Altar Cross in the Lutheran Church of Pushkin
The altar cross is an attribute and decoration of the altar in the form of a small cross. It is made of wood and can be perceived as a relic of the church [1] [2] . Appeared in the VI century , but entered into church use only to the XII century . In ancient times, altar crosses could be large and made of gold [3] . Symbolically, the altar cross marks the altar as Golgotha , on which the sacrifice of the redemption of the people was accomplished with the blood of Jesus Christ . Therefore, there are frequent altar crosses with crucifixes. Altar crosses are found in churches of both the western and eastern traditions [4] (see altar cross ).
On the sides of the cross can be altar candles .