View source for Cross of Saint James

{{good article}}
{{Short description|Heraldic symbol of Spain}}
{{use mdy dates|date=June 2022}}
[[File:Cross Santiago.svg|thumb|Cross of Saint James as used by the [[Order of Santiago]]| alt=Red Cross of Saint James]]
The '''Cross of Saint James''', also known as the '''Santiago cross''', '''''cruz espada''','' or '''Saint James' Cross''', is a [[cruciform]] (cross-shaped) [[heraldic badge]]. The cross, shaped as a [[Crosses in heraldry|cross fitchy]], combines with either a [[cross fleury]] or a [[cross moline]]. Its most common version is a red cross resembling a sword, with the hilt and the arm in the shape of a [[fleur-de-lis]].

The cross gets its name from [[James the Great]]er and the account of his appearance at the [[Battle of Clavijo]] in the Spanish victory over the [[Moors]]. It is used throughout Spain and Portugal.

==Background and use==
In [[heraldry]], the cross is also called the ''Santiago cross'' or the ''cruz espada'' (English: sword cross).<ref name="Davies">{{Cite book |last1=Davies |first1=Nikolas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=krlTS0XWkLwC&pg=PA104 |title=Dictionary of Architecture and Building Construction |last2=Jokiniemi |first2=Erkki |publisher=Routledge |year=2012 |isbn=9781136410253 |page=104}}</ref> It is a [[Charge (heraldry)|charge]], or symbol, in the form of a [[cross]]. The design combines a cross fitchy or fitchée, one whose lower limb comes to a point, with either a cross fleury,<ref name="Berry">{{Cite book |last=Berry |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w_5BAAAAcAAJ&pg=PR177 |title=Encyclopaedia Heraldica Or Complete Dictionary of Heraldry, Volume 1 |publisher=Sherwood, Gilbert and Piper |year=1828 |page=177 |quote=''Cross of St. James'' is a red sword, formed at the hilt like a cross flory and charged with an escallop.}}</ref> the arms of which end in [[Fleur-de-lis|fleurs-de-lis]], or a [[cross moline]] where the ends of the arms are forked and rounded.<ref name="Davies" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Boutell |first1=Charles |url=https://archive.org/details/heraldryancient00avelgoog/page/n69/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater&q=moline |title=Heraldry, Ancient and Modern: Including Boutell's Heraldry |last2=Aveling |first2=S.T. |date=1890 |publisher=1890 |page=42}}</ref> 

[[File:Tarta de Santiago (4467497071).jpg|thumb|Tarta de Santiago| alt=Photo of a cake with the image of a Saint James cross in powedered suger]]
<!-- Medieval [[Pilgrim]]s embarking on the [[Camino de Santiago]] would bring a pastry with them on their way to [[Santiago de Compostela Cathedral|St. James' shrine]] in Galicia.<ref name="seiyaku">{{Cite web |title=Cross of St. James |url=https://www.seiyaku.com/customs/crosses/james.html |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=seiyaku.com}}</ref>{{rs|date=June 2023}} -->Since the early part of the 20th century, the cross has been used as a decorative element on the almond [[pastry]] ''[[Tarta de Santiago]]''.<ref name="gazzettadelgusto">{{Cite web |last=Bilotta |first=Carmen |date=2017-10-02 |title=Tarta o torta di Santiago, l'antico dolce dei pellegrini di Santiago di Compostela |trans-title=Tart or cake of Santiago, the historic sweet of the Way of Saint James |url=https://www.gazzettadelgusto.it/ricette/dolci-e-frutta/tarta-o-torta-di-santiago-storia-e-ricett/ |access-date=2019-02-25 |website=La Gazzetta del Gusto |language=it}}</ref> A traditional [[Galicia (Spain)|Galician]] dessert made from ground almonds, the top of the pie is decorated with [[powdered sugar]], masked by an imprint of the cross which gives the dessert its name.<ref name="eur-lex">{{Cite web |title=COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 'TARTA DE SANTIAGO' EC No: ES-PGI-0005-0616-03.07.2007 |url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:223:0023:0025:EN:PDF |access-date=2014-04-06 |publisher=Official Journal of the European Union |archive-date=August 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831195249/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2009:223:0023:0025:EN:PDF |url-status=live }}</ref>

