The Tau Cross
The Tau Cross ( T ) is the distinctive sign of the Secular Franciscan Order (Rule 23; Statutes 16.4).
It represents solidarity within our Order and is a public witness to our profession of the Rule and our commitment to a life of penance, conversion, and gospel living.
The Tau has biblical roots (Ezekiel 9:4) as a symbol of penance and conversion. St. Francis became familiar with this symbol through the Antonian Brothers, a group of penitents who staffed the leprosarium at the outskirts of Assisi near the Tiber River (Rivo Torto). They painted this symbol on their habits (St. Anthony of Egypt [c.251–356] is always depicted with a Tau cross). After the conversion of St. Francis, he spent time ministering to the lepers and working with the Antonians. When he journeyed to Rome, he stayed at the hospital of St. Blaise, which was also staffed by the Antonians (now the Church of San Francisco a Ripa).
At the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, St. Francis heard Pope Innocent III reference the Ezekiel passage and declare that “those who will be marked with this sign will obtain mercy, having mortified their flesh and conformed their
life to that of the Crucifed Savior.” He challenged Christians to “be champions of the Tau.”
St. Francis adopted the Tau Cross as his own personal symbol, painting it on the walls and doors of places where he stayed, and he used it in his writings, as the shape of his habit, as his only written signature, and as a symbol of his Order. Franciscans today consider the Tau to represent the cross of Christ as well as the ideal of the life and dream that St. Francis had envisioned for himself and his followers.
It represents solidarity within our Order and is a public witness to our profession of the Rule and our commitment to a life of penance, conversion, and gospel living.
The Tau has biblical roots (Ezekiel 9:4) as a symbol of penance and conversion. St. Francis became familiar with this symbol through the Antonian Brothers, a group of penitents who staffed the leprosarium at the outskirts of Assisi near the Tiber River (Rivo Torto). They painted this symbol on their habits (St. Anthony of Egypt [c.251–356] is always depicted with a Tau cross). After the conversion of St. Francis, he spent time ministering to the lepers and working with the Antonians. When he journeyed to Rome, he stayed at the hospital of St. Blaise, which was also staffed by the Antonians (now the Church of San Francisco a Ripa).
At the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, St. Francis heard Pope Innocent III reference the Ezekiel passage and declare that “those who will be marked with this sign will obtain mercy, having mortified their flesh and conformed their
life to that of the Crucifed Savior.” He challenged Christians to “be champions of the Tau.”
St. Francis adopted the Tau Cross as his own personal symbol, painting it on the walls and doors of places where he stayed, and he used it in his writings, as the shape of his habit, as his only written signature, and as a symbol of his Order. Franciscans today consider the Tau to represent the cross of Christ as well as the ideal of the life and dream that St. Francis had envisioned for himself and his followers.
The Conformity
The Conformity is another version of the Tau Cross. It depicts the arms of Jesus and St. Francis crossed over the Tau. Both hands bear the imprint of the nails from the crucifixion. The arm of St. Francis is clothed in the sleeve of his habit, while the arm of Christ is bare. This symbol expresses the profound love that St. Francis had for the Crucified Christ. So intense and intimate was his love, that he became conformed to his Beloved. On September 17, 1224, while immersed in prayer on Mt. Alverna, Francis was gifted with the stigmata - he became a living crucifix, bearing in his body the marks of his beloved crucified Lord.
San Damiano Crucifix
The San Damiano Crucifix is also a treasured Franciscan symbol. It is from this image that Our Lord spoke to St. Francis while he was praying in the dilapidated San Damiano Church. Francis heard the voice of Christ say to him: "Francis, rebuild my Church, which is falling into ruin."
St. Francis took the words of Christ literally, and rebuilt San Damiano, as well as two other churches, before he realized that Our Lord was referring to the Church as the body of believers, not as the buildings of stone. St. Francis then became a mendicant and began his mission of preaching to stir the hearts of the faithful into renewed faith.
The original crucifix now hangs in the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi. Click here to explore the symbolic meaning behind the various images included in the crucifixion scene of the San Damiano Crucifix.
St. Francis took the words of Christ literally, and rebuilt San Damiano, as well as two other churches, before he realized that Our Lord was referring to the Church as the body of believers, not as the buildings of stone. St. Francis then became a mendicant and began his mission of preaching to stir the hearts of the faithful into renewed faith.
The original crucifix now hangs in the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi. Click here to explore the symbolic meaning behind the various images included in the crucifixion scene of the San Damiano Crucifix.
