The Cross of Christ is a great shrine for both Orthodox and Catholics. However, in the form and in the depiction of Christ on body crucifixes, some differences can be traced.
In the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, the cross is a great shrine to the extent that it was on it that the Most Pure Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, endured torment and death for the salvation of the human race. In addition to the crosses crowning Orthodox churches and Catholic churches, there are also body-worn crucifixes that believers wear on their chests.
There are several differences at once between Orthodox wearable crosses and Catholic ones, which were formed over several centuries.
In the ancient Christian Church of the first centuries, the shape of the cross was predominantly four-pointed (with one central horizontal bar). Such forms of the cross and its images were in the catacombs at the time of the persecution of Christians by the Roman pagan authorities. The four-pointed form of the cross remains in the Catholic tradition to this day. The Orthodox cross is most often an eight-pointed crucifix, on which the upper crossbar is a plate on which the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews" was nailed, and the lower beveled crossbar testifies to the repentance of the robber. Such a symbolic form of the Orthodox cross indicates a high spirituality of repentance, vouching for a person the kingdom of heaven, as well as heart bitterness and pride, which entails eternal death.
In addition, six-pointed forms of the cross can be found in Orthodoxy. In this type of crucifixion, in addition to the main central horizontal one, there is also a lower beveled crossbar (sometimes there are six-pointed crosses with an upper straight crossbar).
Other differences include the images of the Savior on the cross. On Orthodox crucifixes, Jesus Christ is depicted as God who conquered death. Sometimes on the cross or icons of the suffering of the cross, Christ is depicted alive. Such an image of the Savior testifies to the Lord's victory over death and the salvation of mankind, speaks of the miracle of the resurrection that followed the bodily death of Christ.
Catholic crosses are more realistic. They depict Christ, who died after terrible torment. Often, on Catholic crucifixes, the hands of the Savior sag under the weight of the body. Sometimes you can see that the Lord's fingers are bent, as it were, into a fist, which is a plausible reflection of the effect of nails driven into the brushes (on Orthodox crosses, Christ's palms are open). Often on Catholic crosses you can see blood on the body of the Lord. All this focuses on the terrible torment and death that Christ endured for the salvation of man.
Other differences between Orthodox and Catholic crosses can be noted. So, on Orthodox crucifixes, Christ's feet are nailed with two nails, on Catholic ones - with one (although in some monastic Catholic orders until the 13th century there were crosses with four nails instead of three).
There are differences between Orthodox and Catholic crosses in the inscription on the top plate. "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" on Catholic crosses is written with an abbreviation in the Latin manner - INRI. Orthodox crosses have an inscription - IHTSI. On Orthodox crosses on the halo of the Savior, the inscription of Greek letters denoting the word "I am":
Also on Orthodox crosses there are often inscriptions "NIKA" (means the victory of Jesus Christ), "King of Glory", "Son of God".
