Pope John Paul II and His… “Satanic” Chair?

1: The present article with

I. a brief presentation of the subject;

II. literary testimonies from the first six centuries of Christianity concerning the tradition of Peter’s death upside down, and other notable later testimonies;

III. artistic representations of that tradition across a thousand years of history;

IV. examples of the Petrine -not satanic- use of the symbol of the inverted cross in reference to the Apostle’s death, in Catholic churches and in churches belonging to several non-Catholic Christian denominations;

V. examples of the Petrine -not satanic– use of the symbol in secular settings, and its recognition in reference works;

VI. some conclusions that follow from what is set forth in this article.

2. An appendix with numerous testimonies of various kinds (here) on the crucifixion of Peter upside down, both in a Catholic context and in that of other non-Catholic Christian denominations, as well as in secular settings.

3. An article commenting on the presentation of the subject given by Mr. Daniel Sapia on his website, as well as commenting on his reply to my article and the evolution of his presentation since January 2003 (here).

I shall gladly answer any questions the reader may have, and I will be grateful for any comment or contribution. I also wish to thank the numerous people who helped me in the research and preparation of this article, and the people at Apologetica.org who worked with a Chinese patience on the design, drafting, and correction of the research. I attest that all the links presented here and in the appendix were checked and were active as of this date. The author (June 2003)

Pope John Paul II, during his visit to the Holy Land in the Jubilee Year 2000, celebrated a Mass in Galilee, at the place where tradition locates the Mount of the Beatitudes. The chair occupied by the Pope on that occasion bore a simple design of an inverted cross, as can be seen in the photograph accompanying this paragraph. The design, as the artist who made it explains, represents the death of Peter upside down, a datum preserved in the Tradition of the Church from a very early date. That celebration, besides being presided over by the man who today occupies the place of Peter -according to Catholic doctrine- was held only a few kilometers from Bethsaida, the hometown of the Apostle Peter, and from Capernaum, where the Apostle habitually resided.

Later on, the design of the inverted cross on that liturgical chair was interpreted by certain persons of clearly anti-Catholic inspiration not as a Petrine sign, but as a satanic sign, since the inverted cross is an element frequently associated with satanic worship.

In the present article it is my intention to offer the reader some elements of judgment that will allow him to assess the sign in its natural context, that is, the ancient tradition concerning the Apostle’s death, the history of art related to that event, the use of the symbol in settings of worship, the information provided by impartial sources, etc. The websites that present the “satanic” version of the papal chair offer none of these elements, and they present the photographs of that celebration in a thoroughly satanic context: inverted crosses in satanic rituals, suspense music, messages suggesting the beginning of the end, etc.; as if the cross of that celebration in the Holy Land had been displayed not at a Mass but at a witches’ sabbath.

If the reader has time and a good Internet connection, let him view the photographs at full size: the beauty of many of these works is well worth it.

Ø Artistic testimonies of the crucifixion upside down from the 8th-20th centuries: 128

Ø Testimonies in Catholic churches of the inverted cross, without Peter, as a symbol of the Apostle: 17+

Orthodox: 3
Episcopalian: 10
Methodist: 4
Lutheran: 10
Presbyterian: 8
Anglican: 4
Unitarian: 1
Baptist:3
Disciples of Christ: 1
Evangelical Christian in general: 3+

Ø Reference works (dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc.) that define the inverted cross as the “Cross of Peter”: 28

Ø Miscellaneous 7

TOTAL literary and artistic testimonies on the tradition of Peter’s crucifixion upside down: 175+

TOTAL testimonies of the use of the symbol (inverted cross) in reference to Peter in Christian churches, reference works, and other settings: 117+

“And Peter, having come to the cross, said: ‘Since my Lord Jesus, who came down from heaven to earth, was raised upon a cross upright, and since he has deigned to call me, who am of the earth, to heaven, my cross ought to be planted head downward, with my feet pointing upward, for I am not worthy to be crucified like my Lord.’ So they reversed the cross and nailed him with his feet upward.”

“[Peter said, addressing the executioners:] ‘And of you I ask this: crucify me thus, with the head downward, and in no other way.’”

“Finally [Peter], having come to Rome, was crucified head-downwards; for he himself had requested to suffer in that way.”

“Rejoice, O Peter, to whom it was granted to taste the wood of the cross of Christ. And in the likeness of the Master you wished to be crucified, yet not upright as Christ the Lord, but with your head turned toward the earth, as though showing yourself on the way from earth to heaven.”

Verso crucis vestigio
Simon, honorem dans Deo
suspensus ascendit, dati
non immemor oraculi

Its translation: “Simon [Peter], giving glory to God, hanging from the standard of an inverted cross, ascends [to heaven], not forgetting the oracle he had received [from Jesus, in John 21:18]

But more important than the author of the hymn or its exact date is the fact that, from the 5th century onward, this hymn was sung in all the abbeys, monasteries, and churches of the West. Even today it can be seen in the Latin hymnal used by priests and religious (for example, the Latin Hymnal of the Liturgy of the Hours published by the Argentine Episcopal Conference, 1996, p. 68, from which I take the text).

Finally, it is worth noting that the verse already speaks of the symbol (“the standard of an inverted cross”), which would later be given outward plastic expression.

“Then Peter and Paul were condemned to death. Paul’s neck was severed with the sword; Peter was raised upon a cross”

“Yet we read that Peter was crucified after having fed the sheep for barely a few months, even though Jesus had told him that the gates of Hell would not prevail against him.” (Book III, chapter XXII of the objections)

“And Peter also, who received authority to feed the sheep, was nailed to a cross and, as it were, planted upon it.” (Book IV, chapter IV of the objections)

[Nero] Bent as he was on rooting out the very name of the Christians, of the most holy apostles of Christ, Peter and Paul, the one he ordered to be nailed to a cross, the other he delivered to the edge of the sword.

Mundi magister, atque caeli Ianitor,
Romae parentes, arbitrique gentium,
per ensis ille, hic per crucis victor necem,
Vitae senatum laureati possident.

Whose translation is:

The teacher of the world and the keeper of heaven’s gate,
the two founders of Rome and governors likewise of every place,
triumphant over death by the sword and the ignominious cross,
have gathered, crowned with glory, in the eternal assembly.

Since this is a hymn that made its way into the common liturgy, practically all of Christendom sang it for centuries (down to the present day, as we shall see below) on the occasion of the feast of the Apostles, June 29.

“Although both [Peter and Paul] suffered death on the same day and at the same hour, they nevertheless did not suffer it in the same place; hence the poet says ‘Ense coronatus Paulus, cruce Petrus, eodem sub duce, luce, loco dux Nero, Roma locus’, that is, “Paul was crowned with the sword, while Peter was given the inverted cross; the place was the city of Rome, under Nero.”

Ianitor caeli, doctor orbis pariter,
iudices saecli, vera mundi lumina,
per crucem alter, alter ense triumphans
vitae senatum laureati possident.

