Crucifix

{{Short description|Image of Jesus on the cross}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Wien Deutschordenskirche Flügelaltar Kreuzigung 01.jpg|thumb|Crucifixion of Christ at the winged triptych at the [[Church of the Teutonic Order, Vienna|Church of the Teutonic Order]] in Vienna, Austria. Woodcarvings by an anonymous master; polychromy by [[Jan van Wavere]], [[Mechelen]], signed 1520. This altarpiece was originally made for [[St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk]], and came to Vienna in 1864.]]
{{Christianity|expanded=Related}}

A '''crucifix''' (from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|cruci fixus}} meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a [[Christian cross|cross]] with an image of [[Jesus in Christianity|Jesus]] on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the {{lang|la|corpus}} (Latin for 'body').<ref>{{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=QQAVYr2Lc-YC&dq=crucifix+corpus&pg=PA15| title = Rufolf Distelberger, ''Western Decorative Arts'' (National Gallery of Art 1993), p. 15| isbn = 9780521470681| last1 = Luchs| first1 = Alison| last2 = Distelberger| first2 = Rudolf| last3 = Verdier| first3 = Philippe| last4 = Barbour| first4 = Daphne S.| last5 = Wilson| first5 = Timothy H.| last6 = Sturman| first6 = Shelley G.| last7 = Vandiver| first7 = Pamela B.| year = 1993| publisher = Cambridge University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ZrVDmaXP6HEC&dq=crucifix+corpus&pg=PA139| title = Paul F. Bradshaw, ''The New SCM Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship'' (Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd, 2002)| isbn = 9780334028833| last1 = Bradshaw| first1 = Paul F.| year = 2002| publisher = SCM Press}}</ref> The crucifix emphasizes [[Jesus]]' sacrifice, including his death by [[crucifixion]], which Christians believe brought about the redemption of mankind. Most crucifixes portray Jesus on a [[Latin cross]], rather than a [[Cross of Tau|Tau cross]] or a [[Coptic cross]].

The crucifix is a principal symbol for many groups of [[Christians]], and one of the most common forms of the [[Crucifixion in the arts]]. It is especially important in the [[Catholic Church]], and is also used in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], most [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox Churches]] except the Armenian & Syriac Church, [[Lutheranism]], [[Anglicanism]].<ref name="UOTB2014">{{cite web |title=New Beginnings (formerly Cade Lake Community Chapel) |url=http://unityofthebrethren.org/missions/cade-lake-community-chapel-mission-church/ |publisher=Unity of the Brethren |access-date=1 October 2020 |language=en |date=17 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.oslchibbing.org/?page_id=43| title = Our Savior's Lutheran Church, "Sanctuary and Chapel"| date = 13 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stjohnlcmstopeka.org/AltarCrucifix.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619074528/http://www.stjohnlcmstopeka.org/AltarCrucifix.html|url-status=dead|title=St. John's Lutheran Church of Topeka, KS, "The Altar Crucifix"|archive-date=19 June 2012}}</ref> The symbol is less common in churches of other [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Christian denomination|denominations]], and in the [[Assyrian Church of the East]] and [[Armenian Apostolic Church]], which prefer to use a cross without the figure of Jesus (the {{lang|la|corpus}}).<ref name="ACE2020">{{cite web |title=Sign of the Cross |url=https://www.assyrianchurch.org.au/about-us/the-sacraments/sign-of-the-cross/ |website=Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon |access-date=11 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414091409/https://www.assyrianchurch.org.au/about-us/the-sacraments/sign-of-the-cross/ |archive-date=14 April 2020 |language=en |quote=Inside their homes, a cross is placed on the eastern wall of the first room. If one sees a cross in a house and do not find a crucifix or pictures, it is almost certain that the particular family belongs to the Church of the East.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.styeghiche.org.uk/about-us/history-of-st-yeghiche-church/| title = History of St Yeghiche Church, Kensington, London}}</ref> 

Roman Catholics see the crucifix as the perfect fulfillment of that inferred by the serpent created by Moses in [[Numbers 21]]:8—9,<ref>{{bibleverse|Numbers|21:8–9}}</ref> called the [[Nehushtan]]. It was promised that those sinners who looked upon the Nehushtan would be healed. The section of Numbers about the Nehushtan is one of the readings on [[Feast of the Cross|Exaltation of the Cross]] that occurs on September 14 in the Roman Catholic Church. It is paired with John 3:14–15<ref>{{bibleverse|John|3:14–15}}</ref> as the gospel reading. Taken together, these readings explain the striking front and center position of a large crucifix normally fixed above or behind a Catholic altar.

