The Celtic Cross

The Celtic Cross
also known as the Ionic Cross, Irish Cross and St. John's Cross
The Celtic Cross Anglicans/Episcopalians usually call this the Celtic Cross, whereas Catholics often refer to it as the Irish Cross. But just as the Anglican/Episcopalian Christ is the same as the Catholic Christ, so the Celtic and Irish Cross are one and the same.The cross is so named because early examples are found in the Celtic land of Ireland, where in about 800 A.D., missionaries erected these stone crosses to mark preaching stations and monasteries. They are also found extensively in churches and market squares in other the Celtic lands of Scotland (including the Isle of Iona off western Scotland), Wales, and the south-west of England. The construction is simply a Latin Cross with a ring in the centre. Our other pages explain the meaning of that cross, but what is the ring? Because of its antiquity, the Celtic Cross is popular with neo-Druids, occultists, neo-Pagans and New Age followers, who often interpret the ring as either the sun god Taranis or a wheel. Some see this wheel as a navigation instrument, used to "design geometric structures that reflected the fundamental laws of nature and the recurring natural cycles of order and chaos" (Crichton E M Miller). The most common Christian interpretations of the ring include:a symbol of eternity that emphasizes the everlasting love of God, as shown through Christ's crucifixionthe world, for which Christ died Christ's resurrectiona halo and finally, the story of St. Patrick, living with some new Christian converts who had been Druids. Patrick took one of their standing stones etched with a circle that symbolised their moon goddess, and scratched a Latin cross mark over the circle. This was to show that Christianity had replaced their pagan beliefs....And of course, all of these explanations could be correct! Who knows, the circle might have originally represented a moon god, the sun god Taranis, or a wheel, or a phallic symbol with its association with everlasting life, or an astrological instrument. But when the stone crosses were carved by Christians (probably since the 6th Century) they were doing so with their Christian God in mind. And like church buildings, hymns, vestiges and many other trappings used by the Church in those days, they were influenced by existing pagan customs and culture in their art and design.

(The Celtic Cross is also sometimes called St. John's Cross. Confusingly, the Maltese Cross is also sometimes referred to as St. John's Cross.)