THE “FIVE-CROSS” SYMBOL ON SECULAR AND CULTIC ARTIFACTS OF THE TATAR-MONGOLS

Abstract

The era of the Crusades was marked not only by the relocation of the confrontation between Western Europeans and Muslims to the Near East, where military conflicts continued for several centuries, but also by the fact that from this period onward
the Catholic world launched an ideological attack against Eastern countries. In other words, the spread of Catholicism among Asian ethnic groups acquired a universal character, regardless of their religious affiliation—whether they were “schismatic”
Orthodox Christians or Muslims. The ideologists of the Crusades clearly understood that the realization of Catholic integration could not be achieved solely through the conquest of foreign lands, territories, countries, and states. Rather, to attain this goal,
it was necessary to replace alternative confessions with Catholic ideology and thereby shape the consciousness of non-Catholic ethnic groups, which included both non Christian populations (pagans, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.) and non-Catholic Christian
communities (schismatics, Nestorians, Jacobites, Melkites, etc.).Penetration into and establishment oneself within the religious and cultural life of the peoples of the Near East was not an easily solvable task and required a consistent and purposeful pursuit using various methods. From the very outset, considerable attention was devoted to introducing Catholic symbolism into the spiritual and secular arts of other peoples. Among the many such symbols, this article focuses on the “five-cross” sign, which represented the Crucifixion of Christ.
Based on examples drawn from the historical realities of the Golden Horde and the Mongol states of Central Asia, the article clearly demonstrates one stage in the process of disseminating Catholic symbolism, during which the “five-cross” sign was
deliberately introduced into the secular and cultic spheres of the Tatar-Mongols (coins, bas-reliefs, etc.). Consequently, there is reason to assume that the Mongol army that invaded the Caucasus may have carried banners bearing crosses or the “five-cross” symbol.