Asaltire, also calledSaint Andrew's Cross or thecrux decussata,[1] is aheraldic symbol in the form of a diagonalcross. The word comes from theMiddle Frenchsautoir,Medieval Latinsaltatoria ("stirrup").[2]
From its use asfield sign, the saltire came to be used in a number of flags, in the 16th century forScotland andBurgundy, in the 18th century also as the ensign of theRussian Navy, andfor Ireland. Notable 19th-century usage includes some of theflags of the Confederate States of America. It is also used in theflag of Jamaica and onseals, and as aheraldic charge incoats of arms.
The termsaltirewise orin saltire refers to heraldic charges arranged as a diagonal cross. Theshield may also bedividedper saltire, i.e. diagonally.
Awarning sign in the shape of a saltire is also used to indicate the point at which a railway line intersects a road at alevel crossing.
The saltire is important both inheraldry, being found in many coats of arms, and invexillology, being found as the dominant feature of multiple flags.
The saltire is one of the so-calledordinaries, geometriccharges that span throughout (from edge to edge of) the shield. As suggested by the namesaltire ("stirrup"; in French:sautoir, in German:Schragen), the ordinary in its early use was not intended as representing aChristian cross symbol. The association withSaint Andrew is a development of the 15th to 16th centuries. TheCross of Burgundy emblem originates in the 15th century, as a field sign, and as the Saint Andrew's Cross ofScotland was used in flags or banners (but not in coats of arms) from the 16th century, and used asnaval ensign during theAge of Sail.
When two or more saltires appear, they are usuallyblazoned ascouped (cut off). For example, contrast the single saltire in the arms granted to G. M. W. Anderson[a]—with the threesaltires couped in the coat of Kemble Greenwood.[b]
Diminutive forms include thefillet saltire,[c] usually considered half or less the width of the saltire, and thesaltorel, a narrow or couped saltire.
A field(party) per saltire is divided into four areas by a saltire-shaped "cut". If twotinctures are specified, the first refers to the areas above (in chief) and below (in base) the crossing, and the second refers to the ones on either side (in the flanks).[d] Otherwise, each of the four divisions may be blazoned separately.
The phrasein saltire orsaltirewise is used in two ways:
Division of the fieldper saltire was notably used by theAragonese kings ofSicily beginning in the 14th century (Frederick the Simple), showing thepales of Aragon and the "Hohenstaufen" eagle (argent aneagle sable).
TheFlag of Scotland, calledThe Saltire orSaint Andrew's Cross, is a blue field with a white saltire. According to tradition, it representsSaint Andrew, who is supposed to have been crucified on a cross of that form (called acrux decussata) atPatras,Greece.
The Saint Andrew's Cross was worn as a badge on hats in Scotland, on the day of thefeast of Saint Andrew.[1]
In thepolitics of Scotland, both theScottish National Party andScottish Conservative Party use stylised saltires as their party logos, deriving from the flag of Scotland. Furthermore, theScottish Government uses the flag as its official symbol on Scottish Government publications, including letters, documents and press releases.[10]
Prior to theUnion, theRoyal Scots Navy used ared ensign incorporating the St Andrew's Cross; this ensign is now sometimes flown as part of an unofficialcivil ensign inScottish waters. With its colours exchanged (and a lighter blue), the same design forms part of thearms andflag of Nova Scotia (whose name means "New Scotland").
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TheCross of Burgundy, a form of the Saint Andrew's Cross, is used in numerous flags acrossEurope and theAmericas. It was first used in the 15th century as an emblem by theValois Dukes of Burgundy. TheDuchy of Burgundy, forming a large part of easternFrance and theLow Countries, was inherited by theHouse of Habsburg on the extinction of the Valois ducal line. The emblem was therefore assumed by the monarchs ofSpain as a consequence of the Habsburgs bringing together, in the early 16th century, their Burgundian inheritance with the other extensive possessions they inherited throughoutEurope and theAmericas, including the crowns ofCastile andAragon. As a result, the Cross of Burgundy has appeared in a wide variety of flags connected with territories formerly part of the Burgundian or Habsburg inheritance. Examples of such diversity include the Spanish naval ensign (1506-1701), the flag ofCarlism (a nineteenth century Spanish conservative movement), the flag of the Dutch municipality ofEijsden, the flag ofChuquisaca in Bolivia and the flags ofFlorida andAlabama in the United States.
