The Crooked Cross, Margit Hid, Budapest.

Budapest:

A crown with a crooked cross in front of a neo-gothic outline. Hungary's two most potent symbols. Unavoidable wherever the tourist turns in Budapest.

The crown, a coronation crown, the Holy Crown of Hungary, was also known as the crown of Saint Stephen, Istvan, and was the crown used when annointing kings down through the history of Hungary. "The crowning of Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, who was later canonized Saint Stephen, marks the beginning of Hungarian statehood. The date is variously given as Christmas 1000 or 1 January 1001." (Wikipedia) The cross is crooked because it is said to have fallen at some stage in the 17th century though others suggest it was made crooked by someone closing the chest it was held in too quickly. Who knows? Of such uncertainty legends and stories are made.

Either way the crooked cross is an extreamely powerful symbol...it suggests suffering and defiance, pride in the face of adversity, strength, a wrong done to someone that needs to be corrected and apologized for. Symbols are very potent and with the proper cultivation take on a strength of their own. They can, of course, be dangerous too. In the background you can see the outline of the Hungarian parliament on the banks of the Danube. Also a symbol of different things to different people in the current political climate.

A wonderful afternoon of light and shadow on Margit Bridge.