We give the translation which to this very day is prayed by all priests and religious, at least in Argentina, in the Liturgy of the Hours for June 29 (First Vespers):

Today you wear the crown of glory,
fathers of Rome and judges of the peoples:
the teacher of the world, by the sword;
and, by the cross, the heavenly gatekeeper.

The Latin text is taken from the Latin Hymnal of the Liturgy of the Hours published by the Argentine Episcopal Conference, 1996, p. 68. The translation, from the 1997 Argentine edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, vol. III, p. 1507.

Chapter IX. Peter
Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome; albeit some others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof. [There follows the legend of his encounter with Jesus, the quo vadis Domine]. Jerome saith that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as his Lord was.

The text was taken from www.ccel.org, in English, from a page that is no longer online

Foxe does not justify his “doubt” about the tradition. On the other hand, he seems to give the quo vadis Domine the same weight as the death of Peter in Rome by crucifixion, even though the two “traditions” are of very different value. In any case, what matters is that he records the tradition concerning the death of Peter.

Foxe’s work is summarized in the Protestant publication “Christian Book Summaries”, Vol. I, Number 18 (year 2000), which repeats -without raising any objection- the manner of the apostle’s death by crucifixion upside down.

At the end of that publication it is stated:

“John Foxe (1517-1587) was a professor at Oxford, and later a minister in London, before being forced to flee to Europe when Queen Mary came to power. While in Europe he wrote this classic work, which he published after his return to England, when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne.”

And then it says:

“John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was originally published in 1554. […] More than a million copies exist, in various editions, and it can be purchased in bookstores and also on the Internet”.

There are other citations in the publication affirming the central place this work held in the formation of nascent Protestantism. That publication is here (in English). (And a copy in case the link goes down, here).

I consider this testimony important: Foxe’s book has educated generations of Protestants for almost five centuries now, and at present there are a million printed copies, so it is claimed. On the other hand, it appears that the Protestant publication “Christian Book Summaries” does not regard the fact as a groundless legend, but as a datum that may be preserved in continuity with the most ancient tradition. In conclusion, the tradition of Peter dying upside down is not unknown even within the Protestant tradition. Further below I give numerous modern practical examples.

I went on working for the pope [Clement VII, 1523-1534] doing now one trifle, now another, when the pontiff commissioned me to design a chalice of extraordinary richness. So I made both the drawing and the model for the work. The model was of wood and wax. Instead of making the upper part as is usually done, I designed three fairly large figures encircling the work; they represented Faith, Hope, and Charity. Corresponding to these three figures, at the foot of the chalice, were three circular scenes in bas-relief. One was the Nativity of the Lord, the second the Resurrection, and the third St. Peter crucified head downwards; for such were the instructions I received. While I had this work in hand, the pope took delight in looking at it frequently; since I knew that the pope had no intention of giving me any other commission, etc…

“Shortly after the second epistle [of Paul to Timothy] Peter arrived in Rome and, according to the general tradition, was crucified there in the Vatican -the site of other martyrdoms before his own- head downwards.”

In his History of the Christian Church -the whole work runs to eight volumes- Schaff states: “The martyrdom of Peter by crucifixion was predicted by our Lord, John 21:18-19, though no place is mentioned”.

“Peter apparently left Antioch and made his way to Rome around the year 55; there he died, as head of the local church, a martyr under the reign of Nero. According to traditional accounts, he was crucified upside down.”

In the monastery of Conques (France) there is a series of capitals, among which this is one of the oldest, with the still-visible image of Peter, crucified upside down.

The Romanesque church of St. Genest de Lavardin (France) preserves numerous splendid paintings. Among them, a St. Peter crucified upside down.

Capital of the cloister of the Monastery of Moissac (France). Scene of the martyrdom of Peter, crucified upside down. In the small photo, an idea of the exceedingly beautiful cloister. The French Revolution, which seems to have made a hobby of iconoclasm, went about smashing images throughout France. When it reached this one, it hammered off Peter’s feet, probably thinking they were the head of the image.

Church of the town of Petersberg (Germany). In the upper photo, an overall view of the church. In the next photo, the fresco of the main altar, where the figure of the inverted cross can already be seen at the middle level on the left. The detail with the crucifixion of Peter upside down in the last photograph.

Church of St-Pierre-de-la-Tour, in Aulnay-de-Saintonge (France). On the tympanum of the north portal can be seen the scene of the crucifixion of the apostle St. Peter.

Portal of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll (Spain). The larger photograph shows the upper part of the impressive portal, with 73 stone representations of biblical, allegorical, and everyday motifs; at the center of the portal, the scene that interests us: Peter, crucified upside down (small photo).

In the Cathedral Church of Monreale, Sicily (Italy) are found some of the most prized and extraordinary mosaics in the world, magnificent expressions of Norman art. Among the many mosaics preserved to this day is the crucifixion of Peter, upside down.

This relief of the crucifixion of Peter upside down, weathered but still clearly visible, is in the famous Château Comtal, in Carcassonne (France).

On the south portal of the impressive cathedral church of Chartres (France) there is a kind of history of the Church in stone, from Christ in his first coming to his glorious manifestation at the end of time. Surrounding the Christ are the Apostles, the first of whom is Peter, carrying in his hands a key and a wooden beam, which represents his crucifixion.

In the Chiesa Rossa of the municipality of Castel San Pietro (Switzerland) several mural paintings by an unknown author can be seen, among which is a sequence of images from the life of Peter; among these, the moment of the crucifixion upside down.

In the episcopal museum of Limoges (France) is found this Coffer of St. Peter, on whose front panel can be seen a work of goldsmithery with the image of St. Peter, crucified upside down.

The Crucifixion of St. Peter, Chapel of the Sancta Sanctorum, Palazzo Laterano, Rome (Italy). The author is known as the Master of the Sancta Sanctorum.

Altar frontal of St. Peter, Sienese school. National Picture Gallery of Siena (Italy). The central part of the frontal is presided over by St. Peter, seated and holding the keys, the attribute that characterizes him. On the sides appear scenes from the life of Christ and of St. Peter, such as the Saint’s denial and his crucifixion upside down.

Stained-glass windows in the Cathedral of Poitiers (France). This spectacular window represents Christ Crucified in the upper part, and Peter, crucified upside down, in the lower part (second photograph), as though he were a reflection of the Crucified One…

The Martyrdom of St. Peter and St. Paul, miniature in the Berthold Missal (Morgan MS 110, fol. 967), a manuscript from the monastery of Weingarten (Germany). The photograph is taken from The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1966 edition, alongside the entry for St. Peter the Apostle.

Frescoes in the church of St. Peter the Apostle, in San Piero a Grado, Pisa (Italy). The photograph shows the detail of the crucifixion of the apostle upside down. The work is attributed to Deodato Orlandi.

Giotto, Polittico Stefaneschi, Vatican Picture Gallery. Work on wood. On the left of the triptych, the representation of St. Peter crucified upside down.

Chapel of St. Martial, in the Palace of the Popes at Avignon (France). One of the numerous paintings recalls Peter, crucified upside down. The paintings are by Matteo Giovannetti.

