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Maltese cross in Russian heraldry. What is the Maltese Cross? Maltese cross: meaning for Christianity

Many of us who ride choppers have repeatedly faced misunderstandings of others. Those same passers-by, and sometimes our family, who saw black crosses on frames, wings, stars. It is sad to realize that not only those around us do not know history well, but we ourselves are often confused in definitions, calling the image of the Iron Cross Maltese and vice versa. Especially to...

Mikhail October 9, 2008
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Forget everything you've heard before, the Iron Cross today means you're part of the chopper world. Whether you ride them or build them doesn't really matter. When we start talking about this topic, we mean something more than just a historical look at the Iron and Maltese Crosses.

Religion has played a huge role in wars and conflicts since ancient times, from the Crusades to Vietnam and Iraq. It is not surprising that religious symbols were often used in military decorations of all countries of the world. But it should be noted that only the highest and most noble of the awards contained such symbols. The cross, although it was used and is used in other variations, was most widely used in military decorations.

Of all the military crosses, the most infamous is the German Iron Cross. Because of all the negativity that Adolf Hitler left behind, a shadow also fell on the Iron Cross, which used to personify courage and heroism. And it will take more than one decade for this glorious award to once again become associated with the best qualities of a person.

The Iron Cross is often confused with the Maltese Cross. The shape of each of them actually came from a cross, in heraldry called "Patte" (in French - paw). With all this, the Iron Cross retains the shape of the cross "Patte", and the Maltese Cross has a deep cut in the shape of the Latin letter "V" on each "arm".

The essential difference between them also depends on their meaning and place in history.

Maltese cross

The Maltese Cross is without a doubt a historical symbol. However, before we begin to explore the use of this sign, it is necessary to consider the very concept of the cross.

In Christianity, the cross is called to remind of the crucifixion of Christ, and by the fact that it is empty - of His resurrection. In all other cases, the cross is a neutral symbol, often perfectly symmetrical and regularly used in art. Many countries used the cross as the main military decoration and awarded it to those who faithfully served the state.

The Maltese cross was used by the Knights of the island of Malta, and served to identify the knights themselves and distinguish them from their enemies. The Order of the Knights of Malta, also known as the Knights of Saint John or the Order of the Hospitallers, was a religious stratum of society founded around 1070. The main task of the Order was to help and protect the pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. Constantly participating in campaigns, battles and skirmishes, in 1136 the Knights of Malta completely moved from the religious stratum of society to the military. In 1530, Emperor Charles V placed Malta at the disposal of the Order, from then on called the Order of Malta. It was at that time that the Maltese Cross acquired the form that is known today - a white cross with eight sharp endings.

It is assumed that the eight ends of the cross represent the eight oaths that the knights of the Order took:

live the truth
Live with faith
Repent of sins
Prove humility
Respect justice
be merciful
Be sincere and sincere
withstand cruelty

And although many countries and organizations around the world use crosses that are similar, and often are copies of the form of the Maltese, one cannot close one's eyes to the fact that it has its own specific role in history and should not be confused with the rest.

Iron Cross

The Iron Cross, or Iron Cross, is probably the most famous German award. The history of the Iron Cross goes back to 1813, when the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III established it for the first time during the war for the liberation of Prussia from Napoleon's troops. It was an order for a certain military company, so it was established twice more: in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, and in 1914 during the First World War. Despite the defeat of Germany in the First World War, the Iron Cross remained a symbol of the military prowess of the German army in the years between the wars. The Iron Cross symbolizes the courage of the old Prussian warriors, the great victories of the Bismarck era and the bravery of the German soldiers of the First World War.

In the first hours after the outbreak of World War II, Adolf Hitler added his political symbols to the Iron Cross. The Iron Cross immediately became the largest and most recognizable military award of the Third Reich. The Iron Cross, which retained its shape as it was created by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, first became a German award (before that it was an exclusively Prussian award), and then acquired a distinctive feature of the Nazi army - a swastika in the center and the year of approval on the lower "hand" cross (1939).

By the way, the swastika was originally (swasti, greeting, good luck) - a cross with curved ends ("rotating"), directed either clockwise (this is the movement of the earth around the sun) or counterclockwise, was a symbol of the movement of life, the Sun, light and well-being.

