|
|
Christian Tattooing, Part 2
One of the most famous of Christian types of tattoos, however, is still in use today – that of the pilgrimage tattoo. At least as early as the 1500s, visitors to the Holy Land (including crusaders) often acquired a Christian tattoo symbol to commemorate their visit, particularly the Jerusalem Cross. Some of the most well known and best documented examples of piligrimage tattoos comes from John Carswell’s book of Coptic Christian tattoo designs.
 |
|
| A street in Jerusalem, 1956, in the Muslim quarter. |
|
“In the old City of Jerusalem one afternoon in 1956 I discovered a collection of woodblocks which struck me as unique in character.” So begins John Carswell’s compellingly simple account of his discovery of the remnants of a centuries old tradition of tattooing in the Holy Land that goes back in written records to at least the 1600s and quite possibly much earlier.In the tattoo/coffin-making shop of tattooer/coffin-maker Jacob Razzouk, Carswell recorded the designs of 168 wood blocks that were carved with various, mostly Coptic Christian, tattoo designs. The blocks and the trade had been in Razzouk’s family for generations. Customers looked at the blocks and picked their design. The tattooer would then use the block to stamp an ink impression on their skin, using it as a guide for tattooing. A cross of equal lengths on the inside of the right wrist or on the back of the hand, between the base of the thumb and the index finger, was not an uncommon way for pilgrims to commemorate their journey to Jerusalem.
 |
|
| Coptic Christian Tattoo by Jacob Razzouk, Jersusalem, 1956. |
|
In this more elaborate example, the cross of the equal lengths has a similar cross in each of its quarters, a symbol known as the Jerusalem Cross. Above it are three crowns and a star with its lowest point extending downward. Below are two branches joined by a bow. This tattoo was probably used to commemorate a pilgrimage to Bethlehem with the three crowns standing in for the three wise men, plus the star of Bethlehem. These tattoo blocks, passed down through generations, retain the unaffected, straightforward, and distilled designs that even today manage to exert their charm. But tattooing and coffin-making? Pilgrimage tattooing peaked at Easter and the rest of the year Razzouk had to make a living somehow – no association between the two occupations apparently.
Today, Christians of all denominations are at work imbedding in their skins the symbols of their religion. From the same symbols used by early Christians to full blown scenes of the crucifixion, the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, crosses with a Celtic flavor, or the classic Americana tattoo of the Rock of Ages. There seems to be no end to the varieties and styles and the different combinations that are possible. With a history of tattooing that stretches back for approximately two millennia, that variety and popularity is to be expected.
Back to Christian Tattooing - Part 1 |
|
