The Maltese Cross is an 8 pointed cross made up of 4 V’s whose bases touch in the middle. According to historians the symbol emerged when the Knights of the Order of St. John came to Malta and adopted it as their emblem. Hence it was called the Maltese Cross.
The Knights of the order of St. John, also known as the Knights of Malta, originate as monks who risked their own lives to help travellers visit the Holy Land by escorting them through the perilous Syrian territory. They evolved as a military order and were recognised by Pope Pascal II as a religious order bound by the same rules of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience as the Augustinians. However the Knights had 8 additional obligations thus they adopted an 8 pointed cross as their emblem. The 8 obligations differ from historian to historian. Some say that the 8 Beatitudes were their 8 obligations, others list a version of the following:
- Loyalty
- Piety
- Frankness
- Bravery
- Glory and Honour
- Contempt of Death
- Helpfulness towards the poor and sick
- Respect for the Church.
The cross which the Knights adopted was not always in the same shape as the now acknowledged Maltese Cross with its straight geometrical lines. The first cross to be adopted by the Knights was a simple Greek cross. Later on the Knights moved to Rhodes and introduced a Cross Formee which although similar to the Maltese Cross did not have the 8 point formation. The first time that the 8 pointed cross appeared seems to be on the 2 Tari and 4 Tari copper coins of the Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Vallette in 1567. This was after the Great Siege of Malta. At that time the Knights had settled in Malta and were building the fortified city of Valletta which is now Malta’s Capital. The cross became known as the Maltese Cross and to this date is one of the main emblems of Malta.
The Maltese Cross figures in various souvenirs and jewellery made in Malta. It also forms part of the Airmalta Logo. It can now also be seen on the back of the 1 and 2 Euro coins of Malta that have been introduced in January 2008.