Western crucifixes usually have a three-dimensional {{lang|la|corpus}}, but in Eastern Orthodoxy Jesus' body is normally painted on the cross, or in low [[relief]]. Strictly speaking, to be a crucifix, the cross must be three-dimensional, but this distinction is not always observed. An entire painting of the [[crucifixion of Jesus]] including a landscape background and other figures is not a crucifix either.

Large crucifixes high across the central axis of a church are known by the [[Old English]] term [[rood]]. By the [[Late Middle Ages]] these were a near-universal feature of Western churches, but they are now very rare. Modern Roman Catholic churches and many Lutheran churches often have a crucifix above the [[altar]] on the wall;<ref>{{cite web |title=Palanga Lutheran Church Beautified with New Crucifix |url=https://international.lcms.org/palanga-lutheran-church-beautified-with-new-crucifix/ |publisher=LCMS International Mission |access-date=1 October 2020 |language=en |date=8 June 2020}}</ref> for the celebration of [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]], the [[Roman Rite]] of the Catholic Church requires that "on or close to the altar there is to be a cross with a figure of Christ crucified".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/GIRM/Documents/GIRM.pdf| title = General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 117.}}</ref>

== Description ==
[[File:Chancel of Trinity Lutheran Church on Holy Saturday.jpg|thumb|A crucifix in the [[chancel]] of a [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] church]]
[[File:Paróquia São Vicente de Paulo.jpg|thumb|A crucifix in [[Brazil]]]]
The standard, four-pointed Latin crucifix consists of an upright post or {{lang|la|stipes}} and a single crosspiece to which the sufferer's arms were nailed. There may also be a short projecting [[Titulus (inscription)|nameplate]], showing the letters [[INRI]] (Greek: INBI). The [[Russian Orthodox]] crucifix usually has an additional third crossbar, to which the feet are nailed, and which is angled upward toward the penitent thief [[Saint Dismas]] (to the viewer's left) and downward toward the impenitent thief [[Gestas]] (to the viewer's right). The corpus of Eastern crucifixes is normally a two-dimensional or [[low relief]] [[icon]] that shows Jesus as already dead, his face peaceful and somber. They are rarely three-dimensional figures as in the Western tradition, although these may be found where Western influences are strong, but are more typically icons painted on a piece of [[wood]] shaped to include the double-barred cross and perhaps the edge of Christ's hips and [[halo (religious iconography)|halo]], and no background. More sculptural small crucifixes in metal [[relief]] are also used in Orthodoxy (see gallery examples), including as [[pectoral cross]]es and [[blessing cross]]es.

Western crucifixes may show Christ dead or alive, the presence of the spear wound in his ribs traditionally indicating that he is dead. In either case his face very often shows his suffering. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition he has normally been shown as dead since around the end of the period of [[Byzantine Iconoclasm]].<ref>[[Gertrud Schiller|Schiller, Gertrud]], ''Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. II'', 1972 (English trans from German) Lund Humphries, London, {{ISBN|0-85331-324-5}}</ref> Eastern crucifixes have Jesus' two feet nailed side by side, rather than crossed one above the other, as Western crucifixes have shown them since around the 13th century. The [[crown of thorns]] is also generally absent in Eastern crucifixes, since the emphasis is not on Christ's suffering, but on his triumph over sin and death. The S-shaped position of Jesus' body on the cross is a [[Byzantine art|Byzantine]] innovation of the late 10th century,<ref>Schiller, 98-99</ref> though also found in the German [[Gero Cross]] of the same date. Probably more from Byzantine influence, it spread elsewhere in the West, especially to [[Italy]], by the [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] period, though it was more usual in painting than sculpted crucifixes. It was in Italy that the emphasis was put on Jesus' suffering and realistic details, during a process of general humanization of Christ favored by the [[Franciscan|Franciscan order]]. During the 13th century the suffering Italian model ({{lang|la|Christus patiens}}) triumphed over the traditional Byzantine one ({{lang|la|Christus gloriosus}}) anywhere in Europe also due to the works of artists such as [[Giunta Pisano]] and [[Cimabue]]. Since the Renaissance the "S"-shape is generally much less pronounced. Eastern Christian blessing crosses will often have the Crucifixion depicted on one side, and the [[Resurrection of Jesus|Resurrection]] on the other, illustrating [[Eastern Orthodox theology]]'s understanding of the Crucifixion and Resurrection as two intimately related aspects of the same act of salvation.

