A bone altar cross carved in the manner of the Rafail's Cross, Bulgaria or Greece, 18th-19th century

Looking at the cross, one might easily immagine its key role in the daily life and rituals of the Orthodox Church. The object is designed for use in the benediction of the congregation during the liturgy.
The origins of the cross are slippery but we can localise its probable place of manufacture to Bulgaria, finding a production date is more elusive, but can be assumed to be between the late 18th and early 19th century.
A very similar cross is the Rafail's Cross (altar cross) located in the Museum of the Rila Monastery, an important spiritual and literary center of the Bulgarian; it was carved down by a monk named Rafail using fine burins and magnifying lenses to recreate 104 religious scenes and 650 miniature figures. Work on this piece of art lasted not less than 12 years before it was completed in 1802 when the monk lost his sight.
A large number of crosses of this type are kept in the celebrated monasteries of Athos, of which the oldest building dates to 963 CE. Mount Athos was a centre of miniature woodcarving between the 16–18th centuries, and one of the the most famous cross is the Courtauld’s cross; it was once thought that the Courtauld’s cross was from the 18th century but it could be placed around a century earlier.
The main body of the cross shows significant events from the life of Christ and the Virgin and each scene is identified by a relief inscription. The annual celebration of these events makes up the Great Feasts Cycle of the Orthodox Church, known as the Dodekaorton in Greek.
The cross rests on a copper base.

Item condition grading: **** good, wear and losses.