TheJerusalem cross (also known as "five-fold cross", or "cross-and-crosslets" and the "Crusader's cross") is a heraldic cross andChristian cross variant consisting of a largecross potent surrounded by four smallerGreek crosses, one in each quadrant, representing theFour Evangelists and the spread of thegospel to the four corners of the Earth (metaphor for the whole Earth).[1] It was used as thecoat of arms of the CrusaderKingdom of Jerusalem after 1099. Use of the Jerusalem Cross by theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre and affiliated organizations in Jerusalem continue to the present. Other modern usages include on the national flag of Georgia, theEpiscopal Church Service Cross and as a symbol used by some white supremacist andChristian nationalist groups.[2]
According to Father David Grenier, a Catholic priest and member of the religious order the Holy Land Franciscan Friars, which uses the Jerusalem Cross as its symbol, the cross originated in Eastern Christianity sometime in the fifth and sixth centuries and was later adopted by crusaders and the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1291.[3][4]The symbolism of the five-fold cross is variously given as the five holy wounds, Christ and thefour evangelists, or Christ and thefour quarters of the world. The symbolism of five crosses representing the Five Wounds is first recorded in the context of the consecration of theSt Brelade's Church under the patronage ofRobert of Normandy (before 1035); the crosses are incised in the church'saltar stone.
The "cross-and-crosslets" orTealby pennies minted underHenry II of England during 1158–1180 have the "Jerusalem cross" on the obverse, with the four crosslets depicted asdecussate (diagonal).[5] Similar cross designs on the obverse of coins go back to at least theAnglo-Saxon period.[6]
As the coat of arms of theKingdom of Jerusalem, the design is traditionally attributed toGodfrey of Bouillon himself.[7] It was not used, however, by the Christian rulers of Jerusalem during the 12th century.A simple blazon ofor, a cross argent is documented byMatthew Paris as the coat of arms ofJohn of Brienne, who had been king of Jerusalem during 1210–1212, upon John's death in 1237.
The emblem used on the seals of the rulers of Jerusalem during the 12th century was a simplified depiction of the city itself, showing thetower of David between theDome of the Rock and theHoly Sepulchre, surrounded by thecity walls. Coins minted underHenry II of Champagne (r. 1192–1197) show a cross with four dots in the four quarters, but the Jerusalem cross proper appears only on a coin minted underJohn I of Cyprus (r. 1284–1285).[8]
At about the same time, the cross of Jerusalem in gold on a silver field appears as the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in earlyarmorials such as theCamden Roll. The coat of arms of the king of Jerusalem featured gold on silver (in the case of John de Brienne, silver on gold), a metal on a metal, and thus broke the heraldicRule of Tincture; this was justified by the fact that Jerusalem was so holy, it was above ordinary rules. The gold and silver were also connected to Psalms 68:13, which mentions a "dove covered in silver, and her feathers with yellow gold".[7]
TheGelre Armorial (14th century) attributes to the "emperors of Constantinople" (theLatin Empire) a variant of the Jerusalem cross with the four crosslets inscribed in circles.[9]Philip of Courtenay, who held the title ofLatin Emperor of Constantinople from 1273–1283 (even though Constantinople had beenreconquered by the Byzantine Empire in 1261) used an extended form of the Jerusalem cross, where each of the four crosslets was itself surrounded by four smaller crosslets (a "Jerusalem cross of Jerusalem crosses").[10]
![The conventional coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem[7]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aArms_of_the_Kingdom_of_Jerusalem.svg)
![Depiction of the Jerusalem cross on a red (rather than silver) shield as the coat of arms of Godfrey of Bouillon in a 14th-century miniature.[11]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGodfroy.jpg)
In late medieval heraldry, the Jerusalem cross or Crusader's cross[12] was used for various Crusader states. The 14th-centuryBook of All Kingdoms uses it as the flag ofSebasteia. ThePizzigano chart, dating from about the same time, uses it as the flag ofTbilisi.
Carlo Maggi, a Venetian nobleman who visited Jerusalem and was made a knight of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre in the early 1570s, included the Jerusalem cross in his coat of arms.
