Maltese cross


The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four "V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically.
It is a heraldic cross variant which developed from earlier forms of eight-pointed crosses in the 16th century. Although chiefly associated with the Knights Hospitaller, and by extension with the island of Malta, it has come to be used by a wide array of entities since the early modern period,
notably the Order of Saint Stephen, the city of Amalfi, the Polish Order of the White Eagle and the Prussian order Pour le Mérite.
Unicode defines a character named "Maltese cross" in the Dingbats range at code point U+2720 ; however, the code point is usually rendered as a cross pattée.

History

The Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades used a plain Latin cross.
Occasional use of an "eight-pointed cross" by the order begins in the early 14th century.
This early form is a cross moline or cross branchée ending in eight points, not yet featuring the sharp vertex of the modern design.
The association of the eight-pointed cross with the southern Italy coastal town of Amalfi may go back to the 11th century, as the design is allegedly found on coins minted by the Duchy of Amalfi at that time.
Eight-pointed crosses appear on coins minted by the Grand Masters of the order, first shown embroidered on the left arm of the robe of the kneeling Grand Master on the obverse of a coin minted under Foulques de Villaret
In 1489, the statutes of the order require all knights of Malta to wear "the white cross with eight points".
Emergence of the sharp vertex of the modern "four-arrowhead" design is gradual, and takes place during the 15th to 16th century. The "Rhodian cross" of the early 16th century had almost, but not quite, achieved the "sharp arrowhead appearance".
The fully modern design is found on a copper coin dated 1567, minted by Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette.
In 1577, Alonso Sanchez Coello painted Archduke Wenceslaus of Austria as Grand Prior of the Order of Malta wearing the emblem on his robes.
The design appears appears again on coins minted in the late 17th to 18th centuries. It is shown on a copper coin dated 1693, minted under Grand Master Adrien de Wignacourt.
From the end of the 17th century, it is also occasionally displayed as alternative heraldic emblem of the order.
Its depiction on the facade of San Giovannino dei Cavalieri dates to 1699.

Symbolism

The Maltese cross as defined by the constitution of the Order of St. John remains the symbol of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, of the Order of Saint John and its allied orders, of the Venerable Order of Saint John, and of their various service organisations.
Numerous other modern orders of merit have used the eight-pointed cross.
In Australia, the eight-pointed cross is part of the state emblem of Queensland.
The eight points of the eight-pointed cross have been given a number of symbolic interpretations,
such as representing the eight Langues of the Knights Hospitaller.
or alternatively the "eight obligations or aspirations" of the knights.
Websites operated by both the German Order of Saint John and the British Venerable Order of St John associate the eight points with the Eight Beatitudes.
An undated leaflet published by The Venerable Order's main service organisation, St John Ambulance, has also applied secular meanings to the points as representing the traits of a good first aider.

Modern use

Republic of Malta

The Maltese cross is displayed as part of the Maltese civil ensign, the Maltese naval jack and presidential standard has a Maltese cross in each corner. The Maltese euro coins of 1- and 2-euro denomination carry the Maltese cross. It is also the trademark of Air Malta, Malta's national airline.
The Maltese cross was depicted on the two-mils coin in of the Maltese lira in 1972, and on the reverse of one- and two-Euro coins introduced in January 2008.

Military and civil orders


In 1967, flight tests were conducted at Fort Rucker, Alabama, to determine the most highly visible and effective way to mark a helipad.
Twenty-five emblem designs were tested, but the emblem depicting four blurred rotor blades, referred to as the "Maltese cross", was selected as the standard heliport marking pattern by the Army for military heliports, and by the FAA for civil heliports.
However, in the late 1970s, the FAA administrator repealed this standard when it was charged that the Maltese cross was antisemitic. In the United States today, some helipads still remain bearing their original Maltese cross emblems.
The eight-pointed cross is also used to identify the final approach fix in a nonprecision instrument approach, in contrast to the use of a lightning bolt-type icon, which identifies the final approach fix in a precision approach.

Maritime

The vessel classification society for the United States, the American Bureau of Shipping, will assign the Maltese cross symbol to vessels and offshore units for which the hull construction and/or the manufacture of its machinery and components and any associated required testing, as applicable, is carried out under ABS survey.

Medical

Several orders that are descended from the original Order of St John set up first aid and ambulance services. These also incorporated the Maltese cross into their logos:
's Bermuda Regiment combines the eight-pointed cross of rifle regiments with elements from that of the Royal Artillery.
The "Maltese cross flower" is so named because its petals are similarly shaped, though its points are more rounded into "heart"-like shapes. The flower Tripterocalyx crux-maltae was also named for the Maltese cross.
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

Eight-pointed 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 of the Delta Phi fraternity since 1833.
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.
A five-armed variant is the "Cross" of the French Legion of Honour.
A seven-armed variant, known as the "Maltese asterisk", is used as the basis of Britain's Order of St Michael and St George.
Other crosses with spreading limbs are often mistakenly called "Maltese", especially the cross pattée. The royal warrant which created the Victoria Cross prescribed a Maltese cross, but the medal has always in fact been a cross pattée. 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. The Nestorian cross also is very similar to both of these.
The Firefighter's Cross sometimes mistakenly called the Cross of Saint Florian, patron saint of 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. The Philadelphia Fire Department, among others, incorporates the Firefighter's Cross into its insignia, as does the International Association of Fire Fighters.
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, since 1964, on the national flag of Malta. The Maltese cross is depicted on the civil ensign of Malta, shown above.