Material: 925◦ silver, 999◦ gold plated
Average weight: 12.8 grams
Size: 50*25mm
Technique: casting, gilding, blackening, handmade.
On the front side of the pectoral cross, according to tradition, the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted. Orthodox iconography shows us the crucified Lord not in the form of a painfully dying person, but as a majestic and omnipotent God, Who, with outstretched arms, seems to embrace the whole world. Therefore, on pectoral crosses, He is often referred to as the King of Glory. The human sufferings of the Lord are usually only indicated by the tilt of His head and half-closed eyes.
Jesus Christ was crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem on Mount Golgotha (from Aramaic - skull, forehead). We see the city wall and the mountain depicted on the cross. In the cave of Golgotha at the foot of the Cross lies the skull of Adam, signed with the letters GA (Adam's head). According to ancient legend, his grave was located here. To the right and left of the Cross are the instruments of the Lord's suffering - a cane and a spear, marked with the letters T and K. On the cane, the guards gave Christ a vinegar-soaked sponge when He was thirsty for water, and they pierced His ribs with a spear to check: did He die?
There are two more inscriptions on the cross. This is the holy name of Christ, which is usually written on icons in abbreviated form - IS XC, and the Greek verb NIKA - "wins." The Lord on the Cross atoned for human sins and conquered death. Having destroyed the doors of hell and opened the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven for humanity, He made the Cross a sign of victory over the forces of evil, over the spirits of death.
The reverse side of the cross is decorated with the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The bishop of the Lycian city of Myra, who lived in the 3rd century, is the most revered saint not only in Russia, but throughout the world. For Western Christians, this is the good Santa Claus, who gives gifts for Christmas, for the Orthodox, Nikola Ugodnik, assistant in business, protector of travelers, patron of students, comforter of the offended and needy, healer of the most terrible and serious ailments, intercessor and prayer book for people before God.
The Zaraisk image of the saint is depicted on the cross. This icon, glorified by many miracles, was brought in 1224 from Korsun (Chersonesos) to the city of Zaraysk at the behest of Nicholas the Wonderworker himself and became one of his most revered images in Russia.
