St. Peter's Cross

- an emblem of Christian humility



St. Peter's Cross
(formal name: Petrine Cross)

St. Peter's Cross

Peter is believed to have been crucified upside down at his own request, as he did not feel worthy to die the same way as Jesus. Therefore many Christian sects use this cross as a symbol of humility. (St. Peter is also sometimes associated with the Celtic Cross.)

St. Peter's Crossed Keys

He was an early missionary in Asia Minor and the Roman Empire and founded the Church of Rome with Paul (see Keys of St. Peter). Emperor Nero saw this new church as a threat, and began a campaign to eradicate these troublemakers. Peter was imprisoned, tortured and finally crucified.

Such was his faith, it is believed, he succeeded in persuading his sadistic captors to change from the normal way of executing prisoners. His brother, Andrew, also was crucified, and he too requested that a cross different to Christ's Latin Cross be used. Therefore we have another cross form, the 'X' shaped St. Andrew's Cross.

In 1920, Archbishop Joachim of Nizhny Novgorod was also crucified upside down, on the Royal Doors of the Cathedral in Sevastopol, a Black Sea port of southern Ukraine.

Thor's Hammer

Sometimes this cross is called Satan's Cross because it points downward to Hell. But this is a misnomer for two reasons: Firstly, Hell isn't physically 'down' any more than Heaven is 'up'. And secondly, Satan fell to his death²; he was never crucified on a cross. (That would be crucifiction!) This inverted cross is sometimes used by Satanists to mock the Latin Cross and its meaning.

For Pagans, the upside down cross resembles the Icelandic and Nordic hammer of Thor.

For Christians, as mentioned above, the upside down cross is a reminder to Christians of Peter's incredible display of humility.