologia," xii., xvii., and Minucius Felix, "Octavius," xxix. Christians used to swear by

10609-434: Was taken to Ireland as a slave, despite Patrick's vigorous insistence that he was. Patrick eventually returned to Ireland, probably settling in the west of the island, where, in later life, he became a bishop and ordained subordinate clerics. From this same evidence, something can be seen of Patrick's mission. He writes that he "baptised thousands of people", even planning to convert his slavers. He ordained priests to lead

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