Acrux gemmata (Latin forjewelled cross) is a form ofcross typical ofEarly Christian and EarlyMedieval art, where the cross, or at least its front side, is principally decorated with jewels. In an actual cross, rather than a painted image of one, the reverse side often has engraved images of theCrucifixion of Jesus or other subjects.^[1]

Examples in metalwork are theCross of Justin II (6th century, in theVatican Museums), the 'crumpled cross' in theStaffordshire Hoard (8th century), theCross of Lothair (10th century,Aachen Cathedral Treasury), the IberianCross of the Angels (808) andVictory Cross (908), and theCross of Cong (1120s?,National Museum of Ireland).

In theLate Antique and early medieval periods, many objects of great significance, such asreliquaries, were studded with jewels in a style that in recent centuries has been restricted to crowns and othercoronation regalia and small pieces ofjewellery. In the case of the cross, such decorative embellishment was especially common, and the jewelled cross is a specific type that was represented in paint,mosaic, carvedivory and other media. Jewelled crosses were also carved in stone, e.g. theShandwick Stone with the jewels represented by bosses.

The cross very often has splayed ends to its arms, but the proportions of the vertical axis to the horizontal one depends entirely on the needs of the composition, and varies greatly.Pendilia, or hanging jewels or ornaments, may hang from the arms, especially the lettersalpha and omega shaped in gold. The motif is first seen in asarcophagus fragment from the late 4th century; the splayed ends of the arms are present from the earliest examples.^[2]

In depictions of the cross, such as that in the mosaic inSanta Pudenziana, Rome (384–9), the jewelled cross stands on a hill or mound with a backdrop of a panoramic view representingJerusalem, with the cross itself representing theNew Jerusalem or "heavenly city".^[3] The jewelled cross also served as a symbol of the Christian version of theTree of Life, especially when the arms are shown putting out shoots from their corners. The Staffordshire Hoard 'crumpled cross' has vine leaves showing at the corners and represents Jesus the vine. It is sometimes shown on a mound representingparadise, with four rivers flowing down it (the four rivers were understood as representing theFour Gospels);^[4] a stepped base represents the hill in actual crosses or more confined depictions. The link of the cross generally with the Tree of Life appears frequently in the hymns ofVenantius Fortunatus.^[5] Sharp (2016) has shown the interlace on the front of the Staffordshire Hoard cross corresponds with the river or tree of life described in Revelation 22. 1–2.

The use of large jewelled crosses as processional and military crosses stems from the victory ofConstantine over his rivalMaxentius at theBattle of the Milvian Bridge outside Rome in 312 AD. The vision of Constantine led to his having a large golden gem-studded processional cross made and the adoption of the cross as a standard by Christian armies.

For much of the period, a large jewelled cross is recorded as decorating the presumed site of the Crucifixion, around which theChurch of the Holy Sepulchre had been built. It was presented by theEastern EmperorTheodosius II (reigned 408–450).^[6] TheEmpress Helena, mother ofConstantine in the early 4th century allegedly discovered part of theTrue Cross, at a time when interest in the cross was increasing, in part due to its use as a standard by the Roman Army underConstantine her son.

The paradox whereby the instrument of execution is rendered the vehicle of Christ's triumph in theResurrection remains to the present day a central theme in Christian devotion, and the jewelled cross was one of its first visual manifestations.^[7]

Although it is clear that the cross was associated with Christians from a very early period, and thesign of the cross was made by Christians, it is rarely seen in the earliest Christian art, such as that in theCatacombs of Rome, where there are only about 20 crosses, though theanchor, which appears more commonly, was a disguised cross symbol.^[8] There was resistance to representations of the cross with the body of Christ on it, a practice that did not begin until the 5th century, becoming more common in the 6th.^[9]

One of the earliest representations of a Crucifixion scene rather oddly shows the three crosses of the gospel accounts, with the two thieves hanging in place on theirs, but with Christ standing at the foot of his. The fierceChristological disputes of the period saw theMonophysites, who rejected the human nature of Christ, objecting to the depiction of his body on the cross, and this influenced the use of the empty cross, especially in Byzantine-controlled areas such asRavenna, where several of the Emperors had Monophysite sympathies. It was theNestorians, anotherheretical force of the opposite persuasion, who helped to popularize images of Christ on the cross.^[10]

In so-called "mystical" images, such as the apse mosaic at theBasilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna (549), the jewelled cross stands specifically as a symbol for Christ.^[11] A poem by StPaulinus of Nola allows a reconstruction of a mosaic apse he had (as bishop) commissioned in the basilica of StFelix of Nola atCimitile in the early 5th century.^[12] The wholeTrinity was shown, represented by aHand of God forGod the Father at the top, above a large crux gemmata with stars in a circular frame, so very similar to Sant' Apollinare in Classe, and below that a dove for theHoly Spirit. At the bottom of thesemi-dome were twelve lambs, six on each side, with a haloedLamb of God on a raised hillock in the centre, looking up. The bottom of the mosaic at Santa Pudenziana in Rome originally also had a bottom level with this.^[13]

Thecrux gemmata is commonly seen on coins, often held by a figure of Victory, especially in the Eastern Empire.^[14] Another common Byzantine coin type shows a cross with a stepped base, which should be understood as acrux gemmata even though scale does not normally allow any indication of gems.

Contrary to the assertion ofDan Brown inThe Da Vinci Code,^[15] it is not especially typical for a cross to have thirteen gems, though when one does, it probably does symbolizeJesus Christ and hisTwelve Apostles. The apse mosaic in theBasilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (c. 1220) has an example with thirteen jewels, but examples from the first millennium generally have more. It is not usual to use the term "crux gemmata" for crosses from more recent periods, especially for small crosses that fall under the category of jewellery.

• 
  Santa Pudenziana, Rome,apsemosaic, 384-9
• 
  ACrux gemmata from anInsularilluminated manuscript
• 
  Apsesemi-dome in mosaic,Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe, Ravenna (549)^[16]
• 
  Exaltation of the Cross from theTrès Riches Heures du Duc de Berry,c. 1410
• 
  Cross of Peñalba
• 
  Cross of the Angels
• 
  Victory Cross

• Friesen, Ilse E.,The Female Crucifix: Images of St. Wilgefortis Since the Middle Ages, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2001,ISBN 0-88920-365-2,google books
• Hellemo, Geir.Adventus Domini: eschatological thought in 4th-century apses and catecheses, BRILL, 1989,ISBN 90-04-08836-9,ISBN 978-90-04-08836-8google books
• Schiller, Gertrud,Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. I, 1971 (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London,ISBN 0-85331-270-2
• Schiller, Gertrud,Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. II, 1972 (English trans from German), Lund Humphries, London,ISBN 0-85331-324-5
• Eduard Syndicus;Early Christian Art, Burns & Oates, London, 1962
• Wernher, Martin,The Liudhard Medalet, inAnglo-Saxon England, Volume 20, eds. Michael Lapidge, Malcolm Godden, Simon Keynes, Cambridge University Press, 1992,ISBN 978-0-521-41380-0,google books
• Sharp, Robert (2016).The Hoard and Its History: Staffordshire's Secrets Revealed. Brewin Books,ISBN 978-1858585475.

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