Gascony has not had any institutional unity since the 11th century, henceseveral flags are currently used in the territory. Legend says that this flag appeared in the time ofPope Clement III to gather the Gascons during theThird Crusade (12th century). That flag, sometimes called "Union Gascona" (Gascon Union), contains theSt Andrew's cross, the patron saint ofBordeaux and the red color ofEnglish kingdom, which reigned overGascony from 12th to mid-15th century.
In Tome 14 of theGrande Encyclopédie, published in France between 1886 and 1902 byHenri Lamirault, it says
during the hard times of the Hundred Years' War and the terrible struggles between theArmagnacs, representing the national party (white cross) and theBurgundians, allied to the English (red cross and red Saint Andrew's cross), the flag of the victorious English ends up gathering, in 1422, underHenri VI, on its field the white and red crosses of France and England, the white and red Saint Andrew's crosses ofGuyenne andBurgundy.[11]
That saltire is also represented in the pattern of sometalenquères in manybullrings in Gascony.[12]
The navalensign of theImperial Russian (1696–1917) andRussian navies (1991–present) is a blue saltire on a white field.
Theinternational maritime signal flag forM is a white saltire on a blue background, and indicates a stopped vessel. A red saltire on a white background denotes the letterV and the message "I require assistance".
The flags of the Colombian archipelago ofSan Andrés and Providencia and the Spanish island ofTenerife also use a white saltire on a blue field. The Brazilian cities ofRio de Janeiro andFortaleza also use a blue saltire on a white field, with their coats-of-arms at the hub.
Saltires are also seen in several other flags, including the flags ofGrenada,Jamaica,Alabama,Florida,Jersey,Logroño,Vitoria,Amsterdam,Breda,Katwijk,Potchefstroom,The Bierzo andValdivia, as well as the former Indianprincely states ofKhairpur,Rajkot andJaora.
The design is also part of theConfederate Battle Flag andNaval Jack used during theAmerican Civil War (seeFlags of the Confederate States of America). Arthur L. Rogers, designer of the final version of the Confederate National flag, claimed that it was based on the saltire of Scotland.[13] The saltire is used on modern-day Southern U.S. state flags to honour the former Confederacy.[14]
Anne Roes (1937) identifies a design consisting of two crossing diagonal lines in a rectangle, sometimes with four dots or balls in the four quarters, as an emblem orvexillum (standard) ofPersepolis during the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC. Roes also finds the design inArgive vase painting, and still earlier in button seals of the Iranian Chalcolithic. Roes also notes the occurrence of a very similar if not identicalvexillum which repeatedly occurs inGaulish coins of c. the 2nd to 1st century BC, in a recurring design where it is held by a charioteer in front of his human-headed horse.[15] A large number of coins of this type (118 out of 152 items) forms part of the Les Sablons hoard of the 1st century BC, discovered inLe Mans between 1991 and 1997, associated with theCenomani.[16]
The same design is found on coins of Christian Roman emperors of the 4th to 5th centuries (Constantius II,Valentinian,Jovian,Gratianus,Valens,Arcadius,Constantine III,Jovinus,Theodosius I,Eugenius andTheodosius II). The letterΧ (Chi) was from an early time used as a symbol for Christ (unrelated to theChristian cross symbol, which at the time was given aT-shape). Thevexillum on imperial coins from the 4th century was sometimes shown as theLabarum, surmounted by or displaying theChi-Rho monogram rather than just thecrux decussata. The emblem of thecrux decussata in a rectangle, sometimes with four dots or balls, re-appears in coins theByzantine Empire, in the 9th to 10th centuries. Roes suggested that early Christians endorsed itssolar symbolism as appropriate toChrist.[17]
![Reconstruction of Saltire pattern labarum per A.Roes[9]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLabarum_(Saltire_Pattern).svg)
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The association withSaint Andrew develops in the late medieval period. The tradition according to which this saint was crucified on a decussate cross is not found in early hagiography. Depictions of Saint Andrew being crucified in this manner first appear in the 10th century, but do not become standard before the 17th century.[18] Reference to the saltire as "St Andrew's Cross" is made by theParliament of Scotland (where Andrew had been adopted aspatron saint) in 1385, in a decree to the effect that every Scottish and French soldier (fighting against theEnglish under Richard II) "shall have a sign before and behind, namely a white St. Andrew's Cross".[19]
The cross continues to be used in modern times by religious groups. The arms of theEpiscopal Church in the United States features a saltire in its canton.[20] The logo of theChristian Church (Disciples of Christ) features a redchalice with a Saint Andrew's cross, representing the Scottish heritage of the denomination.[21]
The diagonal cross (decussate cross) orX mark is called "saltire" in heraldic and vexillological contexts.