The cathedral of Cologne (Germany) is one of the most beautiful monuments of Christianity. The tympanum of the cathedral’s south portal (first photograph) is dedicated to St. Peter. In the center (second photograph), several scenes of the passions of Peter and Paul before Nero in Rome; on the left of the lower level (third photograph), the detail of the crucifixion of Peter, upside down. In the center, the beheading of Paul. It is very common, as we have seen and shall see, to represent both apostles giving their lives for Christ in Rome, Peter by an inverted cross, Paul by the sword, both data of a tradition that has no opponents.

The Martyrdom of St. Peter in the Breviary of Martin of Aragon. In the National Library of France, ROTH 2529, fol. 341v.

Lorenzo Zaragoza, Altarpiece of St. Peter, with nineteen scenes from the life of the Apostle. In the Cincinnati Art Museum. At the lower right corner, the crucifixion upside down.

Masaccio, The Crucifixion of St. Peter. The Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Detail of the Pisa Altarpiece. Tempera on panel. The work is in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin (Germany).

Antonio Averulino, The Martyrdom of St. Peter. Central door of St. Peter’s Basilica, in bronze (Vatican). The work was commissioned by Pope Eugene IV. The upper photograph shows a panoramic view with the entrance to the temple; the arrow indicates the position of the panel with the crucifixion of Peter. In the photo below, the detail of the scene that interests us. How many millions of pilgrims have seen this work in the nearly six hundred years it has been there?

Filippino Lippi, The Crucifixion of Peter. Fresco in the Brancacci Chapel, Florence (Italy)

Detail of a tabernacle commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV -who gave his name to the Sistine Chapel- which can be seen in the Vatican grottoes.

This other colorful miniature is found in an ancient Book of Hours in France. At the moment I have only these catalogue data: Add. MS. 11865, f. 87. As for our subject, the miniature shows two moments of the firm tradition concerning the deaths of Paul, beheaded, and Peter, crucified upside down.

Bramante, Chapel of the site of the Crucifixion, church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome (Italy). The famous artist created a sculpture to honor the place where the martyrdom of Peter was believed to have taken place. In the large photo, a panoramic view of the sculpture; in the detail, the scene of Peter, crucified upside down.

Michelangelo Buonarroti: Fresco The Crucifixion of St. Peter, in the Chapel of Paul III, Vatican Museum.

In the parish church of San Pedro de Gata (Spain) is found this splendid altarpiece with sculptures and paintings. At the central level, on the right, can be seen the scene of the crucifixion of Peter upside down (lower photo).

Caravaggio, The Crucifixion of St. Peter. Oil on canvas. The work is in Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome (Italy). Copies of this splendid work and of several of the works I present here are found in many churches around the world.

Guido Reni, Martyrdom of St. Peter, Vatican Picture Gallery.

Paolo Piazza, Crucifixion of St. Peter, on a side altar of the Frauenkirche, the cathedral church of Munich (Germany).

The Crucifixion of St. Peter, by Palma the Younger. Gallery of the Academy, Venice (Italy).

In the cathedral of Toledo (Spain) the main sacristy displays a good number of paintings. One of them is Peter, crucified upside down, by the painter Eugenio Caxes.

Guercino, The Crucifixion of St. Peter, oil on canvas. Galleria Estense, Modena (Italy). Note the author’s interpretation: an angel is sent by God (his left hand points to heaven) to suggest to Peter that he have himself crucified upside down (the angel’s right hand pointing to his own head).

Francisco de Zurbarán, The Apparition of the Apostle St. Peter to St. Peter Nolasco, oil on canvas, Prado Museum (Madrid).

Francisco de Zurbarán, St. Peter, oil on canvas, church of San Esteban in Seville (Spain). The specialized art site from which I obtained this painting explains: “[Peter] is represented with his traditional attributes: the keys of Heaven and the wooden beam alluding to the inverted cross on which he died a martyr.”

Peter Paul Rubens, The Crucifixion of Peter, Church of St. Peter, Cologne (Germany). Oil on canvas.

Mattia Preti, The Crucifixion of Peter, in the Museum of Grenoble (France). The photo I obtained is small, but the actual painting is 3.36 meters high by 2.42 wide.

Francisco Collantes, Landscape with the Crucifixion of St. Peter. Oil on canvas. The work is in the Prado Museum, Madrid (Spain).

Artus Quellinus the Elder, Church of St. Andrew, Antwerp (Belgium). Marble. Peter, portrayed as a man of sorrows yet full of energy, embraces an inverted cross, the symbol of his passion. Further below we shall comment a little more on this image.

Luca Giordano: The Crucifixion of St. Peter. The work is in the Academy of Venice (Italy).

In the cathedral of Mexico City, in the chapel of St. Peter, there is a painting representing the scene of the crucifixion of Peter upside down. Thus have millions of Mexican faithful seen it for four centuries. In the upper photo, a view of the altarpiece; in the other photograph, the painting of the crucifixion. It is possibly a painting by Echave Orio from the 17th century, as Manuel Toussaint writes, and the author is of Flemish origin. (Photo: Luis Moreno)

Pierre Subleyras, The Crucifixion of Peter, Louvre Museum (Paris). Oil on canvas.

In the Vatican Basilica, in the vault at the far end, next to Bernini’s splendid work at the altar of the Chair, there is a crucifixion of Peter upside down, in stucco, in a kind of round niche about three meters in diameter. The work is part of the ornamentation carried out by Giovan Battista Maini, perfectly visible as the photograph shows.

Icon of the Russian Orthodox Church, representing the Church of Christ. In the upper part, next to the head of Christ, are represented the martyrdom of Paul by beheading (right) and Peter crucified upside down (left). There are other martyrs represented in the same manner in the lower scenes.

Church of St. Peter in Gottolengo (Italy). On one of its vaults is found this most beautiful painting by the painter Franzoni, celebrating the testimony of Peter, crucified upside down.

Martyrdom of St. Peter upside down, Cathedral of Salta (Argentina). According to the National Artistic Heritage of the Province of Salta, it is attributed to Francisco Ortega.

In the church of St. Joan of Arc in Rouen (France) there is a stained-glass window dedicated to St. Peter. In the upper part can be seen the scene of his death by crucifixion upside down.

Cornusson Church in Garonne (France). In the central window of the three stained-glass panels, at the upper center, we see the crucifixion of St. Peter upside down, arms outstretched.

National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi, San Francisco, California (USA). In the stained-glass windows of the eastern part of the temple is found, among many others, this image dedicated to preserving the memory of the martyrdom of Peter, crucified upside down, and that of Paul, by beheading.

Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, in the city of Rome (Italy). The church guards the remains of the Apostle of the Gentiles, who died by beheading -according to tradition- in the imperial capital. The central door of the basilica (upper photo) contains scenes from the life and death of Peter and Paul. Among the scenes can also be seen the crucifixion of Peter upside down.

On the vault of the main nave of the church of St. Peter in Munich (Germany) is found this enormous fresco recalling the martyrdom of Peter upside down. The church, destroyed by the Allied bombings of the Second World War, was completely rebuilt.

