Appeal to the power of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord is a great protection for every person. Learn the meaning of the inscriptions and images on Orthodox Cross

What does the inscription NIKA and other inscriptions on the Orthodox Cross mean?

Appeal to the power of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord is a great protection for every person. It is known that the sign of the cross stops the demonic influence: the devil and his servants cannot bear the correct cross, so they often try to mock it (this is precisely the origin of the satanic symbols of the inverted cross).

The cross is an important symbol for everyone Orthodox Christian. This is the power of God, visibly abiding with us, on our body, from Baptism itself. Therefore, it is especially important to have an Orthodox Cross at home, correctly depicted on an icon consecrated and purchased in the temple or made in metal.

On the Orthodox Cross you can often see a number of inscriptions and additional images that seem mysterious to the uninitiated person: NIKA, skull, IS XC CI. Our article will explain their meaning.

History of the veneration of the Cross

Back in the 4th century, one of the greatest miracles in history happened: the Byzantine emperor Constantine learned about Christianity and, unlike his royal predecessors, did not persecute the disciples of Christ, but turned to the Lord Jesus in his heart. And before one of the terrible battles, after a secret prayer, the emperor saw a shining Cross in the sky above the battlefield and heard God’s voice: “By this victory!” - that is, “you will win with the help of this sign.” So the Cross became the military banner of the entire Empire, and Byzantium flourished under the sign of the Cross for many centuries. Constantine eventually accepted Christianity and was called the Great and after his death was canonized as a holy king, equal to the apostles, for his deeds and for his faith.

At the same time, in 326, the Cross of Christ was found by the mother of Constantine the Great, Queen Helena, who was looking for it together with priests and bishops, among other crosses - instruments of execution - on Mount Golgotha, where the Lord was crucified. She was baptized after hearing the sermon of Christ's disciples , the mother of Emperor Constantine the First, Queen Helen, was baptized. She raised her royal son to be an honest and righteous man. After Baptism, Elena wanted to find the Cross on which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and which was buried on Mount Golgotha. She understood that the Cross would unite Christians and would become the first great shrine of Christianity.

As soon as the Cross was raised from the ground, the deceased, who was carried past in the funeral procession, was resurrected: therefore, the Cross of Christ immediately began to be called the Life-Giving. Since then, all Christians have worn pectoral crosses of various shapes and from various materials.

History of the Images on the Cross

Despite what is known from the Gospel and the testimony of historians what the Cross of Christ looked like, it is symbolically depicted in different ways.

In the Catholic tradition, the Cross is depicted with only one large crossbar, laconically. However, in Orthodoxy the Cross is traditionally depicted as eight-pointed, with additional lower and upper crossbars. This is a reproduction of the famous and real historically existing Cross of Jesus Christ.

• The topmost crossbar is a plaque on the Cross of Christ with the inscription INCI. This inscription is known from the Gospel and means “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”


• The lowest, oblique crossbar is a support for the legs, traditionally placed on crosses. Its symbolic meaning is a reminder of the story of two thieves crucified to the right and left of Christ. The right end of the crossbar is raised in memory of the pious thief, who repented of his sins on the cross, considered himself unworthy of heaven - and was the first to enter the Kingdom of Heaven with Christ. The second end is omitted, in memory of the second robber who cursed God. This story is evidence that the very death of every person can change his afterlife.


• The image on the left is a spear, on the right is a cane - the instruments of execution of the Savior. The Roman soldier pierced the already deceased Christ with a spear to understand whether He had died, and from His side “Blood and water flowed out.” A sponge with vinegar was placed on the cane; one of the soldiers handed it to Christ.


• Below is a skull - this is the head of Adam, that is, the burial of the first person is symbolically depicted. According to legend, it was near Golgotha ​​that he was buried in ancient times.

Interpretations on Holy Bible This is how they explain the meaning of the Sacrament of the Savior’s Death on the Cross. Once upon a time, Adam ate the sweet fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but only brought death to the entire race of people. And the Lord drank the bitterness of vinegar from the reed in order to return people from the bitterness of eternal death to the sweetness of life with God, so that the bitterness of sin would not have power over people. The Lord accepted death, defeated it and gave the opportunity eternal life to those who believe in Him and keep His commandments. Christ was crucified where Adam was buried, so that life would triumph precisely where death, which had once defeated the first man, occurred.

What do the inscriptions on the Orthodox Calvary Cross mean?

Inscriptions have appeared near the Cross for centuries, since early Christian times.

