View source for Globus cruciger

{{Short description|Christian symbol of authority}}
{{Italics title}}
{{Monarchism}}
[[File:Imperial Orb of the Holy Roman Empire.jpg|thumb|upright|Imperial Orb of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], part of the [[Imperial Regalia]]]]The {{lang-for|la|'''globus cruciger'''|cross-bearing orb}}, also known as '''''stavroforos sphaira''''' ({{langx|el|σταυροφόρος σφαίρα}})<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sphaira |url=https://www.wordreference.com/gren/%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%85%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%86%CF%8C%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82%20%CF%83%CF%86%CE%B1%CE%AF%CF%81%CE%B1 |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=wordreference.com |language=en}}</ref> or "the orb and cross", is an [[Sphere|orb]] surmounted by a [[Christian cross|cross]]. It has been a [[Christian Church|Christian]] [[symbol]] of [[authority]] since the [[Middle Ages]], used on [[coin]]s, in [[iconography]], and with a [[sceptre]] as royal [[regalia]]. 

The cross laid over the globus represents Christ's dominion over the world, literally held in the hand of a worthy earthly ruler. In the iconography of [[Art of Europe|Western art]], when Christ himself holds the globe, he is called ''[[Salvator Mundi]]'' (Latin for 'Saviour of the World').  For instance, the  16th-century [[Infant Jesus of Prague]] statue holds a ''globus cruciger'' in this manner.

==History==
[[File:Solidus-Leontinus-sb1330.jpg|thumb|upright|The ''globus cruciger'' was used in the [[Byzantine Empire]], as shown in this coin of Emperor [[Leontius]] (died 705)]]

Holding the world in one's hand, or, more ominously, under one's foot, has been a symbol since antiquity. To citizens of the [[Roman Empire]], the plain spherical globe held by the god [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]] represented the world or the universe, as the dominion held by the Emperor. A 2nd-century coin from the reign of [[Hadrian|Emperor Hadrian]] shows the [[Roman mythology|Roman goddess]] [[Salus]] with her foot upon a ''globus'', and a 4th-century coin from the reign of [[Constantine I of the Roman Empire|Emperor Constantine I]] shows him with a ''globus'' in hand. The ''orbis terrarum'' was central to the iconography of the [[Tetrarchy]], in which it represented the Tetrarchs' restoration of security to the Roman world. Constantine I claimed to have had a vision of symbol of Christ above the sun, with the words "In this sign, you shall conquer" ([[Latin]]: "''[[In hoc signo vinces]]''"), before the [[Battle of Milvian Bridge]] in AD 312. This symbol is usually assumed to be the "Chi-Rho (X-P)" symbol, but some think it was a cross. Consequently, his soldiers painted this symbol on their shields and then defeated their foe, [[Maxentius]].[[File:Andrea Previtali, Salvator Mundi (1519), oil on poplar, 61.6 x 53 cm, National Gallery.jpg|thumb|Christ as [[Salvator Mundi]] by [[Andrea Previtali]]|left|211x211px]][[File:Denmark globus cruciger2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Denmark|Danish]] ''globus cruciger'', part of the [[Danish Crown Regalia]]]]With the growth of [[Christianity]] in the 5th century, the orb (in Latin works ''orbis terrarum'', the 'world of the lands', whence "orb" derives) was surmounted with a [[cross]], hence ''globus cruciger'', symbolizing the Christian God's dominion of the world. The Emperor held the world in his hand to show that he ruled it on behalf of God. To non-Christians already familiar with the [[pagan]] globe, the surmounting of a cross indicated the victory of Christianity over the world.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Rhys |first=Dani |date=2023-07-29 |title=Globus Cruciger: A Powerful Christian Symbol |url=https://symbolsage.com/globus-cruciger-symbol/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Symbol Sage |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Globus Cruciger |url=https://www.ancient-symbols.com/symbols-directory/globus-cruciger.html |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Ancient Symbols |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2021-02-20 |last1=Pyrgies|first1=Joanna|title='Globus cruciger' in the Hands of Monarchs - ARCHAEOTRAVEL.eu |url=https://archaeotravel.eu/globus-cruciger-in-the-hands-of-monarchs/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |language=en-US}}</ref> In medieval iconography, the size of an object relative to those of nearby objects indicated its relative importance; therefore the orb was small and the one who held it was large to emphasize the nature of their relationship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Scaling the Middle Ages: Size and scale in medieval art |url=https://courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on/size-and-scale-in-medieval-art/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=The Courtauld |language=en-US}}</ref> Although the globe symbolized the whole Earth, many Christian rulers, some of them not even [[sovereignty|sovereign]], who reigned over small territories of the Earth, used it symbolically.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />

One of the first known depictions in art of the symbol was in the late 4th century AD, possibly as early as AD 388, namely on the reverse side of the gold [[Tremissis|tremissii]] of [[Theodosius I|Emperor Theodosius I]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pearce |first1=J.W.E. |title=Roman Imperial Coinage |volume=IX |date=1972 |publisher=Spink & Son Ltd. |location=London |isbn=9780900696633 |page=232 }}</ref>

The ''globus cruciger'' was associated with powerful rulers and [[angel]]s; it adorned portrayals of both [[emperor]]s and [[monarch|king]]s, and also [[archangel]]s. It remained popular throughout the Middle Ages in coinage, [[iconography]], and royal [[regalia]]. For example, it was often used by [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] emperors in order to symbolize their authority and sovereignty over the Christian world, usually being done via coinage. The symbol was meant to demonstrate that the emperor ruled both politically and divinely.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Society |first=American Numismatic |date=2021-05-06 |title=The Changing Iconography of Byzantine Gold Coins |url=https://coinweek.com/the-changing-iconography-of-byzantine-gold-coins/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=CoinWeek: Rare Coin, Currency, and Bullion News for Collectors |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=globus cruciger {{!}} Acropolis Museum {{!}} Official website |url=https://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/node/1336 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=www.theacropolismuseum.gr}}</ref> The [[papacy]], which in the Middle Ages rivaled the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] in temporal power, also used the symbol on top of the [[Papal tiara]], which consisted of a triple crown; the Pope did not use a separate orb as a symbol. The ''globus cruciger'' (made up of a [[monde]] and cross) was generally featured as the finial of European royal crowns, whether on physical crowns or merely in royal heraldry, for example, in Denmark, the Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Yugoslavia.  It is still depicted not only in the arms of European polities for which a monarchy survives, yet also, since the end of [[communism]] in 1991, in the arms of some eastern European polities, despite the termination of their historical monarchies. Even in the modern era in the [[United Kingdom]], the [[Sovereign's Orb]] symbolizes both the state and [[Church of England]] under the protection and domain of the monarchy.
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==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="130px" style="font-size: 87.5%;">
Image:Barbarossa.jpg|Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa|Frederick I Barbarossa]]
Image:Goldene-bulle 1c-480x475.jpg|The Golden Bull of 1356 by the [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor]]
Image:Charles II (Chronica Hungarorum).jpg|[[Charles III of Naples|Charles II of Naples and Hungary]]
Image:Mary (Chronica Hungarorum).jpg|[[Mary, Queen of Hungary|Mary of Hungary]]
Image:Wenceslaus (Chronica Hungarorum).jpg|[[Wenceslaus III of Bohemia]]
Image:Dürer karl der grosse.jpg|[[Charlemagne]] by [[Albrecht Dürer]]
Image:Albrecht Dürer 082.jpg|[[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor]] by [[Albrecht Dürer]]
Image:Gerard van Honthorst 006.jpg|[[Frederick V of the Palatinate|Frederick V]] holding the orb
Image:Elizabeth I in coronation robes.jpg|[[Elizabeth I|Elizabeth I of England]] in coronation robes, with orb and sceptre
Image:Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom 1952-12-13.jpg|Primary [[Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom]], with Sovereign's Orb at upper left (in late 1952 before the [[coronation of Elizabeth II]])
Image:Rijksappel.jpg|Dutch ''globus cruciger'', part of the [[Regalia of the Netherlands]]
File:Crown, sceptre, orb & key of the King of Sweden 2014.jpg|[[Regalia of Sweden]] with the orb
Image:Russian regalia.jpg|Regalia of Russia
Image:Budapest Parlament Innen Kuppelhalle Ungarische Krönungsinsignien.JPG|{{illm|Regalia of Hungary|hu|Magyar koronázási jelvények|de|Ungarische Kronjuwelen}} with the orb; note the [[patriarchal cross]] on the orb
Image:Uppland_vapen.svg|[[Coat of arms of Uppland]]
Image:Coat of Arms of Vologda (Vologda oblast) (1780).png|Coat of arms of [[Vologda]]
Image:Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg|Orb and sceptre in the [[coat of arms of Montenegro]]; several other coats of arms use them in the same manner.
Image:O_Salvador_do_Mundo,_a_vida_de_Jesus_Cristo.png|Chromolithograph of Jesus as a child, holding an orb and a crown of thorns
Image:Notre Dame Cathedral Ho Chi Minh city (39543912241).jpg|Statue of Virgin Mary holding an orb
Image:A német megszállás áldozatainak emlékműve (2).jpg|Statue of Archangel Gabriel holding an orb
Image:Orb in Sainte-Chapelle 20240128.jpg|Wall sculpture in Sainte-Chapelle, Paris
Image:Harris-Tweed 1.jpg|The [[Harris tweed]] orb
</gallery>

