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The obverse displays an image of the three-bar Suppedaneum crosswhich is venerated as the true Savior's Cross in the Slavonic Orthodox and someEastern Catholic churches. Such a cross has three horizontal crossbeams: thetop one represents the "INRI" nameplate, and the bottom one, afootrest. The footrest bar is depicted pointing up, toward Heaven, on Christ'sright hand side where the Penitent thief, St. Dismas was crucified.The Cross bears the "Tsata", a symbol that could be described as a neck decoration shaped as a turned over crescent, which was used for the Holy Trinity or Jesus to signify the highest status in the Kingdom of God.
Parallel to the vertical crossbar, there are images of the two Instruments of the Passion which are subjects to adoration along with the Cross, the Holy Lance (spear)of a Roman soldier andthe Holy Sponge attached to the end of a cane.
The Savior's Cross is marked with abbreviated inscriptions in Church Slavonic incorporated into four small "boxes" positioned in each of the four crossbar ends.The top end of the vertical crossbar shows aChurch Slavonic abbreviationmeaning "King of Glory".The left and right side ends of the central horizontal crossbar of the pendant bear the Sacred Name of Jesus Christinscribed as the "IC XC" Greek Christogram,the "IC" on the left, and the "XC" on the right.
The bottom "boxed" end of the vertical crossbar shows Greek "NIKA" ("VICTORIOUS") inscription made in a Cyrillic abbreviated form as "HKA", an ancient symbol of Christ's victory over sin and death achieved on the Cross.The power of sin and death defeated by Jesus is also visualized using a symbolic image of the skull, or Adam's head, buried below the Savior's Cross. The image refers to Golgotha (Calvary), the elevated site where Jesus was crucified, which the Bible says means "the place of the skull" in Hebrew. According to ancient tradition of the Church, it was also the burial place of the first man, Adam.