Stefano Billi, The Crucifixion of St. Peter. Oil and polyurethane varnish on wood. An example of the tradition concerning the death of Peter upside down in modern Italian art.

Beneath the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican) there are many crypts with altars for the celebration of Holy Mass. Several Popes also rest in those chapels. Facing the place that contains the bones of the Apostle Peter, there is a marble altar with reliefs, where the Eucharist may be celebrated (upper photo). On one of the sides of the altar can be seen the scene of Peter, crucified upside down.

This icon was painted by an Orthodox monk of Mount Athos, in Greece. The Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Athenagoras presented it as a gift to Pope Paul VI, in memory of the historic meeting between the two that took place in Jerusalem (January 1964), where they mutually lifted the ancient excommunications. In the part corresponding to Peter, an inverted cross. That this symbol is traditional in the Orthodox churches is demonstrated both by the painter and by the one who gave the gift.

There is a design on that website in which two keys -taken from the scene where Jesus entrusts to Peter the keys of the Kingdom- cross each other forming an inverted cross. The complete design was found here. Moreover, the site of the Survey & Research Reports Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission (the site is here) presents a detailed report on the history and architecture of that church’s house of worship. There we read: “The very entrance to the church has heavy double wooden doors, on which is engraved a shield, at the top, with interlaced keys and an inverted cross: more symbols of Peter.” The doors, like the building, date from 1893. The Episcopalian faithful have seen that shield for more than a hundred years as they enter the temple for prayer.

The parish promotes its parish bulletin. The name of the bulletin is… “The Inverted Cross” (The inverted cross). There too there is a design with the keys and the inverted cross.

On that website some photographs of the house of worship can be seen. For our purpose, let the reader look at the photograph I display here, which corresponds to the front of the Episcopalian temple, where next to a large cross -of Christ- there is an inverted cross. What did this Episcopalian community “of St. Peter” intend to represent by that sign?

On that page a brief explanation is given of the emblem representing that parish. The emblem carries an inverted cross, a sword, and a key, symbols of the two great apostles. The design appears on the main page and on several internal pages.

On one of its pages we read the following account by one of its members: “The Episcopal church community to which I belong is called “St. Peter’s”. Our standard [banner] is covered with symbols that remind us of the life of this “rock”, upon which Jesus founded his church. At the top, a colorful rooster, whose crowing made Peter acknowledge his denial; in the center is the inverted cross, indicating the manner of crucifixion which a humble Peter, as tradition tells us, chose; and flanking the cross are two large, ancient keys… etc.”

The church presents information about its activities and worship. It explains several stained-glass windows that enrich the temple, among them one of the “Annunciation”. It says that it has secondary symbols in addition to the central ones, and among them “the venerable offices of Peter, the keys crossed over an inverted cross: he did not feel worthy… ” etc. It is made clear that these secondary symbols of the window “were carefully selected to enhance the central motif” (the Annunciation). In the photo of the window presented by the site, the Petrine motif cannot quite be made out.

In that church there is a beautiful stained-glass window with Gospel images and, at the foot of each window, some apostolic symbols. In the window of the Transfiguration, as the person in charge of the site explains, there is an inverted cross, the sign of Peter (lower left corner of the photograph).

The site describes the church’s various stained-glass windows. One of them represents Peter, with the keys in his hands, and at his side an inverted cross. The photograph offered by the site is not of good quality, and the symbols of Peter are not visible.

For the re-dedication of the Cathedral church (May 2002) the faithful of that community presented more than thirty banners, on which various motifs of the Christian faith are represented. One of them, “designed by Father Joe Smith and Donna Bartman”, bears a large red inverted cross on a white background, plus a fleur-de-lis representing the city of Louisville. Both that banner and the others are permanently displayed in a hall of the cathedral complex.

There is a brief tour with an explanation of the temple’s architecture and some of its symbolic elements. It is said there that there are twelve kneelers and that each one represents one of the Apostles. The one corresponding to Peter bears “his keys, his inverted cross and his famous rooster”. It is noted that the kneelers were handworked by women of the community.

In the church there are some stained-glass windows, among them one dedicated to Peter. In it can be seen “the symbols of Peter”, as the site explains: a rooster, two keys, a fish, a rock and an inverted cross

There are designs of the apostles on the doors, and Peter is represented by the inverted cross and the keys. Rev. Caroline B. Edge explains to the assembly, in a sermon of June 2002, the missionary meaning of those apostolic symbols, and says that “the symbol of Peter” is the inverted cross and the keys, and gives the reasons we already know.

It presents a page with the stained-glass windows of its church. Among many others there is one representing Peter, with the keys, the rooster and an inverted cross, while offering the explanation of the latter which the reader can already imagine. It is also said that the windows were designed and executed by Robert and Patricia Metcalf, of Metcalf Studio in Lake Havasu, AZ.

On the site that community is presented as the “mother church of the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America”. It contains a remarkable series of stained-glass windows, representing biblical scenes and a great number of Christian symbols (even a “seal of Luther”). In the window dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ, there is a rooster and an inverted cross, symbols -says the site- “of Peter’s denial and of his martyrdom”.

The church offers on its website, among other things, an explanation of one of the church’s stained-glass windows. In it the apostles are represented by different crosses. For Peter, an inverted cross.

It presents photographs of the temple’s stained-glass windows, installed in 1954. Among them is one dedicated to Peter, who is symbolized by an inverted cross.

It presents on its website a history of the parish community and of the temple. Speaking of the windows of the central nave, it says that they represent many figures from the Bible and from the history of the Church, from Moses to H.M. Muhlenberg, “patriarch of Lutheranism in America”, by way of St. Francis of Assisi and Luther. Each figure is painted full-length, plus a symbol that characterizes him. For one of the windows the site says: “St. Peter, representative of the disciples, is presented holding in his hands the keys of the Kingdom, and is symbolized by an inverted cross. Tradition holds that he was crucified upside down”.

It carries the symbol of Peter with the inverted cross and the keys. And it explains: “The Christian symbol for St. Peter is the inverted cross and the crossed keys”. The church is affiliated with the “Evangelical Lutheran Church in America”.

It carries the emblems of the twelve Apostles seen on the carpet beneath the temple’s main altar. The explanation corresponding to Peter says that “his symbol is the keys”. But on the shield there is also the inverted cross, as can be seen in the photo.

There are stained-glass windows alluding to some of the apostles, among them a very beautiful one referring to Peter. He is represented at the moment when Christ helps him not to sink into the waters (Mt 14:30-31). He appears surrounded by symbols alluding to his person. The person in charge of the Lutheran parish explains them thus: “In the upper part: a heart, symbol of Peter’s goodness; the anchor, for his faith; the Church upon a rock; the inverted cross for his crucifixion; the crown, symbol of Christ whom he adores”. The author of the work originally adds symbols not often seen: the “heart” as a sign of Peter’s goodness, or the “anchor” as a symbol of his faith.

The temple has a modern tower laden with symbols, and in particular with crosses, referring to various aspects of Christian life and its history. Among them there is also an inverted cross, which, as the site explains, is “a symbol of St. Peter, who was crucified in that position”.

