Terra Sancta Guild

Claddagh Crosses are of Irish origin; worn as jewelry, and also seen in engravings and art forms. Sometimes confused with Celtic Crosses, which depict the Celtic Circle of Everlasting Life, the Claddagh Cross hosts a Claddagh Ring.

Claddagh Cross Symbolism

The Claddagh Cross is a 16th century Irish symbol of eternal love and friendship. The heart at the center of the design is symbolic of love, the hands around it symbolize friendship, while the crowns represent everlasting loyalty.

The Linguistic Background of Claddagh

The word Claddagh is the anglicized form of the gaelic ‘Cladach’, old-Irish for ‘flat stony shore’, and comes from the ancient fishing village of Claddagh, in Co. Galway, Ireland. The town itself is named after the stoney seashore on which it was built.

One of the oldest fishing towns in Ireland, nothing now remains of the old thatched cottages that graced Claddagh until the 1930s, when they were replaced by council houses and other more modern homes, and yet the memory of the small Irish-speaking town’s traditions and customs still lives on. Bing Crosby sang about it in the lovely song, Galway Bay.

The Claddagh ring may be classified as a “fede ring” — a design basically invented by the ancient Romans. Mani in fede is Italian for “hands joined in faith” (or “…in loyalty”, “…in trust”) and refers to the bezel of the ring being shaped like clasped hands. In Roman culture, people would clasp hands whenever they made a pledge.

Here’s how to pronounce this Gaelic word: Claddagh

The gaelic spelling of the word tells us that ‘Cladach’ was originally pronounced [klad-ukh] and sounded out with a hard, guttural ending common to Irish words. The word is now more commonly pronounced without the ‘gaelic touch’ as [klad-uh].

Legend Has It…

According to legend, the story of the Claddagh cross began in a small fishing village in Ireland called Claddagh, which is located just on the outskirts of the city of Galway. Traditionally, men of the village would sail out into the sea to catch fish for food meant for their families. However, the sea was fraught with dangers; there were bands of pirates along with high tides and strong currents.

Richard Joyce, a young fisherman from the village, went out for this fishing expedition when a gang of Moorish pirates captured him. On boarding Richard’s boat, the pirates found a few fishes and held him as hostage.

The pirates forced Richard to join their band, after which the young fisherman ended up becoming a slave in Algiers. There, he worked to melt the gold that the pirates plundered. Later, he was bestowed with the task to mold the molten gold into fashionable pieces of medallions and jewelry—something that armed him with the skill of a goldsmith.

In 1689, Richard was released and made his way back to Ireland. On reaching Ireland, he married a girl and started his goldsmith and jewelry-making business with her. Richard’s specialty was a ring that was embedded with a heart.

Since this symbol originated in the village called Claddagh, his jewelry later went on to be called Claddagh jewelry. The Claddagh cross with this design is a symbol of Richard’s love for his wife and their shared Christian faith.

Claddagh crosses have long been the traditional symbol of God’s love, loyalty and friendship in the West of Ireland for generations. You can learn more about the history of Claddagh crosses here.

So many reasons to give the gift of Claddagh Crosses in its many forms…

• Do you wish to give the Claddagh cross pendant to your beloved and eternalize your love? Our sterling silver Claddagh ring pendant is a romantic gesture that will be treasured forever.
• Perhaps you would like to celebrate your Gaelic heritage by gifting family members with a Claddagh ring pin?
• Our exclusive Claddagh cross necklace is a wonderful tribute to your faith and is widely popular in church settings.
• Welcome friends and loved ones to your home with our beautiful large 5″ antiqued gold plated solid bronze Claddagh door knocker. Is there a more perfect way to give entrance than through the symbolism of love, loyalty and friendship?

Do have a favorite memory involving the Claddagh cross? We’d love to hear from you below.

The cross, the principal symbol of the Christian religion, recalls the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the redeeming benefits of his Passion and death. The cross is thus a sign both of Christ himself and of the faith of Christians. Throughout Christian tradition you will see many forms of the cross including Celtic crosses, Greek crosses, Latin crosses, and Jerusalem crosses. In looking at the design of these symbols of faith, some crosses, such as the Latin cross, are simple in design, while others, including the Jerusalem and Celtic crosses are more elaborate.

Celtic Crosses: Its Unique Design Style

The Celtic cross features a cross with a ring, or nimbus, circling the intersection, and a small circle in each corner.

It is a beautiful example of Insular art, also known as Hiberno-Saxon art, which was created in Ireland and Britain in the post Roman Empire era, circa 600 AD. The Latin word for island is insula, thus the term Insular art.