==Use as an alchemical symbol==
The ''globus cruciger'' was used as the [[alchemical symbol]] (<big>♁</big>) for [[antimony]]. It was also used as an alchemical symbol for {{lang|la|lupus metallorum}} "the grey wolf", supposedly used to purify alloyed metals into pure gold. {{lang|la|Lupus metallorum}} ([[stibnite]]) was used to purify gold, as the sulphur in the antimony sulphide bonds to the metals alloyed with the gold, and these form a slag which can be removed. The gold remains dissolved in the metallic antimony which can be boiled off to leave the purified gold.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stockdale |first1=D. |title=Historical Notes on the Assay of Gold |journal=Science Progress in the Twentieth Century (1919-1933) |date=1924 |volume=18 |issue=71 |pages=476–479 |jstor=43430908 }}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[The Ball and the Cross]]''
* [[Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch]]
* [[Monde (crown)]]
* [[Earth symbol]]
* [[Celestial spheres]]
* [[T and O map]]
* ''[[Apfelgroschen]]'' – coin depicting the orb and cross of the Holy Roman Empire
* [[Venus symbol]]
* [[Cintamani]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Leslie Brubaker, ''[[Dictionary of the Middle Ages]]'', vol 5, pg. 564, {{ISBN|0-684-18161-4}}
* [http://www.altfrankfurt.com/Spezial/Kaiserkroenung/Reichsinsignien.htm Picture of the 10th century Orb, Scepter and Crown insignia of the Holy Roman Empire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812213209/http://www.altfrankfurt.com/Spezial/Kaiserkroenung/Reichsinsignien.htm |date=2018-08-12 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Stockdale |first1=D. |title=Historical Notes on the Assay of Gold |journal=Science Progress in the Twentieth Century |date=1924 |volume=18 |issue=71 |pages=476–479 |jstor=43430908 }}

== External links ==
{{Commonscat-inline}}

{{Christian crosses}}
{{Coronation}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Christian iconography]]
[[Category:Christian symbols]]
[[Category:Cross symbols]]
[[Category:Formal insignia]]
[[Category:Latin religious words and phrases]]
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[[Category:Byzantine regalia]]
[[Category:Spherical objects]]