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The Maltese cross or Amalfi cross is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta is a Roman Catholic Church order based in Rome, Italy....
 or Knights of Malta. It was originally the symbol of Amalfi
Amalfi

Amalfi is a town and commune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno, southeast of Naples. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto , surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery....
, a small Italian republic of the 11th century. 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.






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Maltese Cross Heraldry
The Maltese cross or Amalfi cross is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller
Knights Hospitaller

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta is a Roman Catholic Church order based in Rome, Italy....
 or Knights of Malta. It was originally the symbol of Amalfi
Amalfi

Amalfi is a town and commune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno, southeast of Naples. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto , surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery....
, a small Italian republic of the 11th century. 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
First Crusade

The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to the appeal from Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. The Emperor requested that western volunteers come to their aid and repel the Seljuk Turks in Anatolia, Modern day Turkey....
. The eight points are said to symbolise the eight points of courage:
  • Loyalty
  • Piety
    Piety

    In spiritual terminology, piety is a virtue. While different people may understand its meaning differently, it is generally used to refer either to religion or to spirituality, or often, a combination of both....
  • 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
St. John Ambulance

St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John Ambulance in England and Wales founded in...
 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
Knights Hospitaller

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta is a Roman Catholic Church order based in Rome, Italy....
 and other Orders of St John, and St. John Ambulance
St. John Ambulance

St John Ambulance, branded as St John in some territories, is a common name used by a number of affiliated organisations in different countries dedicated to the teaching and practice of medical first aid and the provision of ambulance services, all of which derive their origins from the St John Ambulance in England and Wales founded in...
. In recent centuries it has come to be adopted as the insignia of numerous orders of chivalry
Order (decoration)

An order is a decoration, awarded by a government, a Dynasty, or a religious body to an individual, usually for distinguished service to a nation or to humanity....
, and appears on the coat-of-arms of the Mecklenburg-Strelitz district
Mecklenburg-Strelitz (district)

Mecklenburg-Strelitz is a Kreis in the southern part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. Neighboring districts are Demmin , Ostvorpommern Uecker-Randow, the districts Uckermark, Oberhavel and Ostprignitz-Ruppin in Brandenburg, and the district M?ritz....
. In Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 the Maltese Cross is part of the state emblem of Queensland
Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
.

In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
, 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
Postmark

A postmark is a postal marking made on a letter , package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service....
 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
Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a United Kingdom order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements....
. The Maltese cross is also the symbol of Neath Rugby Football Club in Neath, Wales.

In Sweden
Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden has land borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and it is connected to Denmark by the ?resund Bridge in the south....
 a Maltese Cross forms the basic form for all Royal Orders, such as Order of Seraphim and the Order of the Sword
Order of the Sword

The Order of the Sword is a Sweden Order created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Order of the Seraphim and the Order of the Polar Star....
.

In Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 the Maltese Cross forms the logo for South Australian Ambulance Service
South Australian Ambulance Service

The SA Ambulance Service is a Government Department under SA Health, that is the sole provider of emergency ambulance transport, clinical care and patient transport services to over 1.5 million people, distributed across an area of 1,043,514 square kilometres in South Australia, Australia....
 logos.

The Maltese cross flower (Lychnis chalcedonica
Lychnis chalcedonica

Lychnis chalcedonica is a flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae, native from central and eastern European Russia east to Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northwestern China....
) is so named because its petals are similarly shaped, though its points are more rounded into "heart
Heart (symbol)

The heart has long been used as a symbol to refer to the spirituality, emotional, morality, and in the past also intelligence core of a human being....
"-like shapes. The Geneva drive
Geneva drive

The Geneva drive or Maltese cross is a mechanism that translates a continuous rotation into an intermittent rotary motion. It is an intermittent gear where the drive wheel has a pin that reaches into a slot of the driven wheel and thereby advances it by one step....
, 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.

