Maltese cross
The Maltese cross or Amalfi cross is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta. It was originally the symbol of Amalfi, a small Italian republic of the 11th century, but has come to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta. It is considered one of the National symbols of Malta and was depicted on the Maltese two mils coin. It is now shown on the back of the one and two Euro coins which Malta introduced in January 2008. [1]
The cross is eight-pointed and has the form of four "V"-shaped arms joined together at their tips, so that each arm has two points. Its design is based on crosses used since the First Crusade.
The eight points are said to symbolise the eight points of courage:[citation needed]
- Loyalty
- Piety
- Generosity
- Bravery
- Glory and honour
- Contempt of death
- Helpfulness towards the poor and the sick
- Respect for the church
In 47 years in St. John Ambulance and also the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, the teaching has been that the eight points of the cross represented the eight Beatitudes.
The Maltese cross remains the symbol of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and other Orders of St John, and St. John Ambulance. In recent centuries it has come to be adopted as the insignia of numerous orders of chivalry, and appears on the coat-of-arms of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz district. In Australia the Maltese Cross is part of the state emblem of Queensland.
In the United Kingdom, the Maltese Cross is the symbol used by Rifle Regiments, and has been incorporated into the badges of virtually all rifle units, including the amalgam, The Royal Green Jackets. The first postmark employed for the cancellation of the then new postage stamps in the 1840s was the shape of a Maltese cross and named accordingly. The Maltese cross also forms the basis for the design of the Order of the Bath. The Maltese cross is also the symbol of Neath Rugby Football Club in Neath, Wales.
In India, the Maltese Cross is the symbol used by the Garhwal Rifles.
In Sweden a Maltese Cross forms the basic form for all the royal orders of merit, The Orders of the Seraphim, Sword, North Star and Vasa.
In Australia the Maltese Cross forms the logo for South Australian Ambulance Service logos.
In France, the Maltese Cross is the symbol of french club of football AJ Auxerre, the cross is on the shirt.
The Maltese cross flower (Lychnis chalcedonica) is so named because its petals are similarly shaped, though its points are more rounded into "heart"-like shapes. The Geneva drive, a device that translates a continuous rotation into an intermittent rotary motion, is also sometimes called a "Maltese cross mechanism" after the shape of its main gear.
Similar crosses
Other crosses with spreading limbs are often mistakenly called "Maltese", especially the cross pattée. The Nestorian cross also is very similar to both of these. The cross of Saint Florian, used by firefighters is often confused with the Maltese cross; although it may have eight or more points, it also has large curved arcs between the points.
Maltese crosses have been adapted for use in the cross of Saint Lazarus and as part of the flag of Wallis and Futuna. It has been the official badge (combined with an ellipsoid in the center) of the Delta Phi Fraternity since 1833. The official symbol of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity is the cross pattée, though the organization's founder thought it was a Maltese cross when the organization was formed in 1865. A similar cross is also used by the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.
A variant of the Maltese cross, with three V-shaped arms instead of four, was used as the funnel symbol of the Hamburg Atlantic Line and their successors German Atlantic Line and Hanseatic Tours in 1958-1973 and 1991-1997.
Finally, the Maltese cross should not be mistaken for the George Cross, awarded to Malta by George VI of the United Kingdom in 1942, which is depicted on the flag of Malta.
See also
- Order of Malta
- Order of Malta Ambulance Corps
- St John Ambulance
- Royal Green Jackets
- Iron Cross
- Biker Cross
- Garhwal Rifles
- Pour le Mérite
References
External links