Another, symbolic, depiction shows a triumphant Christ ({{lang-la|Christus triumphans}}), clothed in robes, rather than stripped as for his execution, with arms raised, appearing to rise up from the cross, sometimes accompanied by "rays of light", or an [[Halo (religious iconography)|aureole]] encircling his body. He may be robed as a [[prophet]], [[crown (headgear)|crown]]ed as a [[king]], and vested in a [[Stole (vestment)|stole]] as [[Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament#High Priest .7C Chief Priest|Great High Priest]].

On some crucifixes a skull and crossbones are shown below the corpus, referring to Golgotha ([[Calvary]]), the site at which Jesus was crucified, which the Gospels say means in Hebrew "the place of the skull."{{efn|In fact this is clearly [[Aramaic]] rather than Hebrew. {{transliteration|arc|Gûlgaltâ}} is the Aramaic for 'skull'. The name appears in all of the gospels except Luke, which calls the place simply Kranion, 'the Skull', with no Aramaic. See [[Aramaic of Jesus]]}} Medieval tradition held that it was the burial-place of [[Adam]] and [[Eve]], and that the cross of Christ was raised directly over Adam's skull, so many crucifixes manufactured in Catholic countries still show the skull and crossbones below the corpus.

Very large crucifixes have been built, the largest being the [[Cross in the Woods]] in Michigan, with a {{convert|31|ft|m}} high statue.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome to the Worlds Largest Crucifixion|url=http://www.fishweb.com/maps/cheboygan/indianriver/shrine/index.html|work=Michigan Interactive|access-date=30 June 2010}}</ref>

