Maltese cross
About this illustration
- Date created
- Unknown
- License
- This work is believed to be in the public domain. Users are advised to make their own copyright assessment and to understand their rights to fair use.
See this illustration in context
- Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony: First part of a North Carolina history text for secondary students, covering the land, American Indians before contact with Europeans, Spanish exploration, the Roanoke colony, and the Columbian Exchange. (Page 4.3)
Related media
Learn more
- Search LEARN NC for crosses, Maltese cross, and symbols.
In the classroom
- See our collection of articles on visual literacy for ideas on using photographs meaningfully in the classroom.
The Maltese cross is a cross with four arms of equal length that expand outward and end in a “V” shape. The cross was originally the symbol of a group of 11th century knights, known as the Order of Knights Hospitaller (later the Knights of St. John), who cared for the sick in a Jerusalem hospital. Firefighters around the world now wear the Maltese cross as a symbol of honor and courage.
