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Wearing an Orthodox Cross Necklace

A cross necklace is any necklace featuring a Christian cross or crucifix. Crosses are often worn as an indication of commitment to the Christian faith, and are sometimes received as gifts for rites such as baptism and confirmation. 

Communicants of the Eastern Orthodox Churches are expected to wear their baptismal cross necklaces at all times, a practice derived from Canon 73 and Canon 82 of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (Synod) of Constantinople.

In the first centuries of the Christian era, the cross was a clandestine symbol used by the persecuted adherents of Jesus Christ. Many Christian bishops of various denominations, such as the Orthodox Church, wear a pectoral cross as a sign of their order.