== Usage ==
In the [[early Church]], many Christians hung a [[Christian cross|cross]] on the eastern wall of their house in order to indicate the [[direction of prayer|eastward direction of prayer]].<ref name="Storey2004">{{cite book |last1=Storey |first1=William G. |title=A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions: Praying the Seasons and Feasts of the Church Year |date=2004 |publisher=Loyola Press |isbn=978-0-8294-2030-2 |language=en |quote=Long before Christians built churches for public prayer, they worshipped daily in their homes. In order to orient their prayer (to ''orient'' means literally "to turn toward the east"), they painted or hung a cross on the east wall of their main room. This practice was in keeping with ancient Jewish tradition ("Look toward the east, O Jerusalem," Baruch 4:36); Christians turned in that direction when they prayed morning and evening and at other times. This expression of their undying belief in the coming again of Jesus was united to their conviction that the cross, "the sign of the Son of Man," would appear in the eastern heavens on his return (see Matthew 24:30). Building on that ancient custom, devout Catholics often have a home altar, shrine, or prayer corner containing a crucifix, religious pictures (icons), a Bible, holy water, lights, and flowers as a part of the essential furniture of a Christian home.}}</ref><ref name="Johnson2016">{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Maxwell E. |title=Between Memory and Hope: Readings on the Liturgical Year |date=2016 |publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=978-0-8146-6282-3 |language=en |quote=Because Christ was expected to come from the east, Christians at a very early date prayed facing that direction in order to show themselves ready for his appearing, and actually looking forward to the great event which would consummate the union with him already experienced in prayer. For the same reason the sign of the cross was frequently traced on the eastern wall of places of prayer, thereby indicating the direction of prayer, but also rendering the Lord's coming a present reality in the sign which heralds it. In other words, through the cross the anticipated eschatological appearance becomes ''parousia'': presence. The joining of prayer with the eschatological presence of Christ, unseen to the eye but revealed in the cross, obviously underlies the widely attested practice of prostrating before the sacred wood while praying to him who hung upon it.}}</ref> Prayer in front of a crucifix, which is seen as a [[Sacramentals|sacramental]], is often part of devotion for Christians, especially those worshipping in a church, also privately. The person may sit, stand, or kneel in front of the crucifix, sometimes looking at it in contemplation, or merely in front of it with head bowed or eyes closed. During the Middle Ages small crucifixes, generally hung on a wall, became normal in the personal cells or living quarters first of monks, then all clergy, followed by the homes of the [[laity]], spreading down from the top of society as these became cheap enough for the average person to afford. Most towns had a large crucifix erected as a monument, or some other shrine at the crossroads of the town. Building on the ancient custom, many Catholics, Lutherans and Anglicans hang a crucifix inside their homes and also use the crucifix as a focal point of a [[home altar]].<ref name="Storey2004"/><ref name="White2016">{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Jon |title=DIY Tabernacling: Holy Objects & Holy Space, at home |url=https://www.episcopalcafe.com/diy-tabernacling-holy-objects-holy-space-at-home/ |publisher=Episcopal Cafe |access-date=1 October 2020 |language=en |date=20 March 2016}}</ref> The wealthy erected [[proprietary chapel]]s as they could afford to do this.

[[File:Marques de parana 1856.jpg|thumb|The [[Honório Hermeto Carneiro Leão, Marquis of Paraná|Marquis of Paraná]], [[Prime Minister of Brazil]] lying in repose in 1856. In the background, candles and a metal crucifix.]]
[[Catholic]] (both [[Eastern Catholicism| Eastern]] and [[Latin Church| Western]]), [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Anglican]] and [[Lutheran]] Christians generally use the crucifix in public religious services. They believe use of the crucifix is in keeping with the statement by [[Paul the Apostle]] in [[1 Corinthians]]: "we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God".<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Corinthians|1:23–24|ESV}}</ref>

In the West, [[altar cross]]es and [[processional cross]]es began to be crucifixes in the 11th century, which became general around the 14th century, as they became cheaper. The [[Roman Rite]] requires that "either on the altar or near it, there is to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, a cross clearly visible to the assembled people. It is desirable that such a cross should remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations, so as to call to mind for the faithful the saving [[Passion of Jesus|Passion]] of the Lord."<ref>General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 308</ref> The requirement of the altar cross was also mentioned in pre-1970 editions of the [[Roman Missal]],<ref>''Rubricae generales Missalis'', XX</ref> though not in the original 1570 Roman Missal of [[Pope Pius V]].<ref>Manlio Sodi, Achille Maria Triacca, ''Missale Romanum: Editio Princeps (1570)'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1998 {{ISBN|88-209-2547-8}})</ref> The Rite of Funerals says that the Gospel Book, the Bible, or a cross (which will generally be in crucifix form) may be placed on the coffin for a [[Requiem Mass]], but a second standing cross is not to be placed near the coffin if the altar cross can be easily seen from the body of the church.<ref>Rite of Funerals, 38</ref>

Eastern Christian liturgical processions called [[crucession]]s {{citation needed|date=March 2016}} include a cross or crucifix at their head. In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the crucifix is often placed above the [[iconostasis]] in the church. In the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] a large crucifix ("[[Golgotha]]") is placed behind the [[Holy Table]] (altar). During [[Matins]] of [[Good Friday]], a large crucifix is taken in procession to the center of the church, where it is venerated by the faithful. Sometimes the ''soma'' ({{lang|la|corpus}}) is removable and is taken off the crucifix at [[Vespers]] that evening during the [[Gospel]] lesson describing the [[Descent from the Cross]]. The empty cross may then remain in the centre of the church until the [[Paschal vigil]] (local practices vary). The [[blessing cross]] which the [[priest]] uses to bless the faithful at the [[benediction|dismissal]] will often have the crucifix on one side and an [[icon]] of the [[Resurrection of Jesus]] on the other, the side with the Resurrection being used on Sundays and during [[Paschaltide]], and the crucifix on other days.