• The inscription at the top - “SN BZHIY” - means that Christ is the Son of God.


• The plaque on the Cross of Christ with the inscription INCI is short for “inscription of guilt”, which was supposed to hang over everyone who died the shameful execution of the cross. The inscription “Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews” was written by Pontius Pilate, who wanted to show the Jews that Christ was not guilty, to shame them.


• The letters “K” on the left and “T” on the right are original signatures of the depicted objects: spears and canes.


• The inscription on the left “ML” and on the right “RB” is the Church Slavonic phrase “place of execution to be paradise,” that is, in Russian: “The place of execution has become paradise.” The inscription reminds us that the death of Christ, His sacrifices for the sins of people, opened paradise to everyone, closed after the fall of Adam.


• Even lower, at the steps on the left and right there is one letter “G” each - this means that the steps symbolically show Mount Golgotha.


• Near the skull on the left is the letter “G”, on the right is the letter “A”, signing it as “Head of Adam”.


• The most important and largest inscriptions on the Cross are “IC XC” and “NIKA” above and below the long crossbar to which the hands of Christ were nailed. “Nike” is translated from Greek as “victory” and is usually not located on the Cross itself, since historically it was not on the Cross of Christ. According to legend, they began to write it near the Cross after the vision of Emperor Constantine the Great, which we described. However, it is possible that such a tradition appeared even earlier, because the apostles and evangelists called Christ the Conqueror of hell and death. This is precisely what the inscription means in its full sense: by the power of Christ, sin and death are overcome. Over time, this inscription appeared on prosphora (church unleavened bread with a seal from a cross on a flat top, from which particles are taken out commemorating the names of people; the prosphora will be given to your loved ones or you when submitting a note “On health” for the Liturgy) and the holy artos (large round bread, consecrated after Easter in memory of Christ).

Prayer to the Holy Cross

All Christians wear crosses of various shapes and from various materials. Particles of the Life-giving Cross, on which Christ Himself was crucified, are today in many churches around the world. Perhaps in your city there is a piece of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, and you can venerate this great shrine. The cross is called Life-giving - creating and giving life, that is, having great power.

In the morning and evening prayers, found in every Orthodox prayer book, there are prayers calling on the power of God, coming from the Cross of the Lord. Orthodox Christians thus protect themselves every day and every night with the power of the Cross of the Lord.

Turn to the Lord in prayer, protect yourself with the sign of the cross and sincere faith in God - and you will see how your life will change. Faith given by the Lord, knowledge of His help must increase among people. Therefore, unlike conspiracies that are spread by servants of dark forces and which must be “read in secret,” you can and should share your faith, talk about God’s miraculous help and mercy. Good deeds that happen with calling God's grace, will always be completed successfully.

Protect me, Lord, by the power of Your Honest and Life-giving Cross and protect me from evil.
Save, Lord, Your people and bless Your Church, giving victories to Orthodox Christians against their enemies and preserving Your believing people through Your cross.

51. The warmth of your soul remains with us.

52. You lived your life with dignity,
Leaving a memory for us forever.
In a silent world, sleep peacefully,
The person we love.

53. They don’t part with their loved ones, they just stop being close to them.

54. We regret, cry and mourn,
That you remained forever young.

55. The earthly path is short,
The memory is eternal.

56. To your untimely grave, our path will not be overgrown.
Your dear image, your dear image, will always lead us here.

57. I rested here as soon as I was born;
I am the one to whom I hurried so quickly
Death is like a soul whose flesh the grave has taken,
She barely noticed that there was no flesh.

58. No inscriptions are needed for my stone,
Just say it here: he was and he is not!

59. I am happy that I died young:
The torment of earth is worse than the grave.
Death has freed me forever
And she became my immortality.

60. How difficult it is to find words,
To measure our pain with them.
We cannot believe in your death,
You will be with us forever.

61. The earthly path is short,
The memory is eternal.

62. They don’t part with their loved ones,
They just stop being around.

63. Do not express grief,
Don't cry any tears
You took joy away from home forever.

64. Death chose you without asking us. How to live on and have enough
do you have strength? Our dad and husband, you were loved by us.
We remember you and mourn you in grief.

65. There is one less star on earth.
There is one more star in the sky.

66. Everything was in him -
Soul, talent and beauty.
Everything sparkled for us
Like a bright dream.

67. You passed away too early. Words cannot express our pain.
Sleep dear, you are our pain and wound. The memory of you is always alive.

