Cross & Crosses: North Carolina Dogwood

Dogwood Cross
North Carolina, c. 1972
Copper, 3 inches

This copper cross in the shape of the state flower, the dogwood, is made from a piece of the dome of the 1841 capital of North Carolina. With red edges like blood around a white flower and petals the color of dark brown for the nail, the dogwood blossom is a reminder of the passion. A legend that became popular in the south relates that long ago the dogwood was a tall tree and was the wood used for the cross upon which Christ was crucified. As the tree was ashamed of its role, Christ in his pity made the dogwood a humble, smaller tree. As it blossoms around Easter, the flowers of the tree were associated with the crucifixion. Different woods have been attributed to the wood of the crucifixion. Samples said to be from the True Cross have generally been identified as pine.

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