The colors of the Iron Cross ribbon have also been changed. Black, white, brick red - this is how the tape began to look. The wide red stripe was supposed to evoke the blood that Germany shed in the First World War.

On September 1, 1939, 4 classes of the Iron Cross were established: 2nd class, 1st class, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. By the end of the war, the number of degrees of the Iron Cross had increased to eight.

Officially, fascist symbols were removed from the Iron Cross in 1957. But until now, for many, it is associated exclusively with negative emotions.

In the late forties and early fifties, the crowds of young people who returned to the US after World War II were extremely disappointed with what they found at home. Puritan morals, commercial spirit and the general ostentatious hypocrisy of ordinary Americans somehow did not fit in with the concept of the great American dream, which was defended by former soldiers. Many of them have never been able to find themselves in a society that has become alien to them. Some of them saddled motorcycles, dressed in black leather, wearing trophy swastikas and iron crosses on it. Soon they began to unite in motorcycle clubs, living according to the old, front-line principles they understood. And now the Iron Cross has taken a new place in history. It has become one of the main symbols of customizers around the world. First, ironically inclined motorcyclists - and those who create choppers, and those who just love to ride them. And then the younger brothers - the builders of custom bikes.

The Iron Cross today represents belonging to the world of choppers, to the world of independence and freedom.

— eight-pointed cross, which was used by the once powerful order of chivalry hospitallers(or Joanites). Hospitallers or Joantiy - the order of St. John of Jerusalem, which was founded in 1080 in Jerusalem, as an organization to help the poor and sick pilgrims in the Holy Land, after being captured after the capture of Jerusalem by Christians during the First Crusade (1099), received the status of a religious-military order .

After the expulsion of Christians from the holy land in 1291, the Hospitallers moved their headquarters first to the island of Rhodes, and then from the 16th century to Malta, from which the name Maltese Cross appeared. In the 13th century, the order, under the leadership of Master Raymond de Puy, became universal, like religion itself.

The white eight-pointed cross on a red or black background has been preserved as a symbol of the order for all time. It was embroidered with white thread on the red mantle of the hospitallers, was present on seals, and depicted on buildings. The cross is sometimes also called Cross of Saint John or George Cross.

Meaning of the Maltese Cross.

The eight-pointed cross is often associated with the eight languages \u200b\u200bof the main states of feudal Europe, as well as the eight beatitudes awaiting the righteous in afterlife. The white eight-pointed cross on the mantle of the knights of the Order of the Hospitallers was a symbol of chastity and the eight knightly virtues.

Order of Malta and Russia

The Order of St. John was on friendly terms with Russia when in 1697 Sheremetev visited Malta at the direction of Peter I. At the same time, Sheremetev was awarded the Order in the form of an eight-pointed cross, thus making him the first Russian holder of the Order of Malta.

Since that time, Russia has maintained close relations with the Order. In 1798, when the island was captured by the French, under the leadership of Napoleon, it was decided to depose the former Grand Master of the Joannites Ferdinand Gompes, accusing him of "stupid carelessness" that led to the expulsion of the Knights of Malta from the island, and asking him to accept this title of Paul I. Badge of the Order John of Jerusalem was included in the state emblem and the state seal of the Russian Empire. Houses were transferred to the order, significant cash incomes were determined. Rank "Grand Master of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem" was included in the official title of the emperor.

After the assassination of Paul I, his son and successor Alexander I, having ascended the throne, by a manifesto of April 16, 1801, declared himself the protector (patron) of the order, but soon an order was issued to remove the image of the Maltese cross from the state emblem. In 1803, Alexander resigned the title of protector, and in 1817, on January 20, the provision was approved that after the death of the family commanders, the heirs did not have the right to this title and did not wear the Signs of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, since this order no longer exists in Russia.

After that, the remnants of the order moved to Italy, under the auspices of the Pope, and the order began to be charitable.

Other uses of the Maltese cross

In 1807, the Russian Emperor Alexander I, as a reward, established the St. George Cross, modeled on the Maltese Cross. It was intended to reward the lower ranks of the army and navy for feats and bravery in wartime.

Nowadays Maltese cross used in Britain by John's sanitary brigades. The Maltese cross is also the first postmark.

Maltese cross (symbol)

Maltese cross- an eight-pointed cross used by the once powerful knightly order of the Hospitallers (Johnites - members of the Catholic spiritual and knightly order of St. John of Jerusalem, founded in the 12th century in Palestine). The symbol comes from the coat of arms of the Italian city of Amalfi, natives of which were the founders of the Jerusalem hospital, which gave rise to the order.