A red cross on a white field is a common design for a Christian cross. The cross is the symbol of the crucifixion, the white color symbolizing purity, and the red color symbolizes the [[blood of Christ]].<ref name="Vive Camino">{{cite web |title=THE CROSS OF SANTIAGO: ITS ORIGIN AND MEANING |url=https://vivecamino.com/en/cruz-de-santiago-what-is-its-origin-what-does-it-mean-no-683/ |website=Vive Camino |publisher=LA VOZ DE GALICIA S.A. |access-date=2022-01-22 |archive-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719204352/https://vivecamino.com/en/cruz-de-santiago-what-is-its-origin-what-does-it-mean-no-683/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A red Cross of Saint James, with flourished arms and [[wiktionary:scallop|scalloped]] top, over a field of white was the emblem of the 12th-century Spanish [[Order of Santiago]] and Portuguese [[Military Order of Saint James of the Sword]]. Both were named after [[James the Great]]er.<ref name="Berry" /><ref name="CE">{{Catholic Encyclopedia|prescript=|wstitle=Order of Saint James of Compostela}}</ref>

In Spain, the [[Order of Santiago]], a religious and military order, was founded in the 12th century to protect the pilgrims on the [[Camino de Santiago|Camino]], and to defend Christendom against the [[Moors]] then on the [[Iberian Peninsula]].<ref name="Linehan">{{Cite book |last=Linehan |first=Peter |title=Spain:A Partible Inheritance, 1157–1300 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd. |year=2011 |isbn=978-1444339758|page=10}}</ref> Knights of the order wore the cross stamped on their standards and white capes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gallego Blanco |first=Enrique |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T8wUAAAAIAAJ |title=The Rule of the Spanish Military Order of St. James – 1170–1493 |publisher=Brill |year=1971}}</ref> The [[Military Order of Saint James of the Sword]] in Portugal also use the symbol as part of its insignia.<ref name="Trigueiros">{{cite web |last1=Trigueiros |first1=António M. |title=Historical background on the three Portuguese Military Orders of Christ, of Avis and of Santiago |url=https://tallinnmuseum.com/2022/06/20/historical-background-on-the-three-portuguese-military-orders-of-christ-of-avis-and-of-santiago |website=Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood |date=June 20, 2022 |access-date=2022-07-05 |archive-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719210738/https://tallinnmuseum.com/2022/06/20/historical-background-on-the-three-portuguese-military-orders-of-christ-of-avis-and-of-santiago/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

<!-- On the Camino, the cross is often seen with a [[Pilgrim's scallop]] to mark the way of the pilgrimage.<ref name="Five Sensations" /> There is a resemblance between this cross and a sword.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rancour-Laferriere |first=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N792w2I1_RkC&dq=Cross+of+Saint+James&pg=PA165 |title=The Sign of the Cross |date=2001 |publisher=Transaction Publishers |isbn=9781412843997 |page=165}}</ref> It is said that the "fitchy" shape originated in the era of the [[Crusades]], when the knights took with them small crosses with sharpened bottoms to stick them in the ground<ref>{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Fitchy|year=1905}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Fitché}}</ref> and carry out their daily devotions.<ref name="seiyaku" />

{{multiple image
| align             = center
| header            = A comparison of the crosses that make up the Cross of St. James
| header_background = 
| background color  = 
| width             = 160
| image1            = Croix_fitchée.svg
| alt1              = A black cross fitchy
| caption1          = [[Cross fitchy]]
| image2            = Cross-Flory-Heraldry.svg
| alt2              = A black cross fleury
| caption2          = [[Cross fleury]]
| image3            = Cross-Moline-Heraldry.svg
| alt3              = [[Cross moline]]
| caption3          = A black cross moline
| image4            = St James Cross.svg
| alt4              = A red cross of Saint James
| caption4          = Cross of Saint James
| footer_background = 
| footer_align      = center
| footer            = 
}}
The most common version is a red cross resembling a sword, with the shape of a fleur-de-lis on the hilt and the arms.<ref name="Five Sensations">{{Cite web |date=2015-08-25 |title=The symbolic power of the Way of St. James |url=https://fsensations.com/en/el-poder-simbolico-del-camino |access-date=2015-08-25 |website=Five Sensations}}</ref> -->The three fleurs-de-lis represent the "honor without stain," which is in reference to the character of the Apostles.<ref name="CE" />  The sword is said to represent both the manner of his [[martyr]]dom,<ref>{{bibleverse|Acts|12:1–2}}</ref> as he was beheaded with a sword,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bruce |first=F. F. |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofacts0000bruc/mode/2up |title=Commentary on the Book of the Acts |date=1964 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids |page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofacts0000bruc/page/236/mode/2up?q=%22mystery+of+divine+providence%22 237] |author-link=F. F. Bruce}}</ref> and James' role in the [[Battle of Clavijo]].<ref name="Mitchell-Lanham">{{Cite book |last=Mitchell-Lanham |first=Jean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N9C0BgAAQBAJ&q=clavijo&pg=PR12 |title=The Lore of the Camino de Santiago: A Literary Pilgrimage |date=2015 |isbn=9781634133333 |page=153 |access-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516213812/https://books.google.com/books?id=N9C0BgAAQBAJ&q=clavijo&pg=PR12 |url-status=live }}</ref> In Spain, the cross is also related to James' role at the mythical battle,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint James the Greater at the Battle of Clavijo{{!}}Blanton Museum of Art Collections |url=http://utw10658.utweb.utexas.edu/items/show/2865 |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=utw10658.utweb.utexas.edu |archive-date=May 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516211800/http://utw10658.utweb.utexas.edu/items/show/2865 |url-status=live }}</ref> wherein the saint appeared to [[Ramiro I of Asturias]] after the king prayed to him as the [[patron saint]] of [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]] for help leading the army to victory over the [[Moors]].<ref name=Collins>{{cite book | last=Collins|first=Roger| year = 1983 | title = Early Medieval Spain: Unity in Diversity, 400–1000 | publisher = St. Martin's Press |location = New York|isbn= 0-312-22464-8|pages=236–237}}</ref>

