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The Jerusalem cross (also known as "five-fold cross", or "cross-and-crosslets" and the "Crusader's cross") is a heraldic cross and Christian cross variant consisting of a large cross potent surrounded by four smaller , one in each quadrant, representing the Four Evangelists and the spread of the gospel to the four corners of the Earth (metaphor for the whole Earth). It was used as the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem after 1099. Use of the Jerusalem Cross by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and affiliated organizations in Jerusalem continue to the present. Other modern usages include on the national flag of Georgia, the Episcopal Church Service Cross, and as a symbol used by some white supremacist groups.
The "cross-and-crosslets" or Tealby pennies minted under Henry II of England during 1158–1180 have the "Jerusalem cross" on the obverse, with the four crosslets depicted as saltire.T.C.R. Crafter, A re-examination of the classification and chronology of the cross-and-crosslets type of Henry II, British Numismatic Journal 68.6 (1998), pp. 42–63 and plate 6; see also: Richard Kelleher, Kings and Coins in Medieval England VI—Henry II's Cross-and Crosslets coinage (1158–80), www.treasurehunting.co.uk (February 2014), Figs. 10, 11, 14, 17–20. Similar cross designs on the obverse of coins go back to at least the Anglo-Saxon period.Edward Hawkins, The silver coins of England (1841), plate 1 (facing p. 8), no. 12: pre-Roman British coin: a cross with the four letters C, R, A, B placed in the four quadrants; plate 3 (facing p. 16), no. 36: early Saxon sceat: diagonal cross with four dots in the four quadrants, no. 47: cross crosslet superimposed on a diagonal cross; plate 4 (facing p. 18); plate 5 (facing p. 22) no. 66: penny of Offa of Mercia: cross with four dots in the four quadrants (etc.)
As the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the design is traditionally attributed to Godfrey of Bouillon himself. It was not used, however, by the Christian rulers of Jerusalem during the 12th century. A simple blazon of or, a cross argent is documented by Chronica Majora as the coat of arms of John 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 the tower of David between the Dome of the Rock and the Holy Sepulchre, surrounded by the city walls. Coins minted under Henry I (r. 1192–1197) show a cross with four dots in the four quarters, but the Jerusalem cross proper appears only on a coin minted under John II (r. 1284–1285).Hubert de Vries, Jerusalem (hubert-herald.nl). The design is also found on coins minted under his successor, the last king of Jerusalem, Henry II (forumancientcoins.com)
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 early such as the Camden 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 heraldic Rule 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".
The Gelre Armorial (14th century) attributes to the "emperors of Constantinople" (the Latin Empire) a variant of the Jerusalem cross with the four crosslets inscribed in circles.No.1484. Die Keyser v. Constantinople gules, a cross or, in each canton a crosslet in an annulet of the same. Philip of Courtenay, who held the title of Latin Empire from 1273–1283 (even though Constantinople had been reconquered 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").Hubert de Vries, Byzantium: Arms and Emblems (hubert-herald.nl) (2011).
Carlo Maggi, a Venetian nobleman who visited Jerusalem and was made a knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in the early 1570s, included the Jerusalem cross in his coat of arms.
There is a historiographical tradition that Peter the Great flew a flag with a variant of the Jerusalem cross in his campaign in the White Sea in 1693.This is apparently reported in an 1829 vexillological publication (Собрание штандартов, флагов и вымпелов, употребляемых в Российской империи ("Collection of banners, flags and pennants, used in the Russian Empire", St. Petersburg, 1829, reprinted 1833; the historicity of this is doubtful, cf. Russian Navy: early flags (crwflags.com).
Joan of Arc reportedly told the Inquisition 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 of Charles Martel, some have speculated the five crosses on the blade may have been the Jerusalem Cross.
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. The Jerusalem Cross isn't a common Christian symbol.
When Edward VII (later King Edward VII), visited Jerusalem in 1862, he had a Jerusalem cross tattooed on his arm.Hunt Janin, Four Paths to Jerusalem: Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Secular Pilgrimages, 1000 BCE to 2001 CE, McFarland, 2002, p. 169. Twenty years later, his son George V would make a similar journey and also get a tattoo of the Jerusalem Cross to commemorate his experience. George wrote of the experience "I was tattooed by the same man who tattooed Edward VII."
German Emperor Wilhelm II visited Jerusalem in 1898 and awarded the Jerusalem-Erinnerungskreuz (Jerusalem Memorial Cross) order in the shape of a Jerusalem cross to those who accompanied him at the inauguration of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem.
In the early 20th century, the Jerusalem cross also came to be used as a symbol of world evangelization in Protestantism. A derived design known as the "Episcopal Church Service Cross" was first used during World War I by the Anglican Episcopal Church in the United States.A Prayer Book for the Armed Services: For Chaplains and Those in Service, Church Publishing, Inc., 2008, p. 10. The Jerusalem cross was chosen as the emblem of the Deutscher 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 modern national flag of Georgia was introduced in 2004, with a design based on the 15th century Pizzigano chart's use of the cross as the flag of Tbilisi.
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".
The Unicode character set has a character ☩, U+2629 CROSS OF JERUSALEM in the Miscellaneous Symbols table. However, the glyph associated with that character according to the official Unicode character sheet is shown as a simple cross potent, and not a Jerusalem cross.
The Jerusalem cross is often used in frequency 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 to angle of incidence.
In recent years, images and terms associated with the Crusades in the Middle East have been appropriated by white supremacists, including the Jerusalem Cross. 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. While the Cross itself has been popular with right-wing extremist groups, it has also often been used in association with the term Deus Vult. Flags or banners bearing the Crusader cross and "Deus Vult" were flown during the 2017 "white supremacist” Unite the Right rally. 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". 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."
In 2020, Democrat Tom Steyer made news when he showed up with the hand-drawn symbol on his hand during Democratic debates in 2020. He explained that he drew the cross on his hand for years as a reminder to stay honest. In 2024, Pete Hegseth said concerns over his Jerusalem cross tattoo caused the District of Columbia National Guard to pull him from a mission to guard the inauguration of President Joe Biden and helped spur him to retire from the military. According to fact-checker Snopes: At least three of Hegseth's Christian-based tattoos do use symbols that are currently associated with—but do not necessarily indicate adherence to—Christian nationalist views. The Jerusalem Cross has not been listed as a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League.
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