Hosanna cross

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Nimbed Hosanna cross in La Peyratte ( Deux-Sèvres )

As Hosanna Crosses ( French croix hosannières ) are in the west of France detached stone columns or referred -pfeiler which are topped by a cross.

distribution

Hosanna crosses are a characteristic of western France; they occur mainly in the present-day Charente , Charente-Maritime , Deux-Sèvres and Vienne departments . In total, almost a hundred of these monuments still exist; however, it must be assumed that many of them have long since disappeared. The identification is often unclear - some specimens are also regarded as common wayside crosses (Croix de chemin) or as calvary crosses (Calvaire) (e.g. Biron ).

function

According to oral tradition, the village community gathered on Palm Sunday at such a cross with green branches (usually box ) in their hands in order to have them blessed during the palm procession in the church. The name is derived from the cry "Hosanna the Son of David!" Which is sung during the procession.

location

Hosanna crosses are often in the former or still used churchyard of a parish or in another central location in the village. Despite a comparable structure, crosses on the outskirts (e.g. Agris ) or in the field are more likely to be referred to as wayside crosses.

construction

Usually, Hosanna crosses consist of three parts - a plinth (base), a shaft (pillar or column) and a cross at the top. They usually stand on a stepped square or round substructure and, in contrast to the - also western French - death lanterns (lanternes des morts) do not have a device for attaching a light or a torch. Many Hosanna crosses are rather simply designed and not excessively high (3–6 m). Others have a more complex structure with a multi-stepped base zone and an articulated shaft ( Rioux , La Peyratte , Chermignac , Apremont and others); they sometimes reach total heights of 10 to 12 m and more.

Cross shapes

The cross shapes used vary widely; however, modifications of the Greek cross with four arms of equal length ( paw cross , Maltese cross , paw cross , lily cross , anchor cross and others) are common; also haloed forms occur (see. consecration crosses ). All crosses are without crucifix , that is, without the figurative corpus of the crucified, which can very probably be traced back to the fact that Christ was not yet crucified on Palm Sunday.

history

The oldest Hosanna crosses are likely from the 12th, maybe even the 11th century. The one in Rioux bears the engraved date 1188 on its base. The crosses of Chermignac and Apremont, on the other hand, clearly have Gothic features; those of Apremont (1545) and Ligné (1654) are likely to be among the last.

photos

See also

literature

  • Thorsten Droste : Poitou. Western France between Poitiers and Angoulême - the Atlantic coast from the Loire to the Gironde. DuMont, Cologne 1999, p. 217, ISBN 3-7701-4456-2 .

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