The Three Crosses Traditional Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
There is a wayside Chapel in Bidni called Madonna Tad-Dawl (the Chapel of Our Lady of Light) built in 1732. Nearby is a strange free standing masonry wall, esoteric in nature and fascinating in appearance with associated legends. One side of the wall is flat, plain and featureless except for the remains of a carved Skull and Crossed Bones, long a symbol to remind us of our own mortality. It faces down hill into the 'Valley of Death', literally away from the Chapel of Light representing hardship, endurance and suffering but through truth and authenticity even in the face of danger, ultimately to Salvation and eternal life! 'Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth'..., (Ecclesiastes 12 - KJV). Of course, the Skull and Cross Bones is prominent when climbing uphill toward the Cross on Calvary (Skull Hill) / Golgotha (place of the Skull), the place of redemptive crucifixion.
On the other side of the wall facing the Chapel of Light is a set of three crosses, the central and largest being adorned with well executed, weather worn allegoric carvings consisting of ten sculpted 'Passion Symbols'. Passion comes from the Latin word Passio meaning to endure, the symbols representing the humiliation and pain Christ endured on the Cross where he died. Passion can also refer to things that sustain us in life.
The two smaller crosses, one either side, represent those on which two thieves were crucified beside Jesus, and are unadorned. On the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified, the Instruments of Passion in left to right order are: 1. The Whip used for the 39 lashes. Why is there another at the other end? 2. The Sponge set on a reed with which Gall and Vinegar were offered to Jesus or is it the Reed which was placed in Jesus' hand mocking a Sceptre? 3. The Lance or Spear a Roman soldier used to inflicted the final of the five wounds in Christs side 4. The Pillar, Column or Tower where Jesus was whipped in the Flagellation of Christ 5. The Pincers used to remove the nails (valuable metal in those days was used again in morbid recycling) 6. The Chain which bound Jesus overnight in prison 7. The Hammer used to drive the nails into Jesus' wrists (not hands) and feet 8. The Rooster (Cockerel) that crowed at 3pm (!) after Peter’s third denial of Jesus 9. The Ladder used to remove Christ's body from the cross for Deposition (burial) 10. The Whip again (why twice?).
On the upright column of the central cross which supports the horizontal (cross beam) on which the Passion Symbols are hung is another Symbol consisting of Three Dice, perhaps representing Father, Son and Holy Ghost (or The Holy Grail / Chalice used by Jesus at The Last Supper which some say was also used by Joseph of Arimathea to catch the Blood of Christ during the crucifixion).
The two lower dice have five dots each thus making a total of Ten (Ten base/foundation Commandments). If the top die has three dots, the grand total is thirteen, (thirteen people at the last supper). Or, if the top die has five dots, alluding to the five wounds Christ suffered on the Cross, the total, fifteen symbolises “Rest” to Christians. The face of the dice have 5 dots so the reverse side has two as the sum of opposite dots is always 7, this being the number of statements that Jesus made on the cross. Dice may allude to the 4 soldiers guarding Jesus who gambled, casting lots to determine who would keep his cloths. In those days, it was common for soldiers to keep a pair of dice for luck and ward off evil from corpses.
Previously, there may have been a Crown at the top (Capital) of the Cross which time and the elements have eroded but it does have the remnants of the usual Titulus Crucis acronym INRI representing the inscription IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDÆORVM (Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum), in English “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”.
Żabbar and Marsaskala where part of Żejtun Parish until 1615. Marsaskala’s population was less than 50 people and the area was mainly used by Sicilian fishermen but, Żabbar’s population was growing so the residents petitioned the Bishop to establish it as an independent Parish which he did. This wall was apparently erected to mark the parish boundary of Żejtun and Żabbar however, one can discern the Roman Numerals MDCCCXCIX (1899) on the pedestal base of the central cross so is this when it was originally erected or refurbished?
The three legends regarding the origin of these crosses are: • Three Monks were killed by the Turks and are buried there • A man died of the plague and is buried there • After rising from the dead three times, a Hermit is buried there!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
k K k Jung Guerr Jbeqf - Oynpxraf. Cbhgrq. Wnhagf
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures