Celtic Cross

The Celtic cross is a Christian cross with a circle over the crux. This symbol evolved in the British Isles, and the earliest forms date from the seventh to ninth centuries in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. The oldest Celtic crosses were carved into large slabs of rock that lay flat on the ground. Later versions stand in an upright position, with rock carved away from the cross. Tenth-century Irish crosses were sometimes capped with a pitched roof. Celtic crosses were often decorated with interlaced knot work, spirals, key patterns, animal figures, foliage designs, and Biblical stories. Some crosses were memorials, inscribed with names of individuals; modern Celtic crosses are often used as tombstones in Irish churchyards. It has been suggested that an earlier pagan overlay is to be seen in the Celtic Cross as well, with the circle representing the moon, and the cross within the circle representing the sun, hence, a union of the two.