There is a historiographical tradition thatPeter the Great flew a flag with a variant of the Jerusalem cross in his campaign in the White Sea in 1693.[13]
Joan of Arc reportedly told theInquisition that the location of a sword with five crosses had been revealed to her, and that the Priests of Fierbois had found the sword in the location she described and sent it to her. Following a local tradition that the sword was a relic ofCharles Martel, some have speculated the five crosses on the blade may have been the Jerusalem Cross.[14]
 | This article or sectionappears to contradict itself on whether the Jerusalem Cross is widespread today. Please see thetalk page for more information.(January 2026) |
Many Christians, especially those with a particular connection to Jerusalem or who have made a pilgrimage to the city, choose to wear the Jerusalem Cross or have it tattooed on their bodies as a way to express their faith, commemorate their visit, or display their affiliation with the Christian tradition.[15] Author Jennifer Greenberg adds, "the cross continues to be worn by pastors and to adorn Bibles and Christian books."[3] "The cross has been ubiquitous in Christian imagery ever since. It appears in the artistic and architectural ornamentation of churches and Christian buildings, as a design on Bible covers and very often as a beautiful piece of jewelry worn to declare one's Christian faith" according to Matthew Bunson, senior fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He adds "Today, the Jerusalem Cross is still the main insignia of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem—the Latin Catholic diocese for the Holy Land—the Custody of the Holy Land run by the Franciscan Order, and theEquestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem."[16][17]
Today, it appears in various contexts, from religious symbols to artistic representations, many individuals and communities embrace this emblem as a part of their spiritual identity. In the Christian community, the cross serves as a potent symbol of faith and connection to heritage. Churches across the world display it prominently within their sanctuaries. Such visibility reinforces the significance of pilgrimage and spirituality tied to Jerusalem itself.[18] According to Matthew Gabriele, aVirginia Tech medieval studies professor, the Jerusalem Cross is not a common Christian symbol today.[2]No. 1 Squadron of theRoyal Australian Air Force displays the Jerusalem cross on its squadron crest, although without crosslets, in honor of pilotFrank McNamara's actions inPalestine during the First World War.[19][20]
WhenAlbert, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), visited Jerusalem in 1862, he had a Jerusalem cross tattooed on his arm.[21] Twenty years later, his sonGeorge V would make a similar journey and also get a tattoo of theJerusalem Cross to commemorate his experience.[22] George wrote of the experience "I was tattooed by the same man who tattooedPapa."[22]
German EmperorWilhelm II visited Jerusalem in 1898 and awarded theJerusalem-Erinnerungskreuz (Jerusalem Memorial Cross) order in the shape of a Jerusalem cross to those who accompanied him at the inauguration of theLutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem.
In the early 20th century, the Jerusalem cross also came to be used as a symbol ofworld evangelization in Protestantism. A derived design known as the "Episcopal Church Service Cross" was first used duringWorld War I by the AnglicanEpiscopal Church in the United States.[23] The Jerusalem cross was chosen as the emblem of theDeutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag (German Protestant Church Assembly) in the 1950s, since the 1960s shown in a simplified form where the central Cross potent is replaced by a simple Greek cross.
The modernnational flag of Georgia was introduced in 2004, with a design based on the 15th centuryPizzigano chart's use of the cross as the flag ofTbilisi.
The Jerusalem cross is also the symbol of Kairos, a four-day Jesuit retreat that is held for youth in high schools and parishes around the world. The four crosses are used to symbolize the motto of the retreat, "Live the fourth".
TheUnicode character set has a character ☩, U+2629 CROSS OF JERUSALEM in theMiscellaneous Symbols table. However, the glyph associated with that character according to the official Unicode character sheet is shown as a simplecross potent, and not a Jerusalem cross.
The Jerusalem cross is often used infrequency selective surface applications. The Jerusalem cross is an attractive choice for the periodic element because such a choice makes the frequency selective surface less sensitive toangle of incidence.[24]
In recent years, images and terms associated with the Crusades in the Middle East have been appropriated bywhite supremacists andChristian nationalists, including the Jerusalem Cross.[25][26] Matthew Taylor, senior scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies, said that the Jerusalem cross "doesn't always necessarily connote an endorsement of the Crusades" but far-right and neo-Nazi groups use the symbol.[2] While the Cross itself has been popular with right-wing extremist groups, it has also often been used in association with the termDeus Vult. Flags or banners bearing the Crusader cross and "Deus Vult" were flown during the 2017 white supremacistUnite the Right rally.[25][2] The president and executive director of the Center for Peace Diplomacy said the cross used in combination with "Deus Vult" are "an invocation of the claim that crusader violence and its atrocities (including the massacre of civilians) was legitimate".[2] Podcaster Brad Onishi stated the Jerusalem cross and the Deus Vult are "symbols that are used by white Christian nationalists. Those who have adopted these Crusader images really see themselves as at war with those trying to take down American Christianity and Western civilization at large."[27]
In 2020, DemocratTom Steyer made news when he showed up with the hand-drawn symbol on his hand duringDemocratic debates in 2020.[26] He explained that he drew the cross on his hand for years as a reminder to stay honest.[26] In 2024,Pete Hegseth said concerns over his Jerusalem cross tattoo caused theDistrict of Columbia National Guard to pull him from a mission to guard theinauguration of President Joe Biden and helped spur him to resign from the military.[3][28]
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