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.
26-689: [REDACTED] Look up Maltese in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Maltese may refer to: Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta Maltese alphabet Maltese cuisine Maltese culture Maltese language , the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people Maltese people , people from Malta or of Maltese descent Animals [ edit ] Maltese dog Maltese goat Maltese cat Maltese tiger Other uses [ edit ] Maltese cross Maltese (surname) ,
52-534: A London fare zone marked with a Maltese cross can make one journey from the London Terminal at which they arrived to the zone in question. 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 flower Tripterocalyx crux-maltae was also named for the Maltese cross. The Geneva drive ,
78-573: 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 KM Malta Airlines , 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. In 1967, laboratory tests, and flight tests at Fort Rucker and Fort Wolters , were conducted to determine
104-530: 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. Eight-pointed crosses were adopted for use by the French Order of Saint Lazarus in the mid-16th century. The use of the green eight-pointed cross by the Order was retained right through to the 19th century and after the secular organization of
130-407: A surname (including a list of people with the name) See also [ edit ] All pages with titles beginning with Maltese The Maltese Falcon (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Maltese . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
156-407: A surname (including a list of people with the name) See also [ edit ] All pages with titles beginning with Maltese The Maltese Falcon (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Maltese . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
182-529: Is a cross moline (ancrée) 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
208-633: Is often confused with the Maltese cross (for example, the New York City Fire Department so calls it); 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
234-530: Is the "Cross" of the French Legion of Honour ( Croix de la Légion d'honneur ). 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
260-655: 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. The British colony of Queensland , Australia , adopted the Maltese cross as the state badge and on the flag in 1876 for reasons unknown, its use continuing through to statehood. The eight points of
286-461: 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 (r. 1557–1568). 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 again on coins minted in
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#1732765098340312-675: The 16th century. Although chiefly associated with the Knights Hospitaller (Order of St. John, now the Sovereign Military Order of Malta ), 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 (1709), the Prussian order Pour le Mérite (1740), and
338-681: The Bavarian Military Merit Order (1866). Unicode defines a character named "Maltese cross" in the Dingbats range at code point U+2720 ( ✠ ); however most computer fonts render the code point as a cross pattée . The Knights Hospitaller during the Crusades used a plain Latin cross. Occasional use of the modern form straight-edged "eight-pointed cross" by the order begins in the early 16th century. This early form
364-573: 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 . The Maltese cross is displayed as part of the Maltese civil ensign , the Maltese naval jack and presidential standard has
390-404: 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. 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: On
416-492: The National Rail network, tickets marked with a Maltese cross are valid for travel on London Underground , Docklands Light Railway and Thameslink between two London Terminals, allowing passengers to make journeys that cross London. Passengers can break their journey at any intermediate station but cannot then resume their journey by Tube, DLR or Thameslink using their cross-London ticket. Passengers holding tickets to
442-651: The Order after 1910. It has been the official badge (combined with an ellipsoid in the center) 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
468-533: The eight-pointed cross have been given a number of symbolic interpretations, such as representing the eight Langues of the Knights Hospitaller (Auvergne, Provence, France, Aragon, Castille and Portugal, Italy, Germany, and the British Isles). or alternatively the "eight obligations or aspirations" of the knights. Websites operated by both the German Order of Saint John ( Johanniterorden ) and
494-482: The free dictionary. Maltese may refer to: Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta Maltese alphabet Maltese cuisine Maltese culture Maltese language , the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people Maltese people , people from Malta or of Maltese descent Animals [ edit ] Maltese dog Maltese goat Maltese cat Maltese tiger Other uses [ edit ] Maltese cross Maltese (surname) ,
520-469: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maltese&oldid=1128225164 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Language and nationality disambiguation pages Maltese [REDACTED] Look up Maltese in Wiktionary,
546-477: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maltese&oldid=1128225164 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Language and nationality disambiguation pages Maltese cross It is a heraldic cross variant which developed from earlier forms of eight-pointed crosses in
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#1732765098340572-412: 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. The Maltese cross as defined by the constitution of the Order of St. John remains the symbol of
598-479: 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 Unicode Character “✠” (U+2720) is called a Maltese Cross, but is in fact a cross pattée. The Firefighter's Cross
624-501: 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
650-413: The order, first shown as a bolsini-type cross embroidered on the left arm of the robe of the kneeling Grand Master on the obverse of a coin minted under Foulques de Villaret (r. 1305–1319) 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
676-558: 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 on FAA published approach plates. This is used on both precision and non-precision approaches. The vessel classification society for the United States, the American Bureau of Shipping , will assign
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