It is considered one of the National symbols
National symbols

A national symbol is a symbol of any entity considering itself and manifesting itself to the world as a national community ? namely state, but also nations and country in a state of colonial or other dependence, federal integration, or even an ethnocultural community considered a 'nationality' despite the absence of political autonomy....
 of Malta
Malta

Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
 and used to be depicted on the two mils
Mill (currency)

The mill or mille is a now abstract unit of currency used sometimes in Coin of account. In the United States, it is equivalent to 1/1000 of a United States dollar ....
 coin of the island prior to the removal of that denomination from circulation. It is now shown on the back of the one and two Euro
Euro

The euro is the official currency of 16 out of 27 European Union member state of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain....
 coins which Malta introduced in January 2008.

Similar crosses

Other crosses with spreading limbs are often mistakenly called "Maltese", especially the cross pattée
Cross pattée

A cross patt?e is a type of cross that has arms which are narrow at the center, and broader at the perimeter. The name comes from the fact that the shape of each arm of the cross was thought to resemble a paw ....
. The Nestorian cross also is very similar to both of these. The cross of Saint Florian
Saint Florian

Saint Florian is a Christian saint, and the patron saint of Poland; Linz, Austria; chimney sweeps; and firefighting. His feast day is May 4. St....
, 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
Order of Saint Lazarus

This article concerns the former religious; Catholic-founded secular order of knighthood. For other uses of the name Lazarus, see Lazarus .The Order of St....
 and as part of the flag of Wallis and Futuna
Flag of Wallis and Futuna

The official flag of Wallis and Futuna is the Flag of France, as it is a France territory.The unofficial flag of Wallis and Futuna features a red saltire on a white square, which in turn is placed on a red field ....
. It has been the official badge (combined with an ellipsoid in the center) of the Delta Phi
Delta Phi

Delta Phi is a fraternities and sororities founded in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Founded as part of the Union Triad, along with the Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi, Delta Phi was the third and last member of the Triad....
 Fraternity since 1833. The official symbol of the Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Tau Omega

ATO is an American Leadership Fraternities and sororities that annually ranks among the top ten national fraternities for number of chapters and total number of members....
 fraternity is the cross pattée
Cross pattée

A cross patt?e is a type of cross that has arms which are narrow at the center, and broader at the perimeter. The name comes from the fact that the shape of each arm of the cross was thought to resemble a paw ....
, 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
Veterans of Foreign Wars

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States , is a Congressional charter war veterans organization. VFW currently has 1.6 million members and is the largest American organization of combat veterans....
 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
Hamburg Atlantic Line

Hamburg Atlantic Line was an ocean liner and cruise ship operating company established in Hamburg, West Germany in 1958 by Axel Bitsch Christensen and Vernicos Eugenides, the latter being the adopted son of Home Lines' founder Eugen Eugenides....
 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
George Cross

The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations....
, awarded to Malta
Award of the George Cross to Malta

The George Cross was awarded to the island of Malta by King George VI of the United Kingdom in a letter dated 15 April 1942 to the island's Governor Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie, so as to "bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people" during the Siege of Malta it underwent in the early parts of World War II....
 by George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI of the United Kingdom

George VI was British monarchy and the United Kingdom Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India and the last King of Ireland , and the first Head of the Commonwealth....
 in 1942, which is depicted on the flag of Malta
Flag of Malta

File:Flag of Malta.svgFile:Civil Ensign of Malta.svgThe Flag of Malta is a basic bi-colour, with white in the hoist and red in the fly: colours from the blazon of the arms of Malta....
.

See also

  • Order of Malta
  • Order of Malta Ambulance Corps
    Order of Malta Ambulance Corps

    The Order of Malta Ambulance Corps is the largest voluntary ambulance and first aid organisation in Ireland. The Order of Malta is engaged in teaching Medicine first aid, providing ambulance cover at large events, patient transport, community and nursing services....
  • Royal Green Jackets
    Royal Green Jackets

    The Royal Green Jackets was an infantry regiment of the British Army, one of two large regiment within the Light Division . It was formed in 1966 by the amalgamation of the three separate regiments of the Green Jackets Brigade:...
  • Iron Cross
    Iron Cross

    The Iron Cross was a military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later of Germany, which was established by King Frederick William III of Prussia and first awarded on 10 March 1813 in Breslau ....
  • Biker Cross
    Biker Cross

    The Biker Cross is a derivative of the Maltese Cross and Iron Cross. Since it first appeared, there have been many variations of the biker cross....


External links

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