A black diagonal cross was used in an old European Union standard as the hazard symbol for irritants (Xi) or harmful chemicals (Xn). It indicated a hazard less severe thanskull and crossbones, used forpoisons, or thecorrosive sign.
TheMaria Theresa thaler has aRoman numeral ten to symbolize the 1750 debasement of the coinage, from 9 to 10 thalers to the Vienna mark (a weight of silver).
A diagonal cross known as "crossbuck" is used as the conventionalroad sign used to indicate the point at which a railway line intersects a road at alevel crossing. A white diagonal cross on a blue background (or black on yellow for temporary signs) is displayed inUK railway signalling as a "cancelling indicator" for theAutomatic Warning System (AWS), informing the driver that the received warning can be disregarded.
InCameroon, a red "X" placed on illegally constructed buildings scheduled for demolition is occasionally referred to as a "St Andrew's Cross". It is usually accompanied by the letters "A.D." ("à détruire"—French for "to be demolished") and a date or deadline. During a campaign of urban renewal by theYaoundé Urban Council in Cameroon, the cross was popularly referred to as "Tsimi's Cross" after the Government Delegate to the council, Gilbert Tsimi Evouna.[22]
Intraditional timber framing a pair of crossing braces is sometimes called a saltire or a St. Andrew's Cross.[23] Half-timbering, particularly in France and Germany, has patterns of framing members forming many different symbols known as ornamental bracing.[24]
The saltire cross,X-cross, X-frame, or Saint Andrew's cross is a common piece of equipment in BDSM dungeons. It iserotic furniture that typically provides restraining points for ankles, wrists, and waist. When secured to an X-cross, the subject is restrained in a standing spreadeagle position.
Unicode encoded variousdecussate crosses under the name of saltire, they areU+2613 ☓SALTIRE,U+1F7A8 🞨THIN SALTIRE,U+1F7A9 🞩LIGHT SALTIRE,U+1F7AA 🞪MEDIUM SALTIRE,U+1F7AB 🞫BOLD SALTIRE,U+1F7AC 🞬HEAVY SALTIRE,U+1F7AD 🞭VERY HEAVY SALTIRE andU+1F7AE 🞮EXTREMELY HEAVY SALTIRE.
![Azure a saltire or (Saint Alban's Cross, St Albans 1634)[25]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSt_Albans_COA.svg)
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![Quarterly 1st & 4th: Barry of six [seven] vair and gules; 2nd & 3rd: Gules, a saltire vair (Henry Beaumont of Devon, d.1591)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aBeaumontWillingtonArmsGittishamDevon.JPG)
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![Royal Coat of Arms of Spain (1700–1761)[26]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aRoyal_Coat_of_arms_of_Spain_(1700-1761)-Common_Version_of_the_Colours.svg)
![Coat of arms of Spain (1874–1931)[26]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNational_Coat_of_arms_of_Spain_(Until_1931)-Version_of_the_Colours.svg)
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![Flag of Scotland (c. 1507)[27]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aFlag_of_Scotland_(1-1).svg)
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Saltier".Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.
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