Featured Interesting 14k Ecclesiastical Cross w/Compartment?

Ok - I need help! I received a beautiful 14k yellow gold cross - it is centered with a round brilliant cut diamond and four amethyst cabochons. There is a screw at the bottom of the cross that releases a small compartment. What would have been in that compartment? Ashes? What is the marks inside? What are the symbols on the cross? Is this Irish Catholic, Russian, Celtic? The hallmarks on the side are faded and a bit blurry - according to one appraiser it is Gorham and early 20th c. This is a substantial piece with bail for hanging. It had to belong to someone with important to the church. Measures approx. 4" x 2.75".
Thanks so much!

 

Gorham?? Don't use that guy again.

 

Exactly. I do not feel this is an American piece although I could be wrong.

 

nice cross !

 

Drool worthy ! Im not the least bit religious but I love ecclesiastical objects. That might have held a relic at some point,a saints bone or the like.Does anyone else get a Celtic feel ?

 

I do but I have gone back and forth. The interesting thing is a while back, we received a ring from the same estate and it was a bishops ring with bone.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engolpion

Particles of a consecrated prosphora or the relics of saints were placed inside the encolpion to protect a person from various misfortunes, especially on long journeys or hikes. A variety of encolpia - panagir, panagia.

 

Frame worthy! I agree, relic compartment (or his personal stash). Has a celtic look to it for sure. earth fire air water type celtic knot design. LOVE it. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a finished back. I can't speak to the maker, but really a nice piece.

 

Looks like a Gorham 14K gold mark to me, but appears to be struck upside down in relation to the other marks - the 'X' prefix with letters rather than numbers indicates a special order item...

~Cheryl

 

Sorry - forgot to say, looks like a reliquary pectoral cross, probably held a bit of the true cross...

~Cheryl

 

1914 catalog page showing special order Bishops' pectoral crosses:




~Cheryl

 

Symbolism is Celtic.

If all the bits of the true cross were joined together, they'd cover half the Amazon rain forest.

 

The amethysts are the tip off that it was made for a bishop. Purple is their color the way red is for cardinals. Looks like runes inside the secret compartment.

 

I think it’s Celtic, Scotland, Iona Abby, St. John’s cross is very similar. They did hide a shard of bone in items they wore. Start with this and you will see on other sites the Celtic knots are different, some pointy, some rounded. Notice the shape flares out of the 4 branches of the cross. It may be a more modern version of the medieval cross depicted on the Abby exterior wall. Good luck it’s beautiful.

 

Truly beautiful cross!!!! Mom had bought a Bishop's set YEARS ago, WHY I have NOT a CLUE as she was as PROTESTANT as they COME!!!!!!!!!!! I believe it went with a lot of the estate stuff at the time we were closing the house!! Wish we had a couple of pictures of it!!!!

 

I agree, that would be interesting to see. I’m not Catholic either, although, my Presbyterian mother thought it GOOD for me to attend Catholic schools. It was not funny at first but after the initial visit to the confessional, I was asked why I was lying? At 12 all I could think of was to say, Father Peter did you expect the truth? In which case I would not have any clue what to say. He would smirk every time he saw me after that. Jewelery is beautiful to look at no matter who it belonged to! IMHO

 

Hehe, exactly my thinking!

Those are just the back of the motifs on the front...

Ummm, there are Protestant Bishops...


~Cheryl

 

Thank you!!!! I just got back from a week at our beach house - preparing for hurricane Ida. Just now saw this!

 

True enough, but Mom felt occasionally reading to us from the Bible was going to keeps us on the ‘straight & narrow’!!