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Item description: Orthodox bronze pendant cross with prayer to Holy Cross on back side
Originated: from tradition of Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists Old Believers (concervative group of Russian religious dissentents). All Old Believers items like icons, crosses, books never have any mark of factory or print house, a stroke of codes, dates of the edition or producing and other numbers. Such marks, numbers or digits are considered by Old Believers belonging to the world of the AntiChrist. All items made by Old Believers, are rare and unique and it is never sold in shops and distributed only inside community due to this religious restrictions.
Material: bronze
Measurements:
58 x 31 x 2 mmCondition:
old, with trace of years on it.Lacks, defects, damage:
small scratches - please look carefully on photos.Item story: I have received this cross at annual fair in Moscow where christians belonged to Old Believers communities from distant villages of Russia sell they products and artifacts.
Payments: All payments must be paid through Moneybookers www.moneybookers.com 0,7$ comission (eBay appruved payment sistem), cause PayPal is not available for receipt money for Russia. It is easy way to pay! Please do not bid if you don’t agree to this payment method. I can accept unfortunately only this payment method. Payments must be made within 3 days of auction close. After wining auction please ask for detailed istructions.
Shipping: All Items won in auction will be shipped within 3 days of auctions close and after Moneybookers payment. Worldwide shipping from Russia usialy takes 14 - 18 days. For shipping we use Russian Post Service - now it works ok perfect (not like in Gorbachev time!). You can check shipping with tracking number here http://www.russianpost.ru/resp_engine.aspx?Path=portal/EN/home/postal/trackingpo
Combined shipping: yes, we do this. Shipping will be much cheaper. Choose few my items and ask for combined shipping price.
Questions: I shall be happy to answer any of your questions before bidding. Feel free to ask...
An Explanation of the Russian Orthodox Three-Bar Cross given by Old Believers: "Through the Cross came our Salvation. We are constantly reminded that Christ died for us, and that He rose from the dead. The image of the crucified Lord reminds us of this. On the Cross is our Savior, Jesus Christ. Note that He does not wear a crown of thorns, and that His feet are nailed with two nails. Behind the body of Christ, on either side, are a lance (which pierced Him) and a sponge (which was soaked with gall and offered to Christ to drink) on a pole made of reed or cane. On the body of Christ is depicted blood and water flowing forth from His side. Below the feet of Christ are four Slavonic letters meaning: "The place of the skull became Paradise". Hidden in a cave under the earth is 'the skull of Adam'. We are thus reminded that Adam our forefather lost Paradise through the tree from which he wrongly partook; Christ is the new Adam, bringing us Salvation and Paradise through the tree of the Cross. The city of Jerusalem is depicted in the background, for He was crucified outside the city walls."
About Old Believers: Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists or Old Believers, or more correctly, Old Ritualists are Orthodox Christians who adhere to the service books and ritual of the Russian Orthodox Church prior to the reforms made to those books and services by the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Nikon beginning in the year 1653. Opponents of the ecclesiastical reforms of Nikon emerged among all strata of the people and in relatively large numbers. The Old Believers fiercely rejected all innovations, and the most radical amongst them maintained that the official Russian Church had fallen into the hands of the Antichrist. The State church anathematized both the old rites and books and those who wished to stay loyal to them. From that moment, the Old Believers officially lacked all civil rights. The State church had the most active Old Believers arrested, and executed many of them some years later in 1682. After 1685 a period of persecutions began, including both torture and executions. Many Old Believers fled Russia altogether. However, Old Believers became the dominant denomination in many Russian regions, including North and Siberia. Before the Russian Revolution in 1917 there were probably more than 20 million Old Believers located throughout the Russian Empire and in Diaspora, but now after nearly a century of Communist persecution and simple secularization of Russian people, that number probably does not exceed 2 million. Old Ritualists are known for their strict adherence to the practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as it existed prior to Patriarch Nikon. Additionally, Old Ritualists have preserved ancient customs, traditional way of life, ancient clothes of Old Russia, natural rural economy, ancient form of church prayer singing, known as Znamenny Chant, that continues to draw the attention of other Orthodox Christians, as well as scholars and historians.
Group of Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists Old Believers. Village near Volga river. Circa 1916
Russian Christian Orthodox Old Believers confidently speak about themselves: "Orthodoxy means right teaching, correct doctrine. Orthodox Christianity is the true doctrine of Christ. When Orthodoxy came to the Slavic lands, the term was rendered as pravoslavie – right glorification, which fits the importance attached to worshipping God in beauty as well as in truth. Christianity is concerned with man's salvation from evil. The belief of the mind and the praise of the lips would be hollow if not joined to virtue. And so, true belief and true worship must bear fruit in right conduct, good morals and righteous actions. In Orthodox Christianity, man's mind, soul and body are elevated and ennobled to rise above the merely mundane and to lead what one writer has given as the very definition of Orthodoxy: new life in the Holy Spirit." Now it is still possible to meet this people in remote parts of Russia, mostly in Siberia.
Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists Old Believers.
Village in Syberia, Altay mountains. Nova days, 2007
Moral and ethical sense of your purchase in our eBay auction: In the name preservation of a russian cultural heritage from commercial robbery and full disappearance we do not sell antiques older than XIX century. All religious items in our auction are hand-made by Old Believers. Buying the things made by Old Believers, you give material and moral support to their independent community and to ancient religious culture of Old Holy Russia, which has strongly suffered from persecutions in ancient times from Patriarch Nikon reform at 1666-1917, from communistic terror at 1917-1987 and from general secularization of modern society. Thank you for support of unique traditional culture and religion of our people.
About me: as the representative of this Russian Christian Orthodox Fundamentalists Old Believers community I have an extensive knowledge in religious subjects of ancient Russia. I know well an ancient church art. I have the big collection of religious items and icons. I get subjects for my collection in auctions, antiques shops, church shops, flea markets, at private persons by purchase and by exchange on mutually interesting subjects. Also I visit the remote and wild parts of my huge native land where rare subjects were still kept on the present. Frequently these rare things are in oblivion and still wait for the person, who can understand their beauty and meaning.
Charity: 10% of my eBay income goes for support of small Old Believers community located in North Russia.
Sorry: for bad English, which is not my native language. I am a new seller here in eBay, and as fair and responsible person I will try my best to give you a good service.
Have a look my other items concerning to Old Believers: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZboring-merchant