68. You can’t forget,
It's impossible to return...

69. Love for you, dear son,
He will die only with us.
And our pain and our sorrow
Can't express it in words.

70. You have gone into the world of eternal dreams,
And forever your soul is calm,
And our grief and memory are limitless...

71. To whom were you dear during your life,
To whom I gave both friendship and love
For the eternal repose of your soul
They will pray again and again...

72. Dad! You left
And there is no return for you,
The more difficult is our loss.

73. Lived with dignity, sadness does not count,
Respect and honor remain in my memory.

74. You have always been an example to us,
As a person with a pure soul.
And the memory of you is alive
In the hearts of people and loved ones.

75. You flew through life like a comet,
Leaving behind a bright trail.
We love, we remember, we will not forget,
We are sad that you are not around.

76. You lived your life with dignity
Leaving a memory for us for a century.
In a silent world sleep well
The person we love.

77. How merciless life was to you,
So may the heavens be favorable...

78. Such pain cannot be expressed in words,
She is all in my wounded heart.
It's cruel how fate has dealt with us,
Not allowing the two of us to remain on the ground.
But in my loneliness I feel sad
Under the hot sun and when it rains,
I remember you, I love you
And I tell you: “See you later... Wait!”

79. He did not perish and did not die.
He left and somewhere nearby...

80. My heart is grieving,
Your death burned
What is the world to me without you,
And worldly affairs.

81. Only memory returns to us
taken away by fate...

82. In the days of sorrow of our orphan,
We will fall at the Feet of the Creator,
Heavenly Father will comfort us,
And in it we will find joy...

83. Sorry!
I'll see you again again

84. Dear angel, forgive me - it’s my fault,
That I was not next to you at the hour of death.

85. The flight of eagle wings did not save me from poverty,
No gift of song, no flame of heart!
Cruel! He only asked you for bread,
You gave me a stone.

86. I bequeath to live a more worthy life,
Don't rush to give it away quickly.
After all, it will be all the more calm for me here,
The longer I will wait for all of you.

87. It’s like I’m dead, but the world is a consolation
I live in the hearts of thousands of souls,
To all who love, and that means I am not dust,
And mortal decay will not touch me.

88. It’s not life that I feel sorry for, it’s the fire that I feel sorry for,
That, having shone over the whole universe,
He will disappear into the night, crying and mourning...

89. Dry sand is your bed,
Green turf is a blanket.
Sleep peacefully in eternal sleep
You are the one whose heart burned so much.

90. You died only for the light.
And in the memory of the family
A warm greeting with a smile
Your image lives dear.

91. Dad! You left
And there is no return for you,
But your life was not in vain...
The more difficult is our loss.

92. We parted.
The disease has struck you down.
You took it with you to the grave
Suffering, pain, hope and love,
And a bright mind, and kindness, and memory.
But the road ahead awaits you
To another life - without pain and suffering...

93. Life is vile and empty,
And there will be no happiness in her,
I'll burn myself down
And then let God judge.
Who's right and who's wrong
Some lived meanly, some honestly.
We judge at random
He knows everything.

94. Passerby! here lies the human philosopher,
He slept for a century,
To prove how right Solomon was,
Having said: “All is vanity! It’s all a dream!”

95. Like a heavy load, we carry the burden of loss
We will preserve love and memory for years to come,
Time has no power over memory,
And sorrow will never leave us.

96. The Lord granted me beauty,
My parent gave me only the body;
But if what God has given has decayed,
Well, a mortal will take flesh from death.

97. Here is the love that life gave me,
Here is the sadness that wisdom brought.

You don't have to be a believer to use a religious epitaph. Any religion treats favorably when referring to its spiritual postulates.

The letters of ancient philosophers from centuries-old tablets will fill the last message to the deceased with meaning and beauty. And partly the mystical meaning of spiritual themes will bring the presence of a lost person closer together.

Photo of the religious inscription on the monument

RELIGIOUS EPITAPHS

Religious epitaphs allow you to express in a few words love and all the best feelings for the deceased. The inscriptions on the tombstone will help express your feelings for the deceased in the form of quotes taken from holy scripture, the Koran, and Buddhist sayings.

Photo of religious epitaph

The essence of religious epitaphs.
In a financial sense, you cannot approach long or short lettering based on prices. The inscription may not be long. Two words of love will express no less feelings than a long verse containing the life path of the deceased.
The semantic combinations of religious epitaphs are hidden in the diversity of spiritual literature, and make it possible to produce a single and unique inscription for a specific case.

