Processional Cross

A processional cross, which played a powerful role in the community, is evidence of the deep religiosity of medieval life. Housed in a cathedral or church and used in its services, the cross was also employed on important religious and civic occasions. It might have been used in public processions during important feasts such as that of Corpus Christi, or been carried through the city to counter the dreaded effects of plague or natural catastrophes.

Made of sheets of gilded silver on an oak core, the design and decoration of this cross are characteristic of the late Gothic style. The arms, embossed with trailing flower vines, terminate in elegant fleurs-de-lis. Colorful, translucent quatrefoil enamel plaques that picture the Virgin, Saint John, and the symbols of the evangelists are mounted on both sides. On the front an expressive silver gilt figure of the crucified Christ is applied over a red enameled cross. A square plaque of Christ enthroned as judge of the world between two angels appears on the reverse. The surviving enamel and gilding convey a sense of the richness of this sacred object.

This processional cross bears the marks of the silversmiths’ guild of Barcelona. Comparison with a nearly identical cross in the Cathedral at Barcelona, stamped and dated 1391, allows the Brooks cross to be dated to the last quarter of the 14th century.