[[Exorcist]] [[Gabriele Amorth]] has stated that the crucifix is one of the most effective means of averting or opposing [[demons]]. In folklore, it is believed to ward off [[vampires]], [[incubi]], [[succubi]], and other evils.

Modern [[Anti-Christian sentiment|anti-Christians]] have used an inverted (upside-down) crucifix when showing disdain for [[Jesus Christ]] or the [[Catholic Church]] which believes in [[Divinity of Jesus|his divinity]].<ref>Lucifer Rising: A Book of Sin, Devil Worship and Rock n' Roll (Nemesis, 1994)</ref> According to [[Christian tradition]], [[Saint Peter]] was [[martyr]]ed by being [[Cross of St. Peter|crucified upside-down]].<ref>Kramer, Heinrich and Sprenger, James (1486), Summers, Montague (translator - 1928), ''The Malleus Maleficarum''</ref>

==Controversies==
[[File:Kirche Oberwiesenthal Kruzifixe.jpg|right|thumb|[[Lutheran]]s retained the use of the crucifix; depicted is Martin Luther Church in [[Oberwiesenthal]], Germany. ]]

=== Protestant Reformation ===
[[File:Wittenberg in winter 2005 47.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The [[Tympanum (architecture)|tympanum]] of ''Thesis Door'' at the [[All Saints' Church, Wittenberg|Castle Church in Wittenberg]] depicts [[Martin Luther]] and [[Philip Melanchthon]] kneeling in prayer, facing the crucified Christ.]]
In the [[Moravian Church]], [[Nicolaus Zinzendorf]] had an experience in which he believed he encountered Jesus.<ref name="Hubbard2019"/> Seeing a painting of a crucifix, Zinzendorf fell on his knees vowing to glorify Jesus after contemplating on the [[Five Holy Wounds|wounds of Christ]] and an inscription that stated "This is what I have done for you, what will you do for me?".<ref name="Hubbard2019">{{cite web |last1=Hubbard |first1=Jason |title=Story of the Moravians |url=http://lowpc.org/story-of-the-moravians/ |publisher=Light of the World Prayer Center |access-date=1 October 2020 |language=en |date=14 January 2019}}</ref>