Among the liturgical emblems appears this one, of Peter, with an inverted cross and the keys. Under “Who we are” we read that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil “has 200 thousand members, distributed among 2000 congregations and mission points and served by hundreds of pastors”. Did none of them notice anything strange in an emblem that is nothing less than liturgical?

We can see a very beautiful stained-glass window with the image of the Apostle Peter, holding in his hands the traditional keys. In the upper part of the window is a shield with the image of a rooster, and in the lower part a shield with an inverted cross. On the site it is explained that this “represents his death: according to tradition he died in Rome crucified upside down”. It is worth noting that this is a cathedral church.

It carries an explanation of a wooden reredos taken from the work “Symbolism of the Sanctuary” by Dr. W. Lapsley Carson, pastor of that church between 1922 and 1959. Among the symbols there is an engraving representing Peter, with the keys and an inverted cross. According to what is said there, the design was placed in the church “inadvertently upside down”. Here I publish it as it should be. The site explains regarding that shield: “The saltire or crossed keys, superimposed on an inverted cross, signify St. Peter… Peter was crucified upside down”.

In one of its windows the symbology of Peter is displayed: an inverted cross and the crossed keys. The site says: “The inverted cross was the way Peter wished to die”

It offers on its portal several photographs of the abundant stained-glass material with which that church has been enriched: among them some dedicated to Luther, Calvin, and other important figures of Christianity. There is a symbolic sequence dedicated to the apostles in one of the corridors. Everything there is symbols. For Peter are presented: the keys, a fisherman’s boat, fish, fishing nets, an anchor, a rooster, a “70 x 7”, a cross upon a rock, a staff and an inverted cross (the photo at the foot of this paragraph). But that is not all: the faithful encounter another inverted cross on the main door, as soon as they arrive at the temple (the upper photo, to the left of this paragraph). And as if this were not enough, a rose window in the main nave once again reminds the faithful of the death of Peter upside down (lower photo, to the left of this paragraph).

It displays some banners which, as the site explains, represent the great confessions of faith from the beginning of Christianity down to our own days. It is also reported that the banners are displayed in that church on “Reformation Sunday”. On the banner of the “Apostles’ Creed” can be seen: an anchor, a fish, a chalice and an inverted cross. The site explains that this refers to “Peter, who according to legend was crucified upside down”, etc. It is worth noting that although the datum is acknowledged as “legendary”, it is used in the liturgical symbology on the very day on which the Reformation of Luther and company is celebrated.

A copy of the previous banner in another Presbyterian church. The site declares that the symbols, among which is an inverted cross with the familiar explanation, are “a simple reminder of the ESSENTIAL THEMES of the Christian faith” (original emphasis).

It gives some data on the construction and meaning of the building. It also bears twelve plaques relating to the apostles -the place of Judas is occupied by Paul-; the plaques date from 1927. The site says: “The plaques -at the front of the Mack chapel- display traditional symbols painted in gold for each of the apostles. Peter: inverted cross with keys. Andrew … ” etc.

It offers a description of some elements of the parish temple. There is a series of shields with the symbols of the apostles. For Peter, the inverted cross and the keys, with the explanation we already know.

It offers abundant information about the community and the temple. The building has beautiful stained-glass windows dedicated to the twelve apostles and the symbols that usually represent them (the introduction page showed all the windows). When it represents Peter it does so in this way:

“His symbols are the Keys (which here form part of his vestments) and an inverted cross (because he felt unworthy to die like Christ, he asked that his cross be inverted, so that he might direct his gaze toward the heavens while he was crucified). This inverted cross is not immediately visible, since it is partly hidden by the bar dividing the two windows”.

And with respect to the window of Philip the Apostle, to the left of Peter’s, it explains: “Philip is pointing with his left hand toward the inverted cross of St. Peter in panel 8”. In the photographs accompanying this paragraph can be seen the whole window and a detail with the two apostles mentioned and the inverted cross in the middle.

Speaking of that community’s temple, it says that the frontal of the main altar (note the importance of the place) bears a design rich in symbolism. The site explains that design in detail and among other things says: “In the upper part is the inverted cross of St. Peter, a sign of courage and fidelity, but also of humility; Peter thought he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Jesus”. A little earlier it had said: “The altar frontal was donated by a member of our congregation. It was created by Juliet Hemingray, one of the most celebrated designers of church objects in England: she produced all the vestments for the enthronement of the current Archbishop of Canterbury. To carry out the work, she made use of an original design suggested by the Rector of the church” (my emphasis).

A shield can be seen with the keys and the inverted cross, which was also repeated on the old site belonging to the parish school. In that same church there is a processional cross donated in the year 1925. It has a central piece in enamel with symbols of the passion, “also the crossed keys and the inverted cross, elements which are found in many parts of the Church as symbols of St. Peter”, the site explains, giving the reasons we already know. All this information could be seen on this page, www.st-peterscofe-jun.bham.sch.uk, belonging to the church (now offline).

In the windows of the upper part there is a rich symbology, in particular referring to different forms of crosses. As that website explains, we also find an inverted cross: “Beginning on the western side we find: the Cross of Peter, the cross of his martyrdom (because he was crucified upside down); etc”. The temple was built by and for the Baptist church, according to the website; with the passage of time it changed denomination (Unitarian).

The site presents a photograph of the enormous stained-glass window called “of the Great Commission”, alluding to Christ’s command to preach the gospel to the whole world. “It takes hours to appreciate all the beauty of this window”, says the website. As regards our interest, there is an allusion to Peter at the far left of the work; above the Apostle there is an inverted cross and the keys. The Baptist site explains: “Below is the symbol of Peter, the inverted cross and the crossed keys […] Tradition says that Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.” The photograph I publish here, taken from the site in question, allows the symbols to be seen only with considerable difficulty.

The temple was built in the sixties, but the stained-glass windows of the central nave were installed in 1980. There are twelve windows referring to the twelve apostles. Regarding the window corresponding to Peter, the webmaster explains: “Peter is represented by the inverted cross and the keys. The Universal Church is represented by the earth, set amid storm clouds, and by a ship in the midst of a stormy sea”.

The site “Christians in Schools” offered resources in English for Christian teaching and witness in the schools of the region of Stockport, Cheshire (England). Among the numerous resources is the explanation of Christian symbology, and also of our inverted cross. It is called the “Cross of Peter”, and carries this explanation: “The inverted cross is frequently known as the ‘Cross of Peter’. It is believed that Peter, like Jesus, was crucified by the Romans; but he thought it would not be fitting to die exactly like Jesus, and so he asked to be crucified upside down”. This testimony seems to me particularly interesting because it consists of school-level resources for the schools of England approved by the authorities of that region -it is not material proposed by one or two individuals- and, above all, because the authors of these educational resources are “a group of Christians of various denominations, including the Anglican, Baptist and independent evangelical churches in the region of Stockport, England, United Kingdom”, as writes David Scott, Treasurer and Administrator of the educational partnership.

