Jerusalem cross
A large cross with a short bar at each end and a small cross in each corner. It is the emblem of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
Meaning
The large central cross is a cross potent, with a crossbar at each of its four ends, and the four small crosses are Greek crosses. The five have been read in more than one way. Matthew Bunson, in the National Catholic Register, gives two: the five wounds of Christ, with the small crosses for the wounds in his hands and feet and the large one for the spear wound in his side; or Christ at the centre with the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, carrying the Gospel to the four corners of the world.
Origin and history
The cross was in use before the First Crusade of 1096 to 1099 and became attached to the arms of Godfrey of Bouillon, one of its leaders, which is why it is also called the Crusaders’ cross. It came into common use only in the second half of the 13th century, as the chief banner of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Pilgrims went on carrying it after the crusades ended, and pilgrims to Jerusalem have been tattooed with it for more than 700 years. Albert, Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, had one done on a visit to the Holy Land in 1862.
Where it came from
The Custody of the Holy Land, whose symbol it is, says there is no reliable information on its origins. The sign many people link with the kingdom the crusaders founded in 1099 also appears on coins, seals and flags that have nothing to do with the Crusades, though with them it took on a political meaning and one of territory alongside its religious one. The Custody thinks it more likely that it grew from a Greek cross with dots in place of the small crosses, used by the first Christians in the Middle East in Roman times, and points to mosaics in the Holy Land where the design is identical to today’s. The Franciscans adopted it for its evocation of Christ’s Passion and his universal supremacy.
Where you’ll see it today
It is the main insignia of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic diocese for the Holy Land, of the Custody of the Holy Land run by the Franciscans, and of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, whose members wear it in red on their cloaks. The order describes its insignia as a gold cross potent “enameled in the color of blood” with four red crosslets, and its coat of arms as the one attributed to the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Georgia has used versions of the cross on its national flag, on and off, since the early 14th century.
See also
Chi-Rho, Skull and crossbones, Latin cross, Orthodox cross, Celtic cross, Anchor.
Sources
- What Is the Jerusalem Cross?, National Catholic Register (Matthew Bunson)
- Symbols, Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Eastern Lieutenancy (USA)
- The Custody and its history, Custody of the Holy Land (Custodia Terrae Sanctae), The Cross of the Holy Land
Last reviewed September 24, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research