In Christianity, the cross represents Christ's victory over death and sin, since it is believed that through His death, he conquered death itself. The basic shape of a cross has, since prehistoric times, been employed in Christian culture throughout the world.

All similar shapes of the cross symbolize health, fertility, life, immortality, and the union of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, sun and stars. The cross also represents the human form. And with its four cardinal points, it can be mapped to four-fold systems: the four directions — north, south, east, west; the four seasons; the four elements; and the four winds.