This information about the Petrine use of the inverted cross by Baptist communities, in this box and in the previous ones, I consider particularly interesting given that Mr. Sapia, the principal promoter -in the Spanish-speaking world of the Internet- of the satanist reading of the inverted cross, himself belongs to the Baptist evangelical church “Rey de Paz” (“King of Peace”), in the city of Buenos Aires, of whose website he is the administrator.

It is dedicated to providing assistance to teachers and administrators of the schools of the Christian churches in Great Britain. The site is of professional caliber and belongs to the National Society. It is also said there: “All the material contained has been written by church school teachers and experts in church school administration, including diocesan education staff and legal advisers”. And also: “This site has been approved by the National Grid for Learning” (National Grid for Learning, a governmental entity –NGFL-). Among the abundant material is a page with Christian signs, and among them the inverted cross with the keys. And it is explained: “The symbol of Peter shows an inverted cross and two crossed keys”. The material is taken from the publication “Teaching Christianity at Key Stage 2”, in use in the Christian schools of that country.

In the sacristy of that chapel there is a beautiful oak cabinet with shields of the apostles. Peter’s bears an inverted cross and the keys.

In the breviary used by priests and religious for their daily prayers in Argentina can be seen the illustrative engraving for the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul (June 29). The design, made in 1980, presents the two glorious apostles on either side of the Cross of the Lord, above which a dove recalls the Holy Spirit. The signs of Paul are a boat -his apostolic journeys- a sword -he was beheaded in Rome, according to tradition- and a scroll -his writings; the symbology of Peter is represented with the keys, a rock -both images taken from Mt 16:18- and the inverted cross.

An engraving referring to the apostles Peter and Paul is displayed, introducing the apostolic letters. In it, Paul holds a scroll -his writings- and a sword -his martyr’s death by beheading, according to tradition; Peter is seen with a key -on account of Mt 16:18- and an inverted cross. After a brief introduction to the work, the Argentine edition of the Scriptures notes that “The illustrations of this Bible have been kindly provided by their authors, the Argentine artists Raúl Soldi (Old Testament) and Norah Borges (New Testament).”

Says the website where the painting can be seen:

“The work is the 2nd part of the diptych “Paul and Peter”, designed by Fray Gabriel O.S.B. and executed by Jaime Domínguez during December 1995 and January 1996 in the workshop of Contemporary Religious Art. The symbology corresponding to St. Peter is found everywhere in this work: the Rooster, the Key of Heaven, the Epistles and the inverted Cross.” [Upper right corner]

There is an altar made with the motif of Peter, visible in the upper photograph to the left of this paragraph. Among several other symbols, as the cathedral’s site explains, an inverted cross can be made out behind the main statue (note the lower crossbar). All the sculptures of the cathedral date from 1954-1959.

In the same cathedral there is a stained-glass window with the same motif, visible in the second photograph.

There is a symbolic representation of the Twelve Apostles on twelve columns in the presbytery. Peter is represented with the inverted cross and the keys. The work dates from 1954.

It presents a mural in which Christ appears after his Resurrection, surrounded by many symbols, landscapes, and biblical figures. On that same website it is explained who made the mural, how he did it, and many other details -for example, that it is four meters high by thirteen long. In the mural appear the symbols of the martyrdom of the Apostles who give the parish its name. Paul appears symbolized by a sword -on which the artist even designed the seal of Caesar Augustus Nero- while Peter is symbolized by an inverted cross, which can be seen at the far left of the mural.

The stained-glass window presents several Petrine and Pauline themes: the boat of Peter upon the waves, the keys and an inverted cross (in the background, occupying the whole design); of Paul can be seen a sword and a scroll. Each element is explained on that parish website.

On one of its interior arches the temple represents the twelve Apostles of the Lord through their symbols. For Peter appears an inverted cross with the keys.

The temple’s tower bears an inverted cross. We read on that parish’s website: Ihr 56m hoher Turm wird als Besonderheit von einem Petruskreuz bekrönt (Der Apostel Petrus wurde mit dem Kopf nach unten gekreuzigt, weil er aus Ehrfurcht nicht genauso wir Jesus sterben wollte), which means, in brief, that the tower has an inverted cross of St. Peter, in accordance with the tradition of his death upside down. The photos on the left are courtesy of Wolfram Zucker, of the parish of St. Ulrich.

In the photocopy I publish here -upper photo- it is said that some twenty churches in Bavaria have on their towers an inverted cross of Peter, or “Petruskreuz”. The datum reached me from the municipal administration of the town of Giebelstadt, Germany. It is a leaflet published there commenting on the meaning of the various crosses visible on some churches. In it one can even see the tower of the parish of St. Joseph -of Giebelstadt- with its inverted cross (the quality of the photocopy is not good, but clear enough to make out that cross). In the leaflet several types of crosses are drawn, among them an inverted cross, and we read: “The cross crowning our parish church bears a Cross of Peter […] which is an inverted Latin cross, in accordance with the tradition of the death of Peter upside down. Professor Albert Bosslet built in our province some sixty churches; in a third of these churches -among which is our own- the towers bear a Cross of Peter”. I have not been able to ascertain whether all those churches are Catholic, or also of other denominations.

Professor Bosslet was a renowned German church-building architect (1883-1957); his work extends throughout the country. The churches we mention here were built in the first half of the 20th century.

See in the lower photo the specialized bibliography used in the preparation of the leaflet.

In this place, where Christian tradition locates the cell in which Peter is said to have spent his last days before being martyred, there is an altar, on whose front side can be seen an inverted cross.

We have already seen this image above as a testimony to the crucifixion of Peter in the inverted position. I repeat it here because it also has the important value of showing Peter not crucified, but embracing an inverted cross, that is, the sign of his passion. Moreover, he carries the keys in his hands. The work dates from 1648. Was the use of the sign at John Paul II’s celebration in the Holy Land 350 years later a novelty?

A testimony I consider particularly interesting is the sign of the inverted cross beneath the High Altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican: the High Altar is the one under the famous baldachin of Bernini, at the center of the basilica. Beneath that altar there are many chapels, among them the one guarding the bones which, it is believed, are those of St. Peter: the Apostle is said to have suffered martyrdom a few meters from there, crucified upside down as tradition hands down to us, and to have been buried in that place. In the photos I present here can be seen that chapel and the detail of the inverted cross, between the statue of Peter (to the left of the chapel) and the central icon of the Christ.

The chapel with its sculptures and marbles is the work of the famous architect and engineer Carlo Maderno, who was the chief architect of the renovations made to the basilica by Paul V, and also of the current facade. The inverted cross seen there was placed in that spot between the years 1607 and 1617.

It should be noted that this chapel, with the icon of Christ, the inverted cross, and the statues of the princes of the Apostles, is clearly visible from the upper floor of the basilica, for it is an open chapel connected to the upper floor by two staircases, so that the thousands of pilgrims who come to that place daily can appreciate it without even descending to the lower level; one may also descend to it -most pilgrims do- and thus see the chapel from the level at which the photographs were taken.

