St. Vladimir Russian Cross in Sterling Silver #5811

This elegant Russian Orthodox cross design includes the three-bar St. Andrew Cross, a repeating outline at the points with a floral decoration which symbolizes the cross of Christ as the tree of life in Paradise. Tradition teaches that when the Apostle Andrew preached in Russia he showed his listeners a life-size three-bar cross. To illustrate the Last Judgment he tilted the foot piece of the cross to show that those on the right side of Christ will go up into heaven and those on the left will go down into hell. Another tradition says that the diagonal bar represents the fate of the two thieves who were crucified with Christ. The side that points up represents the thief who confessed faith in Christ and received the promise of Paradise. The side that points down represents the thief who cursed Christ and descended into Hades. St. Vladimir was the the Prince of Novgorod who brought the Christian Faith to the Russian people in the year 988.