The cross is a simple symbol of Christianity. It is easy to recognise, easy to draw, and above all, it also represents the final, most important part of the life of Jesus on Earth, where He sacrificed His own body for the sake of others by dying on a wooden cross in a barbaric Roman execution called crucifixion.

This is an artist’s sculpture of the time when Jesus is being forced to carry His cross.

For the hours after this, Jesus was nailed to the cross so that His limbs also formed the shape of a cross. So, for Christians, the cross is the most powerful symbol of their faith. But, because it held many connections with suffering, early Christians hardly used it at all.