Orthodox cross "Crucifixion. The Entry of the Prudent Thief into Paradise" (blackening)
Metal: red gold 585"
Average weight: 28.89 g
On the front side of the cross there is a detailed picture of the Crucifixion. In the center is the figure of the Savior on an eight-pointed cross, against the backdrop of the Jerusalem Wall. Before him are the mourners Theotokos, John the Theologian, Mary Magdalene and the centurion Longinus. Above the cross are the sun and moon, at the base is the skull of Adam. On the top crossbar there is the inscription: King of Glory, along the horizontal beam above - Jesus Christ, below - NIKA (Winner).
On this cross above the Crucifixion, in a separate stamp, there is an image of the Old Testament Trinity - the eternal council and the source of the world's existence. He shows us the one Heavenly Church, performing the eternal Eucharistic sacrifice.
The Earthly Church is represented in the lower mark by the images of the first Russian holy prince-martyrs - Boris and Gleb and the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. Their images correspond to the image of the first martyr Abel, whose death was in the Old Testament the beginning of the history of the Holy Land and the Jewish people, as well as the Christian martyrs of the first centuries, who were the basis of the Church of Christ. The image of their father, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, is inextricably linked with Boris and Gleb. In prayers he is called "father of all Rus'".
An additional emphasis for understanding the plot of the Crucifixion as a church sacrament is created by the images of the ecumenical saints and creators of the liturgy Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. Their half-length images in the position of standing are depicted at the ends of the horizontal beam of the cross.
At the top of the cross are the gates of heaven with their guardian, the Cherub. The gates that opened thanks to Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
The reverse side of the cross is entirely devoted to the theme of redemption and restoration of the lost paradise.
The first person who found himself in paradise after the Fall, besides the prophets Elijah and Enoch taken to heaven alive, was a repentant thief who was crucified with Christ. The sign for the opening of the gates of heaven was the cross given to him by the Savior. In church hymns it is sung: “Thou hast destroyed death by Thy cross, Thou hast opened paradise to the thief.” This confirms the parallelism of events - while the Savior crushes the gates of hell with the cross, the thief opens the gates of heaven with the cross. It is the scene of the thief entering heaven that is central on the reverse side of the cross. The robber is depicted in full growth, the only attire is a bandage around his loins: his head is humbly bowed, in his hands is a cross. On the sides are half-figures of Elijah and Enoch meeting him.
The image of the thief is a symbol of the sincere repentance of the human soul, burdened with the gravest sins, an example of firm faith in the Lord at the moment of His utmost humiliation. He helps us strengthen our faith in the boundless love of Christ, who can make even a thief worthy of heaven and gives hope of our salvation.
The lower part of the cross depicts the forefather Abraham with the souls of the righteous, the so-called bosom of Abraham. In iconography, it became a symbol of paradise and, in different versions, together with the image of a prudent thief, is present on the icons of the Resurrection and the Last Judgment, as well as in paintings altar gates.
Along the edges of the horizontal beam of the cross are images of heavenly powers - Cherub and Seraphim.
The composition of the reverse side is completed by the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands, located in the upper part of the cross. He reveals to us Christ the Priest, the head of the Heavenly Church, the Lord, by whose will and mercy our salvation is accomplished.
* Attention. Product description can be obtained by machine translation.