The Maltese cross also appeared in some Russian noble coats of arms: princes Argutinsky-Dolgoruky, barons Velgo (Velho), counts Orlov-Denisov, counts Golenishchev-Kutuzov-Tolstoy.

In modern Russian heraldry, the Maltese cross, having appeared in the reign of Paul I, remained in the coats of arms of the suburbs of St. Petersburg Pavlovsk and Gatchina.

Coat of arms of Pavlovsk

Notes

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See what the "Maltese cross (symbol)" is in other dictionaries:

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It is difficult to find a person who has never seen the Maltese Cross in his life. This is not surprising, because this strange, unlike anything symbol is distributed almost all over the world, and was used by a wide variety of organizations. The reason for this popularity remains a mystery to this day. Scientists can only adjust the theory to suit real facts- no more. The truth remains unknown, and there is no guarantee that mankind will ever be able to unravel this mystery. But that only makes it more interesting.

What is the Maltese Cross?

And in general, is it really a cross? The truth is revealed when you try to draw it. This symbol is not in vain bears its name, it is not mistaken. It really is a four-pointed cross. An unusual view is provided by the divergence from the center of the sides of all its ends. By the way, this fact gave the "Maltese" another name - "eight-pointed cross". As the reader could already understand, in fact, he is not. The illusion is created by the bifurcation of all its ends.

ancient order

The Maltese Cross acquired one of its first roles in the Order of the Hospitallers - this is how the members of the Palestinian Spiritual and Knightly Order, the founder of which was St. John of Jerusalem, called themselves. Opinions differ on the meaning of this symbol. Someone considers the eight ends to be the personification of the corresponding number of military virtues, someone - the heavenly bliss provided to the righteous members of the order, someone - all the peoples who participated in its formation. Perhaps all these opinions are correct, and the meaning of the cross is ambiguous. Each member of the order wore his image on his clothes and observed all eight virtues: humility, truth, faith, sinlessness, mercy, sincerity, justice, patience. The image of a sick man with a cross in his head and a lamp at his feet became the seal of the order.

Not so simple!

But the order did not become the creator of this symbol. The Maltese cross appeared many millennia earlier. There are two hypotheses regarding its origin. According to the first, it is a symbol of the Ashtar gods - the united holy four. According to the second, he is nothing more than a combination of the lunar and solar swastika. It is difficult to say where the truth actually lies - only assumptions remain to our share.

Maltese cross: meaning for Christianity

For modern church this symbol is very, very important. According to one theory, it expresses all four virtues of a true Christian: fortitude, prudence, temperance and justice. Eight ends, as in the days of the order, remain the designation of the beatitudes that await after death those who lived righteously.

Other meanings

In addition to all of the above, the Maltese cross denotes the union of the four essences of the material, intangible and human. These are, respectively, water, earth, fire and air - energy, space, information and time - truth, love, wisdom and harmony.

Maltese cross in Russian heraldry

It should be noted that this symbol has been used by the Russians more than once. So, for quite a long time he was part of the full coat of arms of the Russian Empire. In addition, the Maltese Cross was used by such noble families as the Velgo, Kutuzov, Orlov, Tolstoy, Denisov and Dolgoruky.

It is difficult to find a person who has never seen the Maltese Cross in his life. This is not surprising, because this strange, unlike anything symbol is distributed almost all over the world, and was used by a wide variety of organizations. The reason for this popularity remains a mystery to this day. Scientists can only adjust the theory to the real facts - no more. The truth remains unknown, and there is no guarantee that mankind will ever be able to unravel this mystery. But that only makes it more interesting.

What is the Maltese Cross?

ancient order

Not so simple!

Maltese cross: meaning for Christianity

For the modern church, this symbol is very, very important. According to one theory, it expresses all four virtues of a true Christian: fortitude, prudence, temperance and justice. Eight ends, as in the days of the order, remain the designation of the beatitudes that await after death those who lived righteously.

Other meanings

In addition to all of the above, the Maltese cross denotes the union of the four essences of the material, intangible and human. These are, respectively, water, earth, fire and air; energy, space, information and time; truth, love, wisdom and harmony.

Maltese cross in Russian heraldry