The Cross Tattoo is one of the most popular tattoo designs these days and has been through out the ages. It has a strong religious connection and meaning, and comes in many forms. The Cross Tattoo represents eternal life and immortality, faith and the union of heaven and earth.
To help you in your search for a Cross tattoo design I will look at the most common cross symbols and their meanings, giving a brief explanation of each. When you have an idea of what you want, the most successful way to find a good cross tattoo gallery, is to look for one of the larger tattoo galleries. The larger tattoo galleries divide the tattoo designs into different genres, so you can easily find the cross tattoos.
1. I will look at the design and meaning of the following Cross Tattoos: Christian or Latin Cross
2. Tau Cross
3. Anchor Cross
4. Greek Cross
5. Cross of St Andrew
6. Celtic Cross
One of the most recognizable crosses today is the Christian cross on which Jesus Christ died. For that reason it is very symbolic and holds a lot of meaning, allowing people to show their faith. It is also know as the Latin cross, with a shorter horizontal arm than the vertical arm.
Another famous cross is the Tau cross. It is in the shape of a T and is named after the Greek letter which it resembles. The Tau is an ancient symbol of eternal life, and is also steeped in religious meaning. Christians also refer to this cross as the cross of St Anthony, as he died on such a cross.
The anchor cross is the combination of a cross and an anchor. This cross represents faith and hope. The anchor cross is believed to be a Pagan symbol and predates Christianity.
The Greek cross, also known as the Cross of St George has equal length arms, and was used by the Greek Christians, as they preferred symmetry in their designs. In 1100AD the Cross became the symbol of England.
The Cross of St Andrew, now the flag of Scotland is in the form of an X. St Andrew was crucified on the X cross rather than a Latin cross, because he believed he was not worthy to die on the same cross as his lord.
The Celtic Cross is a Latin cross with a circle within the upper cross. The circle represents eternal life as a result of Christ’s death. The Celtic Cross was used by missionaries in Ireland around 800AD to mark places of worship.
I hope this review of cross symbols has helped you in your search for your new Cross Tattoo.
I have reviewed the Best Cross Tattoo Galleries on the net today. If you are after the best cross tattoo galleries for a unique design go to http://www.hottest-secrets.com/best-tattoo-galleries Good luck in your search.
Graeme Wheeler
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