What Does the Image of a Cross with Branches Mean?
At church, we can often see the image of the Cross of the Lord without the figure of the crucified Christ. The tree comes to life before our eyes: the sprigs of a vine with leaves and even bunches curl from the foundation. Such iconography is poetically called the Flourished Cross. It has been known since antiquity.
The Flourished Crosses are often found in Byzantine and Old Russian art, in the Balkans, in Armenia and Georgia. They were drawn on the walls of the catacombs, carved on stone sarcophagi and altar barriers, they decorated temple doors with them as well.
Continue reading: https://catalog.obitel-minsk.com/blog/2020/06/what-does-the-image-of-a-cross-with-branches-mean
What Does Pouring Water over the Cross on the Feast of the Exaltation Mean?
Question: Why is water poured over the cross during the evening service on the Feast of the Exaltation? Does this act have a symbolic meaning? I was unable to find an answer to this on the internet. Thank you in advance for your response.
Read the answer: https://catalog.obitel-minsk.com/blog/2021/09/what-does-pouring-water-over-the-cross-on-the-feast-of-the-exaltation-mean
A High-Tech Amulet or “Why Do We Wear a Cross around Our Neck?”
Hotel staff and residents of resort areas often distinguish our tourists at first sight, notably, not by our behavior, cultural standards, language knowledge or the number of tips. Those differences are long gone. Our tourists (as well as Ukrainians and Belarusians) overwhelmingly wear crosses. The people wearing them are not necessarily believers or church-goers.
Continue reading: https://catalog.obitel-minsk.com/blog/2020/10/a-high-tech-amulet-or-why-do-we-wear-a-cross-around-our-neck
