Crosses and Crucifixes
From 1/25/2006 to 4/29/2007

Since the dawn of Christianity some 2000 years ago, countless faithful have expressed their belief by making the Sign of the Cross. Today, more than 2.1 billion people around the world firmly profess that God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for their redemption and salvation. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity.

The exhibition Crosses and Crucifixes is being shown exclusively at the Knights of Columbus Museum as a celebration of the Christian faith.

A crucifix differs from a cross in that it carries the figure of Christ, either as a painted or sculpted corpus. Crosses vary in size from miniatures to massive structures over 100 feet high erected, for example, on mountaintops. Every Christian church has a cross mounted on it, a beacon to the faithful. Crosses and crucifixes are carried by Christians on their person; are displayed in their homes; or are used in religious services. Some are traditionally handed down by families through the generations.

The 167 crosses and crucifixes in this exhibit, on loan from the extensive Yvonne Shia Klancko Collection of religious items, are being displayed for the first time.

They were collected from around the world where they were used in churches or by individuals. Some are exquisitely adorned by talented artisans; others are simple symbols of faith made by unskilled hands. The oldest, from the Balkans, was fashioned more than 800 years ago.

We invite everyone to participate in this journey of faith, to undergo both a spiritual and an artistic experience. Crosses and Crucifixes has an impact that goes beyond the symbolic, to epitomize the very essence of Christianity. Bring your family to see firsthand how past generations have expressed their love of Jesus crucified, He who died that we might live.