ANTIQUE STERLING SILVER 84 1880s-1890s RUSSIAN ORTHODOX \"SKULL\" CROSS PENDANT

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ANTIQUE STERLING SILVER 84 1880s-1890s RUSSIAN ORTHODOX \"SKULL\" CROSS PENDANT :
$39.00

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Antique Eastern Orthodox or Eastern/Greek Catholic cross. Sterling silver of the Imperial Russian origin, bears the \"84\" hallmark print and mark of the Kostroma city. Handmade circa 1880s-1890s. The original loop was likely lost, and a hole was made to allow wearing the cross as a necklace or attaching it to a woman\'s dress. The cross is scratched, bent and worn out due to its age and wearing, and is covered with patches of dark silver patina. Authentic artifact from Europe. 100% sound and wearable. Could have been worn as a \"bodily\" (worn below all garments and underwear) pectoral cross by a layman, a deacon or a priest.
Exact origin is determined based on the Imperial Russian Kostroma city mark (small ship next to the 84 hallmark) known to be used in 1880s-1890s. Kostroma city is a part of the famous Russian \"Golden Ring\", a ring of ancient cities and towns northeast of Moscow with the most beautiful medieval Orthodox monasteries, churches and cathedrals with golden \"onion-like\" domes.
The obverse of the cross pendant bears aByzantine-like Suppedaneum cross, inscriptions with Cyrillic letters, and a worn out image of the skull. The Byzantine three-bar cross is used in the Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches. Such a cross has three horizontal crossbeams: the top one represents the \"INRI\" nameplate, and the bottom one, a footrest.
The ends of the crossbars are \"budded\", with shapes of three circles, or \"buds\" each. In a Christian context, such a design could symbolically represent the Holy Trinity, similarly to the three-leaved clover, or Shamrock.
The top \"budded\" end bears a two-letter abbreviation in Cyrillic letters meaning \"KING OF GLORY\". The side \"budded\" ends of the cross bears the Sacred Name of Jesus Christ, as the \"IC XC\" Greek Christogram.
An symbolic, worn out image of the skull, or Adam\'s head, below the image of the Suppedaneum cross refers to Golgotha (Calvary), the elevated site where Jesus was crucified, which the Bible says means \"the place of the skull\" in Hebrew. An ancient tradition of Catholic and Orthodox Churches held that it was also the burial place of Adam, thus symbolizing the ultimate victory of Christ over sin and death.
The reverse of the cross pendant bears a two-letter abbreviation with Cyrillic letters which probably was a trademark of the silversmith, the \"84\" hallmark of sterling silver, which was the Imperial Russian standard for silver based on the ancient \"zolotnik\" unit, and the city mark (Kostroma, 1880s-1890s).
Please examine all photographs carefully and do your own research if necessary. Please note that photographs are an important part of the item\'s description. The U.S. quarter coin, measuring meter, and decorative stone are not for sale, and are photographed with the item in order to provide a size reference and artistic background.Please ask all questions before making a purchase.There are no guarantees with the listing because most items are original artifacts that are quite old. All items are sold \"as is\" with no returns because of a change of mind offered. Shipping and handling is free for the continental US. International buyers, please ask me for a shipping quote prior to buying.Please note that customs regulations differ from country to country, and it is a buyer\'s responsibility to ensure that any customs fees or other duties collected by the buyer\'s country are paid and satisfied in full.

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ANTIQUE STERLING SILVER 84 1880s-1890s RUSSIAN ORTHODOX \"SKULL\" CROSS PENDANT :
$39.00