Russian Orthodox cross

Form

Three bars: a short top bar (the inscription over Christ’s head), the main crossbar, and a slanted footrest near the foot.

When it is documented

A Byzantine version had the footrest pointing upward; the Russian Orthodox Church adopted and altered it.

Context

Especially popular in East Slavic countries.

Links in the Atlas

• Widely used in Russian Orthodox Church (Tradition)

  The form most associated with the Russian Church; the Atlas drawing raises the footrest on the viewer’s left.

Sources and how they were checked

• Three bars, their meaning, Byzantine version, East Slavic popularity.

  Wikipedia, “Christian cross variants” — Russian Orthodox cross · checked 2026-10-21 (tertiary reference)

Not yet known or sourced

• The direction of the slant varies in practice; no source for one fixed rule is recorded here.