Since it was placed there, 32 popes and millions of people in the nearly four hundred years that separate us from that date have passed before the symbol of Peter.

The black-and-white photo and the data on the workmanship I take from Der Vatikan, Goldene Jahrhunderte der Kunst und Architektur, by Maurizio Fagiolo dell’Arco, Augsburg 1989, pp. 172-173, a specialized work that goes step by step through the most outstanding places of the Basilica. It is a translation of the original: L’Arte dei Papi, published by Arnoldo Mondadori, Mailand.

The Pope, successor of Peter, celebrates Holy Mass a few kilometers from the house of Peter in the Holy Land. The person charged with designing the altar, among other liturgical signs, used this one of the cross of Peter on the papal chair. As the reader can infer, doing so was no novelty at all.

Tracking down information about that celebration, I obtained the datum as to who made that chair: it was Fr. Eduardo Ricoboni, of the Neocatechumenal movement. The celebration, in fact, was organized in its entirety by this ecclesial movement, which among other things laid in those days the foundation stone of a retreat house at the foot of the Mount of the Beatitudes. Fr. Ricoboni, besides being a priest, is an artist. I was able to contact him by telephone on February 13, 2003. I asked him whether he had been involved in the organization of the event, and he answered affirmatively. I told him that I was doing a study on the symbology of that celebration, and asked whether he could explain a little to me, to which he agreed most gladly. When I mentioned the chair and the design of the cross -without giving him any advance warning- he answered me: “The idea was Kiko Argüello’s [the founder of the movement] and it refers to the death of Peter; the whole liturgical setting was designed by him, I limited myself to executing it”. I told him what “was being said” about that chair; he laughed at it and replied: “The devil has nothing to do with this; it is about the death of Peter”.

This is the testimony of the man who built the chair. So we know positively what the real meaning of the sign is. Whether or not Kiko Argüello had reasons for that design, the reader can see in everything I have set forth thus far. But there is more.

I have personally seen the paper work of 1889, published in New York. The data in that edition are in volume 2, p. 270, note 4, and correspond perfectly with the digital edition I cite here.

I have been able to consult a part of the bibliography cited by Schaff, but nothing that adds anything substantial to our subject. The other bibliography, which I have not been able to see, is very difficult to consult. But I do not lose hope of continuing the research.

In his History of the Christian Church the eminent Protestant historian treats the subject of Christian art, and in particular of the cross and its representation in the first centuries. He says among other things:

“Shortly after Constantine’s victory over Maxentius with the aid of the Labarum [the standard bearing the cross] (year 312), crosses appeared on helmets, shields, standards, crowns, scepters, coins and seals, in various forms. [Here Schaff adds a note which says:] The archaeologists distinguish seven or more forms of crosses:
a) crux decussata (the cross of St. Andrew) X
b) crux commissa (the Egyptian cross) T
c) crux immissa or ordinaria (the Latin cross right side up)[the design on the website tries to imitate the paper version of the work, but does not correspond to the image of the cross in question, owing to the difficulty of designing this cross with the computer keyboard]
d) the inverted Latin cross of St. Peter, who considered himself unworthy to suffer right side up, like his Lord, [the same applies to the design on the website]
e) the Greek cross, with four equal arms +
f) the double cross, [the same applies to the design]
g) the triple cross, used by the pope, [the same applies to the design].”

This testimony is very important for several reasons, but above all:

a) the author is a Protestant and the work is a serious one; these are the sources consulted by Schaff for the specific subject of the cross, as they appear on this website:

JUSTUS LIPSIUS (R.C., d. 1606, as Prof. at Louvain): De Cruce libri tres, ad sacram profanamque historiam utiles. Antw., 1595, and later editions.

JAC. GRETSER (Jesuit): De Cruce Christi rebusque ad eam pertinentibus.Ingolst., 1598–1605, 3 vols. 4to; 3rd ed. revised, 1608; also in hisOpera, Ratisb., 1734, Tom. I.-III.

WM. HASLAM: The Cross and the Serpent: being a brief History of the Triumph of the Cross. Oxford, 1849.

W. R. ALGER: History of the Cross. Boston, 1858.

GABR. DE MORTILLET: Le Signe de la Croix avant le Christianisme. Paris, 1866.

A. CH. A. ZESTERMANN: Die bildliche Darstellung des Kreuzes und der Kreuzigung historisch entwickelt. Leipzig, 1867 and 1868.

J. STOCKBAUER (R.C.): Kunstgeschichte des Kreuzes. Schaffhausen, 1870.

O. ZÖCKLER (Prof. in Greifswald): Das Kreuz Christi. Religionshistorische und kirchlich archaeologische Untersuchungen. Gütersloh, 1875 (484 pages, with a large list of works, pp. xiii.-xxiv.). English translation by M. G. Evans, Lond., 1878.

ERNST V. BUNSEN: Das Symbol des Kreuzes bei alten Nationen und die Entstehung des Kreuzsymbols der christlichen Kirche. Berlin, 1876. (Full of hypotheses.)

HERMANN FULDA: Das Kreuz und die Kreuzigung, Eine antiquarische Untersuchung.Breslau, 1878. Polemical against the received views since Lipsius. See a full list of literature in Fulda, pp. 299–328.

E. DOBBERT: Zur Entstehungsgeschichte des Kreuzes, Leipzig, 1880.

This is specialized literature; fundamentalist fantasies are excluded here.

b) the inverted cross is counted among the forms of the cross used after the fourth century, according to the data of archaeology.

From this we may conclude that the inverted cross was used during the first Christian millennium as a sign of Peter.

The site presents abundant and serious material on symbols. Also the inverted cross, about which it says: “The inverted Latin cross is known as the cross of St. Peter, in honor of Peter, the disciple of Jesus who is believed to have been executed by crucifixion on an inverted cross. The satanists, it is claimed, use this form of the Latin cross for their rituals.” (It can be seen here)

The text sums up the situation very well: the inverted cross is of Christian origin and refers to the death of Peter upside down, according to the ancient tradition; at some point in history the followers of Satan began to use this symbol to represent their aversion to Christ.

I think it opportune to note that, although both the cross “of Peter” and the “satanic” cross have the same shape, the symbolic value of the two is nevertheless opposed: if the inverted cross is used in relation to Peter on account of his death crucified upside down, then it carries a Christian value; the reason for that use across the broad spectrum of Christian churches has been sufficiently proven in this article. It is no longer “the Pope” who uses the sign; it is all the great Christian denominations. If the inverted cross is the cross of Christ turned upside down, that is, a contempt for Christ, then it carries an anti-Christian value. The satanists do not intend to display the cross “of Peter” in their dark rituals, do they? In the same way, Christians (Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Orthodox, Evangelicals, Baptists) do not intend to display the “satanic” cross in their Christian worship. Everything is resolved by considering the context in which the sign is found. The important thing about this article is to give the reader the natural context of the sign in a Christian celebration.

)

Under the term “Croix” it carries the following observation: “The four-ended cross, when it is crossed in the form of an x, is called of St. Andrew; when it is inverted it is called of St. Peter; etc.” The work therefore acknowledges that an inverted cross is identified as being “of St. Peter”, for the reasons evident in this article. Note the date of publication of this work: 1929.

