Huguenot Cross
The Huguenot Cross is a specially designed cross that used to be common among French Protestants , the so-called Huguenots . Even today it is very common among French Protestants - mostly worn as a pendant on a chain.
history
The origins of the Huguenot cross are not fully understood. What is certain, however, is that crosses of this type were made in Nîmes (southern France) before 1688 .
Appearance
The shape of the cross corresponds to the Maltese cross . The four arrow squares on the arms of the cross (which also correspond to the four Gospels) each end in two small spheres that refer to the eight Beatitudes in the Bible ( Sermon on the Mount / Matthew 5, 3–10). In tradition, however, the balls are also considered symbols of the tears that were wept during the persecution .
The free space between the arms of the cross is filled with four lilies ( fleur de lis ), the coat of arms of the Bourbon nobility. On the one hand, these express the solidarity of the Huguenots with their fatherland. However, since the four flowers each consist of three leaves, they are also symbolic of the twelve apostles .
A pendant was added to the cross soon after it was created. Both a teardrop-shaped object and a dove on a gold ring are used. The dove flying down is a symbol of the Holy Spirit .
On the one hand, the drop-shaped object is viewed as tisson (" pestle ") and interpreted in such a way that the Reformation in France was crushed like salt in a mortar without losing its taste (according to Matthew 5:13). On the other hand, it can also be seen as "tongues of fire", the symbol for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit ( Acts 2 : 1–13 / Pentecost ), which would correspond to the dove. Mostly it is called la larme , or “tear”, which in turn reminds of the tears that were shed during the wars of religion .