The Lutheran Churches retained the use of the crucifix, "justifying their continued use of medieval crucifixes with the same arguments employed since the Middle Ages, as is evident from the example of the altar of the Holy Cross in the Cistercian church of Doberan."<ref name="UOTB2014"/><ref name="MarquardtJordan2009">{{cite book|last1=Marquardt|first1=Janet T.|last2=Jordan|first2=Alyce A.|title=Medieval Art and Architecture after the Middle Ages|date=14 January 2009|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|language=en|isbn=9781443803984|page=71}}</ref> [[Martin Luther]] did not object to them, and this was among his differences with [[Andreas Karlstadt]] as early as 1525. At the time of the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], Luther retained the crucifix in the Lutheran Church and they remain the center of worship in Lutheran parishes across Europe.<ref name="LyonsO'Connor2010">{{cite book|last1=Lyons|first1=Mary Ann|last2=O'Connor|first2=Thomas|title=The Ulster Earls and Baroque Europe: Refashioning Irish Identities, 1600-1800|year=2010|publisher=Four Courts Press|language=en|page=172}}</ref> In the United States, however, Lutheranism came under the influence of Calvinism, and the plain cross came to be used in many churches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.trinitycamphill.org/ArtsandMusic/Arts/ChristusRex/ChristusRex.htm |title=HOME |access-date=2 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801011650/http://www.trinitycamphill.org/ArtsandMusic/Arts/ChristusRex/ChristusRex.htm |archive-date=1 August 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In contrast to the practice of the Moravian Church and Lutheran Churches, the early [[Reformed Church]]es rejected the use of the crucifix, and indeed the unadorned cross, along with other traditional religious imagery, as idolatrous.<ref name="ObelkevichRoper2013">{{cite book|last1=Obelkevich|first1=James|last2=Roper|first2=Lyndal|title=Disciplines of Faith: Studies in Religion, Politics and Patriarchy|date=5 November 2013|publisher=Routledge|language=en|isbn=9781136820793|page=548|quote=The Calvinizers sought to remove the crucifix as idolatrous. There was considerable continuity, certainly, between the Lutheran use of the crucifix and the Catholic.}}</ref> [[John Calvin|Calvin]], considered to be the father of the Reformed Church, was violently opposed to both cross and crucifix.<ref>{{cite book|author1=John Calvin|title=Institutes of the Christian Religion|url=http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.xii.html?highlight=wood#highlight|access-date=12 November 2015|quote=Of what use, then, were the erection in churches of so many crosses of wood and stone, silver and gold,}}</ref> In England, the Royal Chapels of [[Elizabeth I]] were most unusual among local churches in retaining crucifixes, following the Queen's conservative tastes. These disappeared under her successor, [[James VI and I|James I]], and their brief re-appearance in the early 1620s when James' heir was seeking a Spanish marriage was the subject of rumour and close observation by both Catholics and Protestants; when the match fell through they disappeared.<ref>Tyacke, Nicholas in Lake, Peter and Questier, Michael C.; ''Conformity and orthodoxy in the English church, c. 1560-1660'', Boydell & Brewer, 2000, {{ISBN|0-85115-797-1}}, {{ISBN|978-0-85115-797-9}}, pp. 29–32</ref>

=== Modern ===
In 2005, a mother accused her daughter's school in [[Derby]], England, of discriminating against Christians after the teenager was suspended for refusing to take off a [[crucifix necklace]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1504822/School-ban-on-girl-wearing-cross-%27discriminatory%27.html |title =School ban on girl wearing cross 'discriminatory'|work= The Telegraph |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913031447/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1504822/School-ban-on-girl-wearing-cross-%27discriminatory%27.html |archive-date=13 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2008, a chapel in a [[prison]] in England replaced its crucifix and static altar with a cross and portable altar when it was renovated as a multi-faith chapel. Right-leaning media reported that the crucifix had been removed "in case it offends Muslims".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3775702/Prison-chapel-not-to-have-a-crucifix.html |title = Prison chapel not to have a crucifix  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219231822/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3775702/Prison-chapel-not-to-have-a-crucifix.html |archive-date=19 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2008 in Spain, a local judge ordered crucifixes removed from public schools to settle a decades-old dispute over whether crucifixes should be displayed in public buildings in a non-confessional state.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/features/article_1446455.php/&quotWar_of_crucifix%22_questions_Catholic_predominance_in_Spain__Feature__ |title = Monster and Critics |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120903174347/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/features/article_1446455.php/&quotWar_of_crucifix%22_questions_Catholic_predominance_in_Spain__Feature__ |archive-date=3 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 18 March 2011, the [[European Court of Human Rights]] ruled in the ''[[Lautsi v. Italy]]'' case, that the requirement in Italian law that crucifixes be displayed in classrooms of state schools does not violate the [[European Convention on Human Rights]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?action=open&documentId=883171&portal=hbkm&source=externalbydocnumber&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649| title = Press release of the European Court of Human Rights}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.echr.coe.int/echr/resources/hudoc/lautsi_and_others_v__italy.pdf| title = Full text of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://religionclause.blogspot.com/2011/03/european-courts-grand-chamber-upholds.html| title = Summary of the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights| date = 18 March 2011}}</ref> Crucifixes are common in most other Italian official buildings, including [[law court|courts of law]].