==Gallery==

<gallery mode=packed heights=200px caption="Examples of the cross displayed on the ''Way of Saint James''">
File:Navarrete pavement camino marker.jpg|A pavement marker indicates the route of the Way of St James through [[Navarrete, La Rioja]], Spain
File:Vieira Camino de Santiago.jpg|St James pilgrim accessories (Note the cross on the [[shepherd's gourd]])
File:Zittau Jakobsweg (9911).jpg|Waymark of the Way of St. James (white shell, red cross) in the city center of Zittau, Saxony, Germany.
</gallery>

<gallery mode=packed heights=200px caption="Examples of the cross displayed throughout [[Spain]]">
File:Málaga - Iglesia de Santiago Apóstol 10.jpg|alt=|Cross on the façade of Iglesia de Santiago Apóstol, in [[Málaga]]
File:Santiago 26-80a.jpg|alt=|Cross on a shell, in the [[Santiago de Compostela Cathedral|Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela]], in Galicia
File:Valladolid - Residencia de estudiantes Santiago 3.jpg|alt=|St. James Cross on the entry gates to a student residence in [[Valladolid]]
File:Coat of Arms of La Rioja (Spain).svg|Coat of arms of [[La Rioja]]
</gallery>

<gallery mode=packed heights=200px caption="Examples of the cross in art">
File:Principe de Asturias.jpg|alt=|Portrait of [[Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938)|Prince Alfonso]], by Philip Alexius de László, {{Circa|1927}} with the cross embroidered on the side of his jacket
File:Saintjamesconquistador.JPG|17th century painting of Saint James, wearing the habit of the [[Order of Santiago]].  Painting by unknown artist of the [[Cuzco School]]
File:Velazquez figurando.jpg|Self-portrait of [[Diego Velázquez]]; detail from ''[[Las Meninas]]''
File:Quevedo (copia de Velázquez).jpg|[[Francisco de Quevedo]]
File:Retrato de José Antonio Marqués Caballero.jpg|{{ill|José Antonio Caballero|es}}, painted by [[Francisco Goya]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite book |last=Oswald |first=Gert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fDoaAAAAYAAJ |title=Lexikon der Heraldik |date=1984 |publisher=VEB Bibliographisches Institut |isbn=3-411-02149-7 |location=Leipzig |language=de |author-link=:de:Gert Oswald}}
*{{Cite book |last=Gać |first=Jan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XxqNMAEACAAJ |title=Szlak Francuski Do Santiago De Compostella. Przewodnik Merytoryczny. Wydawnictwo Bernardinum |date=2011-10-04 |isbn=978-83-62994-72-4 |language=pl}}
*{{Cite book |last=Eifler |first=Edgar Gustavo |title=Heráldica |date=1942 |publisher=[[Editora Globo]] |edition=IV |location=Porto Alegre |language=pt}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}
* {{Cite web |title=Galician Christian Crosses: Saint James' Cross, Patron Saint of Galicia |url=http://www.galicianflag.com/saint_james_cross.htm |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=galicianflag.com}}
* {{Cite web |date=2015-08-25 |title=The symbolic power of the Way of St. James |url=https://fsensations.com/en/el-poder-simbolico-del-camino |access-date=2015-08-25 |website=Five Sensations}}

{{Christian crosses}}

[[Category:Christian crosses]]
[[Category:Crosses in heraldry|Saint James]]
[[Category:Camino de Santiago]]
[[Category:Cross symbols|James]]