River Bend Cemetery Crosses

The Roman Stewart Cross has a hammered finishe and features a passion flower carved on the front of the cross.

Thelore of the passion flower is rich in symbolism. Five petals an five sepals are ten apostles, leaving out Judas the betrayer & Peter because he denied knowing Jesus. The carolla had seventy-two filaments, the number of thorns in Jesus's crown. The three pistil stigmas are nails. The five stamens are the number of wounds, so that to this day, Catholics in South & Central America call it "The Flower of the Five Wounds." The lance-shaped leaf represents the spear that placed the wound in Jesus's side. The dark spots under the leaves are the 33 pieces of silver paid to Judas. When the flowers are spent after a single day (the time Jesus spent on the cross), the petals do not drop from the vine but re-close over the ovary to symbolize the Hidden Wisdom that constitutes the Mysteries of the Cross,and symbolizes the time Jesus was enclosed in the tomb.http://www.paghat.com/passiflorasymbolism.html

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