Memorial cross
A memorial cross is a cross that was erected to commemorate an event or a person.
In England , King Edward I had twelve memorial crosses ( Eleanor crosses ) erected in memory of his wife Eleanor of Castile, who died in November 1290, three of which are still preserved.
In the whole of Germany there is still the custom of erecting accident crosses for the deceased at disaster sites , which are also cared for for a shorter or longer period of time (flowers, candles). In southern Germany , especially Bavaria , memorial crosses have existed for the deceased, sometimes for generations. Some of these crosses can be found in very remote places. They too are mostly reminiscent of an accident.
These memorial crosses are not to be confused with field crosses that are set up at the wayside in the Bavarian region and are only intended to remind the hiker of a short prayer .
Other memorial crosses commemorate war dead and victims of terrorist attacks .
The largest memorial cross in the world is the memorial cross of the Monumento Nacional de Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caidos near El Escorial , Spain , with a height of 152.4 meters .
