page_title: Maltese cross
section_title: Regional and municipal heraldry
hierarchical_section_title: Maltese cross / Modern use / Regional and municipal heraldry
context_page_description: The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four "V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically.
  It is a heraldic cross variant which developed from earlier forms of eight-pointed crosses in the 16th century. Although chiefly associated with the Knights Hospitaller, and by extension with the island of Malta, it has come to be used by a wide array of entities since the early modern period,
  notably the Order of Saint Stephen, the city of Amalfi, the Polish Order of the White Eagle and the Prussian order Pour le Mérite.
  Unicode defines a character named "Maltese cross" in the Dingbats range at code point U+2720; however, the code point is usually rendered as a cross pattée.
context_section_description: The  Naval Jack of Italy features the national coat of arms of four of the former maritime republics with the "Amalfi cross"  for Amalfi in the lower left. Besides the town of Amalfi which is its namesake, the cross is also displayed on various towns' coats of arms, such as Aicurzio, Rolo, San Giovanni di Gerace, Fasano, Gizzeria, Murello, Rodì Milici, Blufi, Ronchis, San Mauro la Bruca, and the Province of Salerno.
  Numerous French communes have the eight-pointed cross on their coats of arms.  Among them are Drucourt, Eysines, and Valcanville in Normandy; Rimbachzell in Alsace; Saint-Jean-de-Bassel in Lorraine; Rontalon in Aquitaine; Chappes in Auvergne; Arvieu in Aveyron; and Auton and Vinon-sur-Verdon in Provence.
  Many municipalities and civil parishes of Portugal, which territories were once part of the dominions of the Knights Hospitaller, include eight-pointed crosses in their coats of arms. Among them are Crato, Oliveira do Hospital, Proença-a-Nova, and Gavião.
  In Croatia, it is on the coat of arms of the town Ivanec, named after the Knights of Saint John.
  The 14th district of Prague has an eight-pointed cross on its coat of arms.  It also appears on the coats of arms of several other Czech towns and villages, including  Dobřichovice in Central Bohemia; Doubravice in South Bohemia; Staňkovice in the Ústí nad Labem Region; and Medlovice and Orlovice in South Moravia.
  The flag, badge, and coat of arms of the state of Queensland feature an eight-pointed cross, and as such, many public services incorporate the cross, including the Queensland police and ambulance services, then it was also incorporated into the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and the  Queen's Personal Flag. The eight-pointed cross is part of the coat of arms of the University of Queensland. It is also part of the logo for various ambulance services in Australia, such as the South Australian Ambulance Service, the Queensland Ambulance Service, the Ambulance Service of New South Wales, Ambulance Victoria, St John Ambulance Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory Ambulance Service. The cross known as the Fire Service Star is also used by Country Fire Authority in Victoria as an official symbol. It can be seen on uniform hats and on Long Service and Outstanding Service badges.
  Two Dutch towns, Ermelo and Montfoort, use the eight-pointed cross on their flags, and the former on its coat of arms, also.
  Several municipalities in Spain also use the eight-pointed cross on their flags and coats-of-arms, including Alguaire and Amposta in Catalonia, Lora del Río in Andalusia, and O Barco de Valdeorras, Castrelo de Miño, O Incio, Larouco, O Páramo, A Pobra de Trives, Portomarín, and Quiroga in Galicia.
  The Swedish municipality of Mönsterås  uses an eight-pointed cross on its arms.
  The coat of arms of Bardonnex, in the Swiss Canton of Geneva,  displays an eight-pointed cross.
  The eight-pointed cross appears on the coat of arms of the London Borough of Hackney.
  The eight-pointed cross appears on the coat of arms of Saint John, one of the parishes of Jersey.
caption: Flag of the city of Amalfi.