This art produced on the British Isles during the Migration Period art movement and the Early Medieval Western art period shared a common style that was different from that produced in the rest of Europe. What makes it unique is that it combines those two art styles into one.

The Insular style is most famous for its very intricate decoration, which includes spirals, circles and other geometric motifs. You can see that influence in the circle in the Celtic cross.

Other examples of this art style can be seen in the Book of Kells, and other finely illuminated manuscripts, metalwork and carvings in stone.

The influence of insular art affected all subsequent European medieval art, especially in the decorative elements of Romanesque and Gothic manuscripts.

The finest period of the style was brought to an end by the disruption to monastic centers by Viking raids, which began in the late 8th century.

The High Crosses of Ireland

Pagan Celts were in the habit of raising memorial stones. The original High Celtic cross of Ireland is distinguished by four little circles that appear at the junctions of the arms of the cross, and the four arms of the cross narrow at their base to form the circle shape. Four circles in this early design strongly suggest solar references, either diurnal or seasonal.

As Irish missionaries came to the area, they took over the tradition and the designs started to show Christian themes and the addition of the ring around the intersection formed what we now know as the Celtic cross.

Interestingly, some art historians theorize that the design of the Celtic cross was pragmatic, rather than stylistic, as standing crosses were made in stone and needed the added strength of the circle to support the weight of the cross beams, which proved to be advantage of survival compared to other forms of the cross that have only survived as shafts.

When considering the height of some of these high crosses, you can see why the structure needed to be reinforced by the circle. Earlier crosses were typically up to about two metres or eight feet high, but in Ireland examples up to three times higher appear later, retaining thick massive proportions, giving large surface areas for carving. The tallest of the Irish crosses is the Tall Cross at Monasterboice, County Louth. It stands at seven metres or twenty-two feet high. It is a great example of the original design with the four circles in the four corners.

Some crosses were erected just outside churches and monasteries; others at sites that may have marked boundaries or crossroads, or preceded churches. Celtic crosses do not seem to have been used as grave-markers in the early medieval period, but by the 19th century Celtic crosses, with decoration in a form of insular style, became very popular as gravestones and memorials, and are now found in several hundreds of cemeteries across Scotland, Wales, Europe, and several other countries.

The Symbolism of the Circle in the Celtic Cross

There are different interpretations of the circle in the Celtic cross. Some presume that it represents the halo of Jesus Christ. Others are under the impression that St. Patrick borrowed the circular pattern from the pagan’s sun-god symbol and combined it with the cross of Christ to represent God’s life and light. It is clear from archeological evidence that the Celtic Cross evolved over time.

The Significance of the Celtic Cross Today

Today, you can see the design in both Celtic Crosses (the Irish version) and the Presbyterian Cross (the Scottish version), which doesn’t feature the four small circles.

Both Presbyterian and Catholic priests find that the Celtic Cross holds a lot of meaning. They believe that the circle is symbolic of eternity – the eternal and everlasting love of God, demonstrated by His sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

Today, the Celtic Cross is also characteristic of hope, life, honor, unity, faith, balance, ascension, navigation, temperance, and transition.

Celtic Crosses for Catholics

We have a wide variety of Gaelic crosses, Claddagh crosses, High Cross of Ireland, Celtic Religious jewelry, Celtic Cross pendants, and chains at the Terra Sancta Guild. The crosses are available in sterling silver, and there’s even an antiqued bronze with an intricate Celtic knot cross design that comes with a 24” bronze-plated chain. You’ll even find a Celtic pocket prayer with an ancient Irish benediction.

The Celtic Cross is also available as house-blessings, wall crosses in solid bronze, youth crosses, gold-plated Celtic Cross pins, keepsake boxes, bookmarks, Claddagh door knockers, personal journals, and several types of Celtic religious jewelry.

How do you use the Celtic Cross as part of your faith celebration? We’d love to hear from you below.

The cross is one of the central themes in Christianity. Greek crosses, Latin crosses, Celtic crosses, and Jerusalem crosses are just a few examples of the different types of crosses created throughout the history of the Catholic faith.

Some crosses, such as the Latin cross, are simple in design, while others, including the Celtic and Jerusalem crosses are more elaborate. Nowhere is the symbolism of the cross more potent than in Jerusalem crosses, with their four crosses in the corners of the emblem, surrounding the central cross.

Jerusalem Crosses (also known as the Crusader’s Cross)

Dating back to heraldic times, Jerusalem Crosses were the emblem and coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem (Latin: Regnum Hierosolymitanum; Old French: Roiaume de Jherusalem), circa the 11th and 12th century, when Crusaders captured Jerusalem, establishing Christianity in the area.

