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[[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]]
[[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}}</ref>
<!-- 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}}</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>
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}}</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" />
<!-- 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" />
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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}}</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}}</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>
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==

Revision as of 20:03, 13 June 2024

Red Cross of Saint James
Cross of Saint James as used by the Order of Santiago

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 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 Greater 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).[1] It is a 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,[2] the arms of which end in fleurs-de-lis, or a cross moline where the ends of the arms are forked and rounded.[1][3]

Photo of a cake with the image of a Saint James cross in powedered suger
Tarta de Santiago

Since the early part of the 20th century, the cross has been used as a decorative element on the almond pastry Tarta de Santiago.[4] A traditional 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.[5]

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.[6] A red Cross of Saint James, with flourished arms and 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 Greater.[2][7]

In Spain, the Order of Santiago, a religious and military order, was founded in the 12th century to protect the pilgrims on the Camino, and to defend Christendom against the Moors then on the Iberian Peninsula.[8] Knights of the order wore the cross stamped on their standards and white capes.[9] The Military Order of Saint James of the Sword in Portugal also use the symbol as part of its insignia.[10]

The three fleurs-de-lis represent the "honor without stain," which is in reference to the character of the Apostles.[7] The sword is said to represent both the manner of his martyrdom,[11] as he was beheaded with a sword,[12] and James' role in the Battle of Clavijo.[13] In Spain, the cross is also related to James' role at the mythical battle,[14] wherein the saint appeared to Ramiro I of Asturias after the king prayed to him as the patron saint of Galicia for help leading the army to victory over the Moors.[15]

  • Examples of the cross displayed on the Way of Saint James
  • A pavement marker indicates the route of the Way of St James through Navarrete, La Rioja, Spain
    A pavement marker indicates the route of the Way of St James through Navarrete, La Rioja, Spain
  • St James pilgrim accessories (Note the cross on the shepherd's gourd)
    St James pilgrim accessories (Note the cross on the shepherd's gourd)
  • Waymark of the Way of St. James (white shell, red cross) in the city center of Zittau, Saxony, Germany.
    Waymark of the Way of St. James (white shell, red cross) in the city center of Zittau, Saxony, Germany.

References

  1. ^ a b Davies, Nikolas; Jokiniemi, Erkki (2012). Dictionary of Architecture and Building Construction. Routledge. p. 104. ISBN 9781136410253.
  2. ^ a b Berry, William (1828). Encyclopaedia Heraldica Or Complete Dictionary of Heraldry, Volume 1. Sherwood, Gilbert and Piper. p. 177. Cross of St. James is a red sword, formed at the hilt like a cross flory and charged with an escallop.
  3. ^ Boutell, Charles; Aveling, S.T. (1890). Heraldry, Ancient and Modern: Including Boutell's Heraldry. 1890. p. 42.
  4. ^ Bilotta, Carmen (October 2, 2017). "Tarta o torta di Santiago, l'antico dolce dei pellegrini di Santiago di Compostela" [Tart or cake of Santiago, the historic sweet of the Way of Saint James]. La Gazzetta del Gusto (in Italian). Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006 'TARTA DE SANTIAGO' EC No: ES-PGI-0005-0616-03.07.2007". Official Journal of the European Union. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  6. ^ "THE CROSS OF SANTIAGO: ITS ORIGIN AND MEANING". Vive Camino. LA VOZ DE GALICIA S.A. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  7. ^ a b  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Order of Saint James of Compostela". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  8. ^ Linehan, Peter (2011). Spain:A Partible Inheritance, 1157–1300. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p. 10. ISBN 978-1444339758.
  9. ^ Gallego Blanco, Enrique (1971). The Rule of the Spanish Military Order of St. James – 1170–1493. Brill.
  10. ^ Trigueiros, António M. (June 20, 2022). "Historical background on the three Portuguese Military Orders of Christ, of Avis and of Santiago". Tallinn Museum of Orders of Knighthood. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  11. ^ Acts 12:1–2
  12. ^ Bruce, F. F. (1964). Commentary on the Book of the Acts. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans. p. 237.
  13. ^ Mitchell-Lanham, Jean (2015). The Lore of the Camino de Santiago: A Literary Pilgrimage. p. 153. ISBN 9781634133333. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  14. ^ "Saint James the Greater at the Battle of Clavijo|Blanton Museum of Art Collections". utw10658.utweb.utexas.edu. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  15. ^ Collins, Roger (1983). Early Medieval Spain: Unity in Diversity, 400–1000. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 236–237. ISBN 0-312-22464-8.

Further reading

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