Arma-Christi-Cross

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Fresco of an Arma-Christi cross in St. Georg in Taisten , Leonhard von Brixen 1459

An Arma-Christi-Kreuz , also Waffen-Christi-Kreuz or Passion Cross , describes a special form of devotional image in the history of art and Christian iconography .

The Latin Arma means “weapons” or “arming” and here describes the instruments of suffering at the crucifixion of Christ . The Arma Christi cross is a cross on which instead of the body or in addition to this object, the so-called instruments of suffering (Latin: Arma Christi ) are depicted.

In order to have enough space for the depiction of the instruments of suffering, the longitudinal bar of an Arma-Christi cross is occasionally made very wide, or the cross has two transverse bars.

history

Until 12./13. In the 17th century, depicted instruments of Christ's passion served as a sign of his kingship and triumph over death. From the 14th century onwards, a change in meaning towards the devotional image of the Man of Sorrows can be observed; the instruments of suffering presented were now related to passion piety, the meditative contemplation of the passion of Christ. The oldest known representations of the Arma Christi cross are frescoes from the Middle Ages. Sculptural Arma-Christi crosses appeared particularly since the time of the Counter-Reformation in the Baroque era . The Capuchins promoted this form of devotional image, so that the crosses are sometimes referred to as "Capuchin Cross".

Iconographic attributes of the Arma-Christi cross

The depicted instruments of suffering can vary, only some of the iconographic attributes of the suffering and death of Christ are sometimes shown on an Arma-Christi cross:

  • the five wounds of Christ with the thorn-crowned Sacred Heart of Jesus burned with love
  • the third hand on the upper longitudinal bar symbolizes the guarding hand of God the Father
  • the hyssop branch with a sponge dipped in vinegar or bile and served to drink to Christ on the cross
  • the crown of thorns
  • tie up
  • Purple cloak in memory of the mockery of Christ ( Mk 15: 16-20  EU )
  • often three long nails are shown in addition to the cross itself
  • Hammer, pliers
  • Hosts , sometimes also a chalice , as Eucharistic symbols
  • Dice that indicate that after the crucifixion, Christ's robe was rolled ( Mk 15.24  EU )
  • Rooster as a sign of denial by Peter ( Mt 26,69-75  EU )
  • Silver pieces or purse of Judas Iscariot
  • Jug or bowl of water as a symbol of the condemnation by Pontius Pilate
  • Veronica's handkerchief
  • one or more lances or halberds as a symbol of capture and the infliction of the side wound
  • the skull of Adam
  • the whipping post , often in the iconography representations of the pain's can be found
  • Bundle of rods or whip as a symbol of flagellation
  • Head for the Descent from the Cross
  • Shroud, towel

Occurrence

Arma-Christi crosses can be found on the outside walls of churches and as landmarks, mainly in the Catholic areas of southern Germany, in Austria, in South Tyrol, in central Switzerland and in France, and occasionally in the Rhineland. They are also available in a smaller form for Herrgottswinkel and house altars.

This special depiction of the cross also appears as a seal or coat of arms of some Catholic religious orders.

  • In the Bavarian Forest there are a number of Arma-Christi crosses in chapels and on house walls. They have been created since the Baroque period and show the crucified Christ surrounded by up to 40 different Passion tools and symbols. One of the most important creators of such works was the Herrgottschnitzer Joseph Weidinger , who died in 1880 at the age of 83 and was buried in Wegscheid .
  • In the Upper Bavarian district of Eichstätt there are several Arma-Christi crosses, especially on the outside walls of churches, e.g. B. in Morsbach and in Haunstetten . An Arma-Christi cross as a domestic devotional image can be seen in the Cathedral Treasury and Diocesan Museum Eichstätt. West of Appertshofen, a district of Stammham (near Ingolstadt) , there is a large, free-standing Arma Christ cross as a field cross .
  • In Oberpfalzer Freilichtmuseum Neusath-Perschen is a detached Arma Christi Cross to see
  • Another Arma Christ cross stands northwest of Hainsacker near Regensburg, east of the district of Baiern. The Arma-Christi-Kreuz in Ursulapoppenricht is one of the richly decorated crosses in Eastern Bavaria.
  • In the Allgäu Arma Christi crosses are well represented, for example in fish in the Allgäu , district Langenwang 19 on the B often you reach a height of five meters. As in Upper Swabia, crosses made of wrought iron and sheet metal predominate, while in the east, in Bavaria and the Alps, wooden crosses are common. The Arma-Christi crosses always have a Christ body, no cover, lance and staff open upwards in a fan shape.
  • In the Black Forest there are mainly depictions with a prominent Longinus figure next to the crucifixion scene. Such crosses are called Longinus crosses .
  • In the south of France, Roussillon, z. B. in the cathedral of the monastery Ste-Eulalie-et-Ste-Julie d'Elne , as well as in the Queyras landscape in the Hautes-Alpes department .
  • In the middle of the 19th century, so-called emigrant crosses were characteristic in the Eastern Eifel and in the lower Siegtal , depicting the body of Christ and the instruments of torture in relief.
  • In Algert , town of Lohmar, there is an Arma-Christi cross from the period between 1790 and 1800. It was placed under monument protection in 1983.

Examples

literature

  • Rudolf Berliner: Arma Christi. In: Munich Yearbook of Fine Arts. 3rd episode, Volume 6 (1955), pp. 35ff.
  • Hannelore Sachs among others: Christian iconography in key words. 7th edition. Koehler and Amelang, Munich / Berlin 1998, pp. 243–245.
  • Robert Suckale : Arma christi. Considerations on the symbolism of medieval devotional images. In: Städel yearbook. New Series, Volume 6 (1977), pp. 177-208.
  • G. Marchal: De la “Passion du Christ” à la “Croix suisse” . In: Itinera. 9, pp. 108-131 (1989).
  • Friedbert Andernach, Martin Ruch: Arma Christi- and Longinuskreuze in the Archdiocese of Freiburg. Blue rider under the cross. Editions du Signe, Strasbourg 2001, ISBN 2-7468-0423-9 (review) .
  • Dieter Kapff, Reinhard Wolf : Cultural history along the way. Small monuments in Baden-Württemberg. Verlag Staatsanzeiger Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-929981-72-8 .
  • Manfred Thierer: Symbols on the way - Arma-Christi crosses in the Westallgäu in: Wolfegger Blätter issue 01/2006 (pdf)

Web links

Commons : Arma-Christi-Crosses  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  • Theological Real Encyclopedia TRE. Study edition, part II. De Gruyter, Berlin 2000, pp. 747f.
  1. ↑ Manfred Thierer: Symbols on the way - Arma-Christi-Kreuz im Westallgäu ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Wolfegger Blätter, edition 01/2006 (pdf), p. 3.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bauernhausmuseum-wolfegg.de
  2. ↑ Manfred Thierer: Symbols on the way - Arma-Christi-Kreuz im Westallgäu ( Memento of the original from May 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Wolfegger Blätter, edition 01/2006 (pdf), p. 4f.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bauernhausmuseum-wolfegg.de
  3. ↑ Arma-Christi-Kreuz in Lohmar - Algert at lohmar.de ( Memento of the original from December 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lohmar.de
  4. ↑ Gerd Streichardt: "When stones talk" - Wegekreuze in Lohmar, ratio-books, 2011 pages 67-69 at ratio-books.de ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ratio-books.de
  5. ↑ Pictures from the Arma-Christi-Kreuz in Lohmar - Algert at wenzel-wahlscheid.de