Larousse repeats these data in later editions, not in all, but certainly in the major ones. For example the Grand Larousse Encyclopédique, vol. III, Paris 1960, p. 674 (term “Croix”).

Speaking of the Apostle Peter, the work -which is an Italian translation of the German original- notes the following: “From the 14th century onward the staff of Jacob, with three transverse crossbars, is a sign of the Petrine papacy, while the inverted cross indicates the martyrdom of Peter”. The text allows us to understand that the inverted cross has been used as a Petrine sign since the 14th century, although it provides no further data.

This testimony is also of particular importance, because it is a specialized work of great scope (four volumes of large size and very small print…) prepared by the Evangelical Lutheran church.

Under the term “Kreuz” we read, among other things: “The Latin cross, when it is upside down, is the infrequent cross of Peter (see for example the painting by Holbein the Elder)”.

In this encyclopedic work in nine volumes, under the term “Kreuz” there are several designs of crosses. The design bearing the number 4 is an inverted cross, which the work calls the “Cross of Peter”.

This enormous work (thirteen volumes) shows, under the term “Kreuz”, several forms of crosses, among others an inverted cross. In the explanation of the graphics we read “N. 6: the inverted cross is known as the Cross of Peter”.

The work is specialized in symbols. Under the term “Pierre, Saint” (St. Peter), after giving several symbols that represent the Apostle (keys, lamb, chains, etc), it says: “8th: The cross, instrument of his torment, because he was crucified upside down”.

The author speaks at length of the symbols of the apostles. Of Peter he says that “he is represented by one or two keys, also a staff (because he is like a second Moses), or a cross-staff, as well as a tiara, a cross with the crossbar toward the bottom, a rooster”.

A highly specialized work, in six thick volumes, published by the University Presses of France. The author has to his credit 18 works on iconography, several of them in multiple volumes. On the page indicated, speaking at length of the iconography of Peter, he enumerates several symbols such as the keys, the boat, the fish, the rooster, the chains, and then “the inverted cross, which evokes his crucifixion upside down”.

This is a specialized work on Christian iconography in many volumes. To the Apostle Peter the work devotes nine pages; among many other things it says that his attributes are the keys, a scroll or book, a staff in the form of a cross, “the inverted cross, as a sign of his martyrdom”, etc.

The work is a specialized one (eight volumes on Christian iconography). It devotes an article to the different forms of crosses, among which “The cross of Peter, which has the horizontal bar in the lower half of the vertical bar”. The work also presents a design with several crosses, where number 14 is an inverted Latin cross, indicated as the “Cross of Peter”.

It explains several forms of crosses, among others: “The cross of Peter, the one whose upper arm is longer than the other three (an inverted Latin cross), so called because St. Peter was crucified upside down”. On pages 10 and 11 several designs of crosses are shown, among them the inverted cross, with the name “Peter Cross”.

Under the term “Cruz” there is a design with many forms of crosses. Also an inverted cross (number 16) which the encyclopedia calls “Of St. Peter”.

This enormous and important German encyclopedia, under the term “Kreuz” (cross), says: “Besides these fundamental forms of crosses [which the encyclopedia has already mentioned] there are numerous variations or special forms, such as the cross of Peter (after the Apostle Peter, who wished to be crucified upside down), which consists of an inverted Latin cross”.

The study carried out at the request of the “Hermandad de la Redención” (Brotherhood of the Redemption) with the aim of clothing the Apostles of Jesus for the “paso de Cristo” (processional float of Christ), concludes as follows: “St. Peter. Identifying symbols: keys, rooster, chains, inverted cross, crozier, tiara and cross with triple crossbar”. Which means that after a study of the history of art relating to Peter, the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage concludes that the inverted cross is a sign of the Apostle.

On that university’s site, under the heading “culture”, the University Museum is presented among other things, and some of the works found there are described. After a description of a painting of the Apostle Peter, the site adds for the information of visitors (my emphasis):

“Attributes of St. Peter: They are one or two keys of the kingdom, one for the heavens and another for the earth, which Peter received from Christ himself. An inverted cross which is the instrument of his martyrdom. The rooster, since he denied Jesus three times before it crowed. The boat, the net and the fish as a sign that he was a fisherman. Finally, tears of repentance for having denied his lord.”

The author of the book says that, owing to the death of Peter upside down, “it was his cross that came to be a symbol of martyrdom in the early Church: the inverted cross.” The datum coincides with other well-sourced information that assigns the use of the inverted cross as a symbol of Peter to the times after Constantine (see above). Apart from the historical reference, this datum -like several others in this article- proves that the idea of the inverted cross as a symbol of Peter is no novelty at all and is widely diffused.

It may also be interesting for my reader to know that the website that publishes these texts is evangelical (at the end of the article it invites one to receive the Lord as personal Savior, to accept the Bible as sole authority, etc.).

The work is a thick, highly illustrated volume, with information on the history, doctrine, structure, art, etc. of Christianity in general, and it was produced by the German Episcopal Conference. There is a page with designs of crosses and their respective explanations. Also an inverted cross, presented as the “Cross of Peter”, since “Peter, according to the legend, was crucified upside down”.

This important reference work of the Catholic Church in the USA displays a series of crosses, among which an inverted cross (n. 7 in the design) with the respective explanation: “Cross of St. Peter: it represents his martyrdom”.

In this work specialized in symbols we find the illustration seen here in the box on the left, with the inverted cross presented as “of St. Peter”. Walter Gas, an elder of the Presbyterian church, and without doubt a specialist in symbols (see above), says of this book:

“It is organized by categories such as crosses, stars, the church, etc. Very well illustrated. It includes a comprehensive chapter on the emblems of the saints. It also includes many rare symbols, difficult to find elsewhere. Particularly interesting for the study of Catholic symbolism”.

Following the Christian tradition of representing Peter with an inverted cross, they offer a statue -of very dubious artistic beauty, I must say- in which Peter appears with the keys, chains and an inverted cross at his feet.

It bears a golden inverted cross, as seen in the image beneath the arch. It is not a satanic sign but refers to Peter, who died upside down, whose name the municipality honors.

On the shield stands out an inverted cross, which as the municipality’s official website explains represents the cross of Peter, “the primitive symbol given to the town as a sign of identification”.

A Coat of Arms can be seen with two crossed keys and an inverted cross, among other symbology. As those in charge of the site explain, these are “the insignia of Peter”.

The site presents a craft organization specialized in the making of jewelry objects of a medieval character. Among its offerings are inverted crosses to be worn as pendants. According to the specialist, this is the “Cross of St. Peter, based on a crusader cross of the 12th century, found at Caesarea”. At the moment I have no opportunity to confirm this datum, but I will seek information. In any case, it is in harmony with the information in Schaff’s work (see above).

“it would not appear that the Inverted Cross forms part of any historical symbology of the Roman Catholic Institution”

Mr. Daniel Sapia

Mr. Tito Martínez