At Baptism, the priest puts on a cross on the person who received the Sacrament. Today this marks the conversion of man to the Christian Orthodox faith. Is it now necessary to wear it constantly or is there some kind of special order?
The cross is a symbol of belonging to the Orthodox Church
For the first time, the theologian John Chrysostom (347–407) mentions the people who wore the symbols of the Holy Cross on their breasts in the third part of their work “Against the Anomeans”. But he was talking about encolpions-medallions. Initially, these were wooden four-sided drawers with relics. At an early stage, particles of relics, chips from the Golgotha tree, parts of lists of holy books, and other shrines could be inside. On the outside of the encolpion (translated from Greek - "chest") depicted a monogram of the name of Jesus Christ. Directly pectoral crosses in wide use appear in the IX-XI centuries.
In Russia, the beginning of the tradition of wearing the pectoral cross dates back to the 17th century. Then it became a mandatory part during the baptismal procedure. Adult people wore it over their clothes, for show, as a clear and unambiguous indicator of Christian baptism. Pectoral - the large chest cross worn by Russian Orthodox priests according to the order - appeared even later, in the XVIII century.
Carrying the cross is an honor and responsibility
Wearing a cross on his chest for a truly believing Orthodox person is an honor and a great responsibility. A blasphemous or neglectful attitude towards the cross has always been censured and perceived among the people as an act of apostasy and an insult to the dignity of believers.
Widely known in Russia, such a rite of oath of fidelity as cross kissing, Russian people with body crosses changed and became twin cities. The cross on the chest symbolizes participation in the suffering and deed of Jesus Christ and a willingness to follow the Gospel commandments of the Savior, fight with your passions, not condemn and forgive loved ones.
