The crosses preserved in the collection of the Putna Monastery reconstruct a micro-history of this genre in medieval Moldavian art: the oldest cross in the collection—and also the oldest in Moldavia—was donated to the monastery by St. Stephen the Great in 1503, while the most recent dates back to 1816. The crosses to which we refer have a common feature: used during the Liturgy, carried in processions, or kept on the altar table, they are carved in wood and mounted in silver or, sometimes, silver gilt.

The 16th-century crosses have three arms and a handle and are relatively large (on average 50 × 20 cm). All are characterized by an ample narrative unfolding, probably influenced by the mural and icon painting of the century. On both sides of the cross, miniature scenes illustrate major moments from the life of Jesus Christ and of the Mother of God.

These scenes appear on the cross donated to Putna by its founder in 1503. At the center, on both sides, are depicted the Baptism of the Lord, respectively the Crucifixion, events with complementary symbolic meaning: the first reveals the divine nature of Jesus, the second highlights His human nature. The other representations, enclosed in medallions linked together by knots, include scenes from the cycle of the Passions of the Lord, the icon of the Holy Trinity, and figures of saints. The cross is mounted in silver gilt.

Another very beautiful hand cross also dates back to the 16th century. Made of cedar wood and minutely carved on both sides, it was donated by Ioan Bainski, the burgrave of Orhei, and his wife Maria, on August 20, 1566. The cross, with three arms, is mounted in silver gilt and adorned with small ruby stones. The craftsman, who inscribed his name above the last frame on the reverse—now illegible—populated the compositions with many figures, architectural elements, and landscapes, borrowing from mural painting even the star-studded sky.

The 17th-19th-century Putna crosses are smaller, have a single transverse arm, and their iconography is much simplified. Those from the 17th century are all hand crosses. In the 18th century, no major changes occurred in the form and iconography of the crosses, except that they were mounted on bases. While miniature carving in bas-relief continued in the 17th century, the openwork technique predominated in the following century.

Two hand crosses donated by hierarchs who had Putna as their monastery of penance have survived from the 17th century.

One is the cross donated by Metropolitan Sava Balach on January 8, 1695. Smaller than the previous two, it is carved in wood on both sides, refined and exceptionally carefully executed. It was mounted in silver gilt and adorned with enamel and colored stones.

The name of another monk whose monastery of penance was Putna, Bishop Hierotheus of Huși, is connected with a cross made of cypress wood (1697–1698), delicately carved, mounted in silver gilt, and decorated on both sides with metal flowers and rubies.