I recently purchased a cross to wear around my neck and on the back there is something written in Russian. Do you have any idea what it might say?

My initial response was to say “Made in Japan,” but I don’t want to turn your question into a joke. Although I would actually need to examine your cross to be sure, by far the most popular wording found on the back of many Orthodox crosses would be the phrase “Save and Protect,” which is a description of what the cross symbolizes for us: salvation and protection. In fact, this expression is so commonly found; one might say it is even standard.

However, on the back sides of many priests crosses (pectoral crosses) is found a verse from 1st Timothy 4:12 which is quite apropos for clergy, since it is both meaningful and instructive: “Set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

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Archangel Michael Orthodox Church
5025 E. Mill Rd
Broadview Heights, Ohio 44147

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