What are Celtic crosses and where did they come from? As a matter of fact, where are they now and can I get one? These are all questions that deserve the best answer we can come up with.
What were the Celtic crosses?
Imagine a cross with a circle surrounding the center post where the vertical and horizontal pieces cross. Then, imagine that there are carvings of animals and ornamentation on just about every surface in a very beautiful display of nature, man and the existence of God all on one piece of stone, metal or other carved surface. There are many legends about where they came from, originally, and who designed and carved the first one.
Where did these Celtic crosses come from?
There are many that have said that it must have been Saint Patrick in an attempt to convert something that was a heathen symbol into a Christian symbol; others hold that it must be the Druids. This thought holds that the Druids carved this symbol as a part of their worship of the four directions (North, East, West and South) or the four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter) the Sun and/or the Moon was represented by the circle in the middle. The Celtic crosses, themselves, are not telling us.
A lot has been said about how Saint Patrick is to be credited with this very beautiful expression of faith. It is said that he found a circle carved in a stone and he carved a cross around it to somehow “sanctify” this obvious depiction of the sun and the area residents’ worship of it. St. Patrick was always trying to convert pagan ideas into his stories of Christianity to convert those interested in these crude things.
