processional cross, Nicola da Guardiagrele

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The town of Guardiagrele, on the Adriatic coast of central Italy, was a principal center for the production of processional crosses. Nicola was one of the most active and influential metal craftsmen form the area.
This cross was designed to be carried out-of-doors in processions. Because the cross would have been seen from front and back, both sides are elaborately decorated. On one side an enthroned and triumphant Christ occupies the center, surrounded by St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John the Baptist and an unidentified figure. The other side shows the crucified Christ, with the Virgin and St. John the Evangelist on the arms of the cross, Mary Magdalene at the base and a pelican at the top. (The pelican often appeared in medieval representations of the Crucifixion. It was believed that the bird fed its young with its own blood; thus the pelican became a symbol of Christ, who shed is blood for his “children.”)