Fountain City Presbyterian Church has created a Chrismon Tree at the front of our sanctuary for as long as I can remember.

The word Chrismon is a combination of the words Christ and Monogram, as the symbols on the tree proclaim the message of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The meaningful display of symbols originated in the Lutheran Church of the Ascension of Danville, VA, in 1957.

The Chrismon symbols are made up of two colors: gold and white. Gold is the symbol for the Glory and Majesty of God and His Son. The white suggests innocence, purity, and perfection of Jesus. The evergreen tree, as a background, symbolizes eternal life. The lights on the tree speak of Him who is the Light of the world, as spoken in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Symbols

Some of the different forms of the cross (non-exhaustive)

  • Latin Cross
  • Greek Cross
  • Crux Gammadia
  • Cross with orb
  • Tau Cross
  • Serpent on the Tau Cross
  • Cross in Eternity
  • Cross Crowned
  • Cross of Suffering
  • Celtic Cross
  • Eastern Cross
  • Jerusalem Cross

Some of the other symbols (non-exhaustive)

  • Child in a manger
  • Chi Rho
  • Cipher
  • Wheat & Grapes
  • Descending Dove
  • Lamb
  • Butterfly
  • Chalice
  • Eye of God
  • Thorns
  • Flames
  • Crown
  • Pearl
  • Shepherd’s Crook
  • Shamrock
  • Cornerstones
  • Coins
  • Streams of water
  • Daisy
  • Dogwood
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Rose
  • Fishes in a net
  • Multiple star shapes with meanings
  • Fish

If you’d like more about this tradition, you can see this 2023 article from Southern Living.

We at KnoxTNToday and our families wish you and your families the most wonderful Christmas and a blessed 2026.

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