I was inquiring if the Canterbury Cross is the offical cross of Anglicanism/Episcopalisn? I know most denominations share crosses like the Latina Cross, Greek Cross, Cross Pattee, Budded Cross (Apostle’s Cross) and Tau Cross. However, the Crucifix tends to be associated with Roman Catholicism (even if Lutherans and Anglicans use it, most people will mistake you for being Catholic if you wear a crucifix) , the Suppedaneum (three bar, Russian Orthodox, and Byzantine) cross with Eastern Orthodoxy and the cross with the flame is Pentacostal. I was womdering if the Canterbury Cross is the unmistakable symbol of the Anglican Church? The Life-Giving Cross (red Latina Cross on white flag) has been used by the Catholic Knights Templar, St. George Coat of Arms, and the flag of England.
While the Canterbury Cross is one example, the really unimistakable cross of Anglicanism is the Celtic Cross: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_cross
The Celtic Cross is widely identified with Anglicanism in Canada as well. Presbyterianism at least of the Scottish variety tends to use the cross of St. Andrew make https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Scotland#/media/File:Old_logo_of_the_CoS.png I am not the biggest expert on Presbyterianism but I have never seen a celtic cross used by them.
I have always seen the budded cross a a very anglican cross, but with all things anglican there is a degree of variance. The Compass Rose with the Cross of St George at the heart of it is emblematic of the Anglican Communion, and does remind us that for a very long time the flag of St George with the red cross on the white field flew on many if not most of our churches. That having been said the Canterbury cross is unmistakably Anglican.
I've never seen the Becket Cross either. Although, that doesn't mean anything really. Ha! I'll have to research that one.
Having done some more research it seems that it is a cross that supposedly marks the spot where Becket died (I worked there for months and do not recall seeing it but I have never been particularly enamoured of Mr. Becket so it may not have left much of an impression. I nonetheless maintain that it looks like an invocation sigil.
The patron saint of my diocese, Lichfield, is St Chad of Mercia. There's a cross named after him, the cross of St Chad. I've never seen it actually used anywhere, but I just think it's interesting how we have a cross pretty much peculiar to our diocese, and a few churches in Wales heavily associated with him.
That is got to be the best name for a saint ever... I had to post this meme in the Memes thread: https://forums.anglican.net/threads/anglican-memes.2374/page-2#post-35412
To revise my statement at having never seen the St Chad cross before, I've just got back from evensong at Lichfield Cathedral, and I saw the cross at least 100 times around the city and in the cathedral I think! When you know what you're looking for...
Haha, the Chad St Chad. He actually was quite a Chad, has a very interesting story. Thinking about it, Lichfield Cathedral's proper name is the cathedral church of St Chad and the Blessed Virgin Mary I think, so it's name is literally a meme. The Chad Chad Vs the Virgin Virgin Mary...