Jerusalem Cross Silk Square

This Silk is our beautiful replica of the Jerusalem Cross which is the inlaid marble floor at the Washington National Cathedral's great crossing. It was designed by Philip Hubert Frohman and installed in 1958.

At the east arm of the cross, the hand coming from a cloud represents God the Father. In the center, the sacred monogram "IHS" is an abbreviation for the word "Jesus" as spelled in Greek and represents God the Son. At the west, a flying dove represents God the Holy Spirit; the seven stars, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; and the rays below the dove, the Rays of Glory. At the north, a Greek cross with crossed keys represents Saint Peter and at the south, an open book with a sword represents Saint Paul, the two saints to whom the Cathedral is dedicated. Installed in 1958 as a memorial to "Friends who have completed outstanding service to the Church," this intricate design contains green marble from Maryland, pink and brown marble from Tennessee, burgundy marble from Vermont and golden-toned marble from Italy. Designed by Philip Hubert Frohman and fabricated in Italy using over two thousand pieces of marble, the work was shipped to the Cathedral in nine sections which took only five days to install.