Cross Tattoo Designs

The cross is one of the most widely recognised Christian symbols and is used by all denominations.  There are two main types of crosses: ones that depict Christ on the Cross or the empty cross. 

Christ on the Cross

Traditionally, Christ on the cross is a Catholic cross. It is a reminder of Jesus' suffering for the world's sins. It is a very powerful image and has been painted across the ages by countless artists. This means that it is worth looking around on the internet and in books to see the style you wish Jesus to be drawn in.

Some of the first images we have of Christ in Medieval England, Jesus is very stylised and there are harsh lines. Going towards the Renaissance artists began to actually look at the human body and what it really looked like and this is reflected in the art work that came from the era. Meaning that Jesus was more life like.

However, it is not until the last 30 years that people have started to realised that Jesus probably wasn't blonde hair and blue eyed. This means that there are more and more pictures of Jesus with darker skins, inevitably this has transferred over to the world of tattoos.

Something else to be considered is the cross that Jesus is to be hung from. Biblically it says that Jesus was hung from a tree, which could mean an actually tree (as some images portray) or on two wooden planks tied together into he shape of a cross. Either are used for a lot of tattoo designs but the first is more popular.

Having said that many people, like to have Christ on the cross, but do not actually have the cross itself as part of the design and use just the face or upper torso of Jesus with his arms out stretched but seemingly unsupported by the cross itself.

The Empty Cross

This style of cross is more multi denominational for Christians and is also sometimes used by non Christians for luck.

With empty crosses you can either go for a stylised cross or a more realistic one. There is more variation in stylised crosses, they can be anything from a basic outline to complicated shapes and lines that make up the shape of the cross. (also see Celtic Tattoos designs)

Realistic cross tattoos can be very effective and striking. They can put across the reality of Christ's crucifixion without him actually being present one it, but at the same time, it is empty so symbolising the strength of the resurrection as well.

If you would rather go for a more stylised cross, there are a lot of designs that use other materials to make up the cross shape, such as the nails that Christ was crucified with or the crown of thorns.