The artistic font of the epitaph will decorate the surface of the tombstone with curly italics, Old Church Slavonic Cyrillic, or the script of Arabic texts. Words are often decorated with carved ornaments on the sides of the portrait, sometimes completely replacing the image or portrait, making the monument or tombstone in no way inferior in beauty to the generally accepted design of the grave.
It is believed that as long as we remember a person, he is alive. Monument, the very memory that will preserve the name dear person for a long time, for centuries.

Gravestone inscriptions

in memory of the best people

The inscriptions on tombstones are epitaphs, the last words dedicated to the dead. When choosing a monument, you need to think about what the material, shape, size will be, and also how you can complement the tombstone. As a rule, artistic elements are used, including inscriptions. It is very difficult to choose words that could reflect your feelings and tell about a person close to you. The site’s employees are ready to help and select the best epitaphs for the tombstone.

Short epitaphs

Stars don't die
They just go beyond the horizon...
***
He who is dear does not die,
Only it ceases to be with us...
***
Loved ones don't leave.
Only they stop being with us...
***
People can't live forever
But happy is he who remembers the name!
***
A terrible moment of cruel fate
Left us with lifelong sorrow...
***
The fate of your fate is cruel
Left us with lifelong pain...
***
May God grant them eternal peace,
And may eternal light shine upon them...
***
To the one who was dear during life
From those who remember and mourn.
***
I raised you, but I didn’t save you.
And now the grave will save you.
***
Again the sun is covered by clouds,
Once again we have no control over fate...
***
Living under the carpet of the Almighty
Under the shadow of the Almighty rests...
***
There is faith that conquers eternity
And man is in the immortality of the soul
***
To the one who was dear during life,
Whose memory is dear after death...
***
Without you the sun has dimmed for us
And the whole earth was empty...
***
From that world on the stone of faith
A cure for grief...
***
He who believes in God is blessed,
Even if he doesn’t know anything...
***
We start to admire late -
Almost always, as you need to leave.

Epitaphs - gravestone inscriptions

Quiet trees
Don't make noise with the leaves.
Mommy is sleeping
You won't wake her.
***
Don't wait for me
I won't come to you.
Don't write to me,
I'll wait for you...
***
Everything was in it -
Soul, talent and beauty.
Everything sparkled for us
Like a bright dream.
***
Time won't smooth it out
Your trace is deep.
Everything in the world exists
You're just not there.
***
We stand frozen
Under a tree without leaves
How much is it -
Bad and good -
Is there more to come?
But don't be afraid -
Open your heart
And boldly go ahead of successes and adversities
And I?
And I will follow you.
After all, we are me and you.
***
Can't reach with your hand
You won't be with me
Your death has separated
Forever you and me.
***
Our grief cannot be measured
And you can’t shed tears,
We make you feel alive
We will love forever.
***
We come here
To put flowers,
It’s very difficult, dear,
We can live without you.
***
They die forever!
And there will be no repetition...
Just a distant star
Receive our reflection.
***
In the hands of Almighty God,
Creator of life and death
I give my spirit...
***
Be happy people!
Life is like the sun - one!
Let neither the blizzards nor the heat cool down
A joyful moment of fire.
***
We are all grieving
That you are no longer with us,
But time will not go back.
We will cherish the memory forever
In our loving hearts.
***
Grief is not asked for
The grief is immeasurable
Everything precious in the world is lost...
***
Don't be ashamed passerby
Remember my ashes
Because I’m already home, and you’d still be visiting...
***
We lost you early
Separation from you is hard,
But your image is bright and sweet
Always in our memory.
***
When a loved one passes away,
There remains an emptiness in my soul,
Which nothing can heal.
***
Nobody could save you
Died very early
But the bright image is your dear
We will always remember.
***
Evil death has crept up on me,
I left you forever.
Oh, how I wish I could live
But such is my destiny
***
Love for you, dear son,
He will die only with us.
And our pain and our sorrow
Can't express it in words.
***
Like drops of dew on roses,
There are tears on my cheeks.
Sleep well, dear son,
We all love, remember and mourn you.
***
The Great Tribulation cannot be measured,
Tears won't help my grief.
You are not with us, but forever
You will not die in our hearts.
***
Your mother's tears will always be for you,
Father's sadness, brother's loneliness,
The grief of grandparents.
***

