Christian Cross Types: A Guide to Their Forms and Meanings

Christian art uses many forms of cross. Most differ less in meaning than in history: where they developed, which church or order used them, and what they were made for. This guide sets out the forms you are most likely to meet in jewellery, and what distinguishes them.

The Latin and Greek crosses

The Latin cross, with a lower arm longer than the other three, is the most familiar form in Western Christianity and the shape most people picture when they hear the word "cross". The Greek cross has four arms of equal length and is common in Byzantine and Eastern Christian art.

The Tau cross

The Tau cross is shaped like the Greek letter T, with no upper arm. It was a favourite sign of St Francis of Assisi and remains closely associated with the Franciscan tradition.

Crosses with two or three bars

• The patriarchal cross adds a shorter bar above the main crossbar, usually explained as the inscription placed over Christ at the Crucifixion. It is also the double cross of the national arms of Slovakia and Hungary. Read more in our Patriarchal Cross guide.
• The Orthodox cross has three bars: the short upper bar, the main crossbar and a lower bar set at a slant, representing the footrest.
• The papal cross, with three horizontal bars, appears mainly in heraldry and ceremonial imagery rather than in everyday devotion.

The Celtic cross

The ringed Celtic cross comes from the monumental stone high crosses of early medieval Ireland. The ring helped to support the arms of the stone cross; whether it also had a symbolic meaning is still debated. See Celtic Cross Meaning.

Crosses of devotion and of orders

• The St Benedict cross is the cross of the Medal of St Benedict, surrounded by the initials of Latin prayers. Our guide to the St Benedict medal explains every letter.
• The anchor cross draws on one of the oldest Christian images of hope: the Letter to the Hebrews calls hope "an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast" (6:19). The anchor is also the traditional attribute of St Clement of Rome, from the legend of his martyrdom at sea.
• The red cross of the Knights Templar, worn on a white mantle, belongs to the history of the military orders rather than to a single fixed shape.

Faith jewellery beyond the cross

Not every Christian symbol is a cross. The mustard seed recalls Jesus's saying about faith that can move mountains; it is a quieter sign that refers to a teaching rather than to the crucifixion.

Naming a cross correctly

Small differences in proportion can change what a cross is: an extra bar, a slanted footrest, a ring or flared arms each belong to a different tradition. When choosing a cross, it is worth knowing which form it is, and the name usually tells you where it comes from.