On 24 March 2011, the [[Constitutional Court of Peru]] ruled that the presence of crucifixes in courts of law does not violate the secular nature of the state.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/peru-court-upholds-presence-of-crucifix-in-public-places/| title = Peru court upholds presence of crucifix in public places}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
Image:Gerokreuz full 20050903.jpg|The [[Gero Cross]].
Image:Small crucifix.jpg|A handheld crucifix
Image:Baux-de-provence-eglise-st-vincent-crucifix.jpg|A crucifix in a church, with [[votive]] candles.
File:Orth Kreuz.gif|Russian Orthodox crucifix, brass
File:Распятие 01.jpg|Russian Orthodox crucifix, 19th - early 20th century
File:Crucifixion icon orthodox cathedral vilnius.JPG|Orthodox crucifix in [[Vilnius]]
File:Crucifix, ca. 1795-1862, 02.257.2427.jpg|''Crucifix'', {{Circa|1795}}–1862, [[Brooklyn Museum]]
File:Immeldorf Kirche 2467.jpg|[[Processional cross|Processional crucifix]] with the portrait of Luther at Saint George's Lutheran church in Immeldorf, [[Lichtenau, Bavaria|Lichtenau]]
File:Naantalin kirkko sisältä, Naantali, 25.7.2010.JPG|A triumph crucifix at Naantali Church in [[Naantali]], Finland
File:Gereja Santa, Jakarta.jpg|A large crucifix at [[Gereja Santa]], [[Jakarta]], [[Indonesia]]
File:S95CrucifixCourtroomNuremberg.jpg|A post–World War II crucifix in a courtroom in Nuremberg, Germany
File:Garden of the Anglican Shrine - geograph.org.uk - 791188.jpg|A crucifix overlooks a fountain at the [[Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham]]
File:Pulpit of Canterbury Cathedral 08.JPG|Pulpit crucifix at [[Canterbury Cathedral]]
File:Christ Church Cathedral altar.jpg|Altar of [[Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford]]
File:2022 Herderkirche Innen 6.jpg|Altar panel of the Church of [[St. Peter und Paul, Weimar|St. Peter and Paul]] in [[Weimar]] depicts the [[Crucifixion of Jesus]] with [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]] and [[Martin Luther]] standing on the right
File:21-26-082-church.jpg|Crucifix at the [[Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Savannah, Georgia)|Cathedral of St. John the Baptist]]
File:Montafon 037 Gortipohl Kirche fcm.jpg|Crucifixion group at Catholic parish church of St. Nikolaus in [[Montafon]], Austria
File:Galluzzo, Certosa di Firenze, Chiesa di San Lorenzo 002.JPG|Crucifix at the [[Carthusian]] monastery in [[Galluzzo]], Italy
File:Catedral de Petrópolis (3783874460).jpg|Tomb with effigies of Emperor [[Pedro II of Brazil]] and his wife [[Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies|Teresa Cristina]] in the [[Cathedral of Petrópolis]], Brazil. An altar crucifix is seen in the background. The cross is made of black granite from [[Tijuca forest]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.catedraldepetropolis.org.br/matriz-atual/ | title=Matriz Atual }}</ref>
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
*[[Cloisters Cross]]
*[[Christian symbolism]]
*[[Cross necklace]]
*[[Crucifer]]
*[[Crucifix Decrees]]
*[[Crucifixion in the arts]]
*[[Feast of the Cross]]
*[[Holy Face of Lucca]]
*[[Jesus, King of the Jews]]
*[[Master of the Blue Crucifixes]]
*[[Papal ferula]]
*[[Rood]]
*[[Rosary]]
*[[Tripalium]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Crucifixes}}
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04517a.htm Archæology of the Cross and Crucifix]
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04533a.htm The Cross and Crucifix in Liturgy]

{{Catholic protection}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Christian iconography]]
[[Category:Iconography of Jesus]]
[[Category:Sacramentals]]
[[Category:Christian religious objects]]
[[Category:Crosses by form]]
[[Category:Christian symbols]]
[[Category:Statues of Jesus| ]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Crucifixion of Jesus in art| ]]
[[Category:Anglican liturgy]]
[[Category:Lutheran liturgy and worship]]
[[Category:Objects believed to protect from evil]]
[[Category:Crucifixes| ]]