St. Bridget's Cross

St. Bridget's Cross:

24"x 24" Foiled stained glass.   Border 1"x 2" bevel with four 1"x 1" orange squares.  Green water glass field, with a textured Amber Cross (St. Bridget's Cross).  Oak frame with tinned copper wire shamrocks on the corners. 

A Christian symbol possibly deriving from the pagan sunwheel, it is usually made from rushes or, less often, straw. It comprises a woven square in the centre and four radials tied at the ends. Bridget’s crosses are traditionally made on February 1st, which in the Irish language is called Lá Fhéile Bhríde (St Bridget’s feast day), the day of her liturgical celebration. Many rituals are associated with the making of the crosses. It was traditionally believed that a Bridget’s Cross protects the house from fire and evil. It is hung in many Irish and Irish-American kitchens for this purpose.

The story of the cross, as legend tells:   

An old pagan chieftan lay delirious on his deathbed in Kildare.  In some versions of the story this chieftan is her father.  His servants summoned Brigid to his bedside, in the hope this saintly woman might be able to calm his restless spirit.

As she sat by his bedside, trying to calm and console him, she picked up some of the rushes which were strewn across the floor of the room.  As her fingers played with the dry strands, she started weaving them together, eventually forming a cross.

 As she worked she explained the meaning of the cross to the sick man.  Her calming words brought peace to his soul. The chieftan’s fever broke, and he grew quiet.  Captivated by her lesson of love and enlightenment, the old chieftan was baptized as a christian, just before his death.