Saint Anselm’s Prayer to the Holy Cross

Abstract

Within the then 1000-year-old tradition of reverence for the crucifix, Saint Anselm’s Prayer to the Holy Cross finds a special place. While such a prayer as his would not be considered novel either in England or in the world of Christianity, it clearly bears the stamp of his own particular style and elegance and was guided by his own personal spirituality. This article will begin by giving a critical analysis of the structure and major themes of the prayer. It will then go on to consider this prayer in comparison to Anselm’s other prayers, with an added note on the place of the cross in Anselm’s other writings. It will be seen that Anselm’s Prayer to the Holy Cross is not simply different from his other prayers, but it stands out as unique in his collection of prayers and is arguably the most contemplative of all his prayers.