About this print

Orthodox Cross, Galatians 6:14

A plain wooden cross with three crossbeams, the one slanted bar catching the eye, and the words in which Saint Paul says the cross is his only boast.

Wood, stone and a circle of gold

The cross is made of rough planks, brown with streaks of slate blue where the grain is worn. It has three crossbars: a short one near the top, the long main beam, and lower down a third bar set at an angle. It is planted in a small mound of rounded stones, with sprigs of green growing around its foot.

Behind the upper part glows a large disc of pale gold, like a halo or a rising sun, soft at the edges. The rest is bare cream paper. Above, in two lines of brown script: “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross,” then Galatians 6:14.

The three bars, and Paul's boast

The shape is the traditional cross of the Russian and other Slavic Orthodox churches, and it is drawn from the Gospel accounts. The small top bar stands for the title Pilate had fixed over Jesus' head, written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. The main bar is where his arms were stretched out. The lower slanted bar is the footrest.

Orthodox tradition gives the slant a meaning of its own. Two thieves were crucified with Jesus, and one of them asked to be remembered in his kingdom. The raised end is often said to point upward toward that repentant thief, and the lower end down toward the one who mocked. It is a reminder, in a single piece of wood, that the cross divides and also saves.

Paul wrote the last lines of this letter in his own hand, and in large letters, as he tells the Galatians in verse 11. The churches of Galatia were being pressed to adopt circumcision as a mark of belonging, and some teachers took pride in how many they had persuaded. Paul answers by naming the only thing he will boast about: “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

In the Roman world, crucifixion was the most shameful of deaths. To glory in it was a deliberate paradox, and it still is.

Gifts for confirmation and baptism

For Orthodox families, this print makes a meaningful gift at a baptism or chrismation, or for a new icon corner. Western Christians choose it for a confirmation, as the verse is a fitting statement of faith for someone taking their promises as their own. Its simple shape suits modern and minimalist rooms.

Read Galatians 6 and what it means