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Symbolism > cross

cross

The cross is a common heraldic device that signifies the Christian faith of the bearer. It was a popular symbol during the crusades, and it is said that during the first Crusades the principle nations of Christendom were distinguished by different colored crosses. A plain cross, one that divides the shield into roughly equal partitions, is also called a Greek cross to distinguish it from the Latin cross where the lower member is much longer than the other three, stemming from the time when the shields were much more elongated. The plain cross is often thought of as the cross Saint George, the patron saint of England, even though his emblem is properly a red cross on a white field. The cross may be used as either a charge or an ordinary, it may be charged with other devices, and it is subject to the lines of partition.

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