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Metal · Church plate

Cypress cross in a metal frame

Inv. no. М-31 · Metal

Project: Sloboda Ukraine Code. Church Antiquities

A four-armed carved cross, in a metal frame, with a handle. The wooden cross has a vertical section; the side arms are lost. On the wooden front of the cross is a depiction of the "Crucifixion." On the crossbar, above Christ's head, are the letters "INRI" ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"). Full description

Date
18th century
Material
Wood, metal
Technique
Carving, stamping, engraving
Dimensions
36 × 13 × 3 cm

Photo: M. F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum · CC BY 4.0

Description

A four-armed carved cross, in a metal frame, with a handle. The wooden cross has a vertical section; the side arms are lost. On the wooden front of the cross is a depiction of the "Crucifixion." On the crossbar, above Christ's head, are the letters "INRI" ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"). On the side arms are the letters "IS" and "KHS" ("Jesus Christ"). At the top is a triangular halo with the All-Seeing Eye amid rays of radiance — a symbol of God Sabaoth. At the bottom of the cross are depictions of the Head of Adam at Golgotha and of city buildings. On the reverse, at the center, is a depiction of the Virgin Mary, her hands crossed in a gesture of prayer, standing on a raised platform, dressed in a long tunic and maphorion, with a round halo around her head. To the left and right of her halo are the letters "MR ΘU" ("Mother of God"). Above her head is a depiction of the Holy Spirit as a dove in radiance. At the bottom of the cross are the Tablets of the Covenant, in the form of two slabs with the Ten Commandments. The metal frame of the cross is outlined on both front and back with thin lines along the edges. The cross has a cylindrical handle with a profiled "band" at its upper and lower ends.

The cross belonged to the pre-war (pre-1941) part of the collection of the H. S. Skovoroda Historical Museum. It was evacuated in 1941 and returned to Kharkiv in November 1944.

Record

Inventory number
М-31
Title
Cypress cross in a metal frame
Collection group
Metal · Church plate
Date
18th century
Material
Wood, metal
Technique
Carving, stamping, engraving
Dimensions
36 × 13 × 3 cm
Digitisation
Project “Sloboda Ukraine Code. Church Antiquities”, 2026
Tradition
Orthodoxy

Updated 15 Oct 2026

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