The kingdom was ethnically, religiously, and linguistically diverse, although the crusaders themselves and their descendants were an elite Catholic minority. They imported many customs and institutions from their homelands in Western Europe, and as most Crusaders came from France, the official language of the kingdom was langue d’oeil, which was then spoken in northern France and by the Normans.

From this, you can see the geographical and religious influences of the time that created this heraldic emblem that is still used (mostly) in Catholic tradition today.

The Design of the Jerusalem Cross

Also known as the Five-Fold Cross, or “cross-and-crosslets”, Jerusalem crosses are a variant of the cross and consists of a large cross that is surrounded by four smaller Greek crosses – one in each of the quadrant formed by the larger cross.

There are variants to the design, also known as Jerusalem Cross, with either the four crosslets also in the form of Crosses potent, or conversely with the central cross also in the form of a plain Greek cross.

It is not to be confused with the Lorraine cross, which has sometimes been called the “Jerusalem cross”.

This same symbol was adopted as the coat of arms and the emblem of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from the 1280s. The Jerusalem cross was given by Pope Urban II to the crusaders in the Middle ages. It was then adopted by the Crusaders and is, therefore also known as the ‘Crusader’s Cross.’

Jerusalem Crosses: The Significance

There are various takes on what the heraldic emblem represents. The red of the cross symbolizes God’s sacrifice for man.

The Four Gospels

One is that the four smaller crosses in each of the quadrants made up by the bigger cross represent the authors of the gospels – Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. These writers also helped spread the word of Jesus in the four corners of the world.

Evangelism

Today these four crosses or crosslets are viewed as a symbol of Christ’s command to spread the Gospel around the world – a mission that was started in Jerusalem.

Teaching

It is also viewed as a combination of the teachings of the Old Testament (the four Tau crosses) and the teachings of the New Testament (the four Greek crosses).

The Five Wounds of Christ

Another symbolism is the representation of the five wounds of Christ. The smaller crosses represent the wounds on Christ’s feet and hands, and the larger central cross represents the wound inflicted by a soldier’s spear.

The Eight Beatitudes

Today, many believers wear the Jerusalem Cross as a sign of commitment to the eight Beatitudes – the way that Jesus Christ taught us to reach the kingdom of heaven.

Sightings of Jerusalem Crosses Today in Jerusalem

You can still see those Crusader influences in Israel today, particularly in Jerusalem, there are more churches and institutions belonging to different Christian denominations than in any other place in the world. You will see Jerusalem Crosses for sale at many souvenir shops there, due to its continued appeal as the Pilgrim’s Cross.

The Custody of the Holy Land (Custodia Terrae Sanctae)

The Custody of the Holy Land belongs to the Franciscan Order and its mission is to guard the holy sites of the Catholic Church in the Middle East.

In the order’s coat of arms, you will see a crown symbolizing the Father and ruler of heaven. Under the crown is a dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The bare arm belongs to Jesus and the sleeved one to St. Francis. On the palms of the hands you can see a small cut that symbolizes the nail in Christ’s hand and the marks of the stigmata – the wounds where nails pierced Christ’s body. Below this is the Jerusalem Cross. The inscription “S. Mons Sion in Jerusalem” refers to one of the main Franciscan sites in Jerusalem – Mount Zion. Two branches wrap around the lower part of the symbol. One is an olive tree branch that symbolizes Jesus as the Messiah (his body was anointed with olive oil) and the other is a palm branch. Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem by people holding palm branches in the last week of his life.

The Flag of the Georgia Republic

Did you know that the flag of the Georgia Republic also features the Jerusalem Cross?

The current flag was used by the Georgian patriotic movement following the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By the late 1990s, the design had become widely known as the Georgian historical national flag as vexillologists had pointed out the red-on-white Jerusalem cross shown as the flag of Tbilisi in a 14th-century map by Domenico and Francesco Pizzigano.

A majority of Georgians, including the influential Catholicos-Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, supported the restoration of the flag and in 1999 the Parliament of Georgia passed a bill to change the flag.

Have You Seen Our Beautiful Jerusalem Crosses?

Jerusalem Crosses are a popular choice among those who are looking for a symbolic way to express their faith and remind them of Jesus’ connection to the Holy Land.

Please see our wide variety of Jerusalem cross pendants and chains. The crosses are available in sterling silver, antiqued polished bronze, gold plated with gemstones. The Jerusalem Cross is also available as lapel pins, keepsake boxes, pocket prayer, bookmarks, letter openers, door knockers, paperweights, golf kits, and more.

They make wonderful gifts for relationship building and student spiritual development. You can give away these lovely and meaningful crosses at high school retreats or simply keep one for yourself to help you during times of reflection.

How do you use the Jerusalem Cross as part of your faith celebration? We’d love to hear from you below.