Suspension-cross "Crucifixion. Guardian angel"

The ancient form of this cross resembles an anchor. The basis for the images of the cross like the anchor of the steel of the words of the apostle Paul is that Christians have the opportunity to take up the promising hope, which for the soul is as if anchor safe and strong (Heb. 6, 18-19). As an anchor saves a ship in the harbor during a storm, so the Cross of Christ saves a person from death. The Lord God, the Immortal and the Almighty by His nature, was incarnated into the infirm, like all men, the man of Jesus, subject to sickness and death, and became the Savior for all mankind. He, the Sinless, took upon himself the sins of all people and atoned for them with terrible torments on the cross. The Lord turned Calvary from the place of suffering and death into the source of eternal life for mankind. Therefore, the main place on the cross is the icon of the Crucifixion - the image of the sacrifice brought for the sins of people. And at the foot of the Cross we see four letters: MLRB - Place Frontal Paradise Byst.

Above the Cross is the Throne of the Prepared, or in Greek Etimasiya. This is a symbolic Throne, on which the Lord will sit down for judgment on people at the end of time. The right to judge He got by His sufferings. Therefore, part of the composition of Etimasiya is always the instruments of Christ's Passion - a cross, a sponge (a warrior thirsting for the Cross the Savior raised a sponge with vinegar) and a spear (the ribs punched the Lord).

The Lord, the conqueror of hell and death, made the cross a great sign of Christians leading an invisible battle with evil. To conquer sin in oneself and follow the commandments of God, a guardian angel depicted on the back of the cross helps him. He is given by God at Baptism and he takes care of a person all his life: he protects himself from diabolical intrigues and tries to protect him from sudden death, so that a person does not die without repentance for the joy of demons. The angel protects the soul from the incessant attacks of the evil spirits and after death becomes its guide in the afterlife. On the cross, the image of the Guardian Angel is placed so that a person always remembers him, loves him and prays to him. After all, without the participation of the person himself, without his desire and prayer, an Angel can not save a person. Many saints who were allowed to see the spiritual world were observed next to the sinners of the crying Guardian Angel.

Above the Angel is placed the icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands. This image of Christ was the greatest shrine of the Christian world. According to the Tradition, he miraculously imprinted on a piece of canvas, by which the Lord wiped his face after bathing. This image was always venerated as a spiritual shield: it was embroidered on military banners, placed over the gates of fortresses, depicted on the crosses and guard medallions.