You left early without saying goodbye,
And without saying a word to us,
How can we continue to live, having made sure
That you won't come back again.
***
You left this life incomprehensibly early,
Parents are saddened.
There is a bleeding wound in their hearts.
Your little son is growing up without knowing the word “mother.”
***
Having passed away, you are still living
In our thoughts, dreams.
You cannot survive what fate has given you.
We remember you both in joy and in pain.
***
How hard it is to find words
To measure our pain with them.
We cannot believe in your death,
You will be with us forever.
***
To your untimely grave
Our path will not be overgrown.
Your dear image, dear image,
It will always lead us here.
***
The sorrow of the soul cannot be cried out with tears,
A damp grave cannot understand grief.
What a pity that your life
Was so short
But your memory will be eternal.
***

The will begins
The feeling continues
Reason, having brought it to the Absolute, completes.
***
What was, is now,
And what will happen has already happened.
And the dust will return to the ground as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.
***
O light of hope!
Oh, the black fears oppress!
Only one thing is true:
This life flows.
This is the truth, and everything else is a lie:
A flower that has faded will not bloom again.
***
We carry the burden of loss like a heavy burden,
We will preserve love and memory for years to come,
Time has no power over memory
And sorrow will never leave us.
***
The soul is tired of betrayals
General vanity and vanity
And should she look for evidence?
In defense of my innocence...
***
I wish I could see your beloved image at least once,
Hear your dear voice.
We would change everything for this
And they gave their lives without thinking.
***
Our melancholy and pain cannot be measured.
Never to see you, never to return.
And it’s unbearable to live like this,
And it’s hard for us to believe that you don’t exist.
***
People leave, they cannot be returned
And secret worlds cannot be revived...
And every time I want again
To scream from this irreversibility...
***
There is bitter sadness in my heart
Lies washed with tears.
It's hard for us, we're very sorry,
That you, dear (our dear), are not with us.
***
All of us, all of us in this world are perishable
Copper quietly pours from the maple leaves...
May you be blessed forever,
What has come to flourish and die.
***
My friend, don’t be sad about the past,
Don't let the irrevocable gnaw at you.
You can’t step into the same river...

Examples of epitaphs

The texts of gravestone inscriptions can be quotes from the Bible or other religious books. The excerpts chosen are usually related to death or afterlife. The text of an epitaph consisting of one phrase can sometimes say more than long, pompous phrases. The volume is not limited by anything, except perhaps naturally - by the size of monuments or tombstones. In addition to decoration, gravestone epitaphs serve as an outlet for the relatives and friends of the deceased. This is like the last opportunity to say that you didn’t have time or to express your feelings about death. They help to display emotions on the monument, which years later will become a sensory reminder of the deceased to new generations.

Tombstone inscriptions can be quotes from books, sayings of great people, and even poems. This could be a couple of lines written by yourself or a paragraph reflecting your emotions and feelings that arise from the loss loved one. Epitaphs are gravestone inscriptions that can be used to reflect pain, sorrow, and melancholy. The inscriptions on tombstones can characterize the deceased and be an expression of hope that the soul of the deceased is now in a better world.

An epitaph (in ancient Greek transliteration, “that which is above the grave”) is an inscription on the gravestone of the deceased, which is intended to honor the memory of the deceased. Traditionally, Orthodox inscriptions on monuments reflect the meaning of a person’s life and achievements; for example, in an epitaph about a military man, one can write about the length of service to the Motherland.

History of epitaphs

Orthodox epitaphs were not previously applied to monuments, but were simply pronounced at funerals. But, as can be seen today, later they began to be applied to slabs in order to preserve and perpetuate the memory of the deceased. However, it was believed that epitaphs on slabs and monuments should have been short and contained only the most necessary information about a person. Such information included data on the person’s first and last name, year, month and date of birth and, accordingly, death, and a few words about his life. Today, it is allowed to increase the size of the memorial speech at the request of relatives.

Photo of the Orthodox epitaph

Orthodox inscriptions on monuments. Features of epitaphs

The main features of epitaphs include:
- Usually, Orthodox epitaphs on the monument can be written both in poetic form and in prose.
— There are standard epitaphs and original ones.
— Author’s epitaphs can be written by poets for a specific person; they reflect some features of the life of the deceased and give an idea of ​​the meaning of the person’s loss.
Currently, Orthodox epitaphs for the monument are ordered by the relatives of the deceased, but in some cases he can come up with an epitaph for himself. Mostly, creative individuals, for example, writers and poets, come up with epitaphs for themselves.