Pisan cross

Last updated
Pisan Cross Croce Pisana.jpg
Pisan Cross

The Pisan Cross is the symbol of the northern Italian city of Pisa and its predecessor state, the sovereign maritime Republic of Pisa. was the coat of arms of the people of Pisa, granted to them by Pope Benedict VIII to fight Saracens in Sardinia in 1017.

Contents

Description

The Pisan cross is technically described as with keys (or paws) and three spheres on every arm. Its symbolism is unknown; the cross itself may represent Christ, and the twelve spheres his Apostles.

History

Although the Pisan cross itself dates to 1017, the oldest surviving representation is a carving on the city walls, built in 1156 by counsellor Cocco Griffi. The city flag, red with the white cross on it, was officially recognized by Pope Callixtus II. The previous flag of Pisa was a plain field of vermillion, derived from the flag of Imperial Rome.

Modern usage

Today, the cross remains a symbol of the city. A red shield with the cross on it is the official arms of the Comune of Pisa. It also appears in the lower-right quarter of the ensign and coat-of-arms of the Italian Navy, which combines it with the emblems of the other medieval Maritime Republics: Venice, Genoa and Amalfi.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National flag</span> Flag of a country or nation

A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation. The design of a national flag is sometimes altered after the occurrence of important historical events. The burning or destruction of a national flag is a greatly symbolic act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pisa</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Pisa is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the city contains more than twenty other historic churches, several medieval palaces, and bridges across the Arno. Much of the city's architecture was financed from its history as one of the Italian maritime republics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amalfi</span> Town in Campania, Italy

Amalfi is a town and comune in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto, surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery. The town of Amalfi was the capital of the maritime republic known as the Duchy of Amalfi, an important trading power in the Mediterranean between 839 and around 1200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian city-states</span> Political entities in medieval Italy

The Italian city-states were numerous political and independent territorial entities that existed in the Italian Peninsula from antiquity to the formation of the Kingdom of Italy in the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senyera</span> Catalan and Aragonese vexillogical symbol

The Senyera is a vexillological symbol based on the coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which consists of four red stripes on a yellow field. This coat of arms, often called bars of Aragon, or simply "the four bars", historically represented the King of the Crown of Aragon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Genoa</span> Italian maritime republic (1099–1797)

The Republic of Genoa was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the years 1099 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Late Middle Ages, it was a major commercial power in both the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. Between the 16th and 17th centuries, it was one of the major financial centers in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack (flag)</span> Banner flown from a ships bow

A jack is a flag flown from a short jackstaff at the bow (front) of a vessel, while the ensign is flown on the stern (rear). Jacks on bowsprits or foremasts appeared in the 17th century. A country may have different jacks for different purposes, especially when the naval jack is forbidden to other vessels. The United Kingdom has an official civil jack; the Netherlands has several unofficial ones. In some countries, ships of other government institutions may fly the naval jack, e.g. the ships of the United States Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the case of the US jack. Certain organs of the UK's government have their own departmental jacks. Commercial or pleasure craft may fly the flag of an administrative division or municipality at the bow. Merchant ships may fly a house flag. Yachts may fly a club burgee or officer's flag or the owner's private signal at the bow. Practice may be regulated by law, custom, or personal judgment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War flag</span> Variant of a national flag for use by a countrys military forces when on land

A war flag, also known as a military flag, battle flag, or standard, is a variant of a national flag for use by a country's military forces when on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign. Under the strictest sense of the term, few countries today currently have proper war flags, most preferring to use instead their state flag or standard national flag for this purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emblem of Italy</span> National emblem of Italy

The emblem of the Italian Republic was formally adopted by the newly formed Italian Republic on 5 May 1948. Although often referred to as a coat of arms, it is an emblem as it was not designed to conform to traditional heraldic rules. The emblem is used extensively by the Italian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Pisa</span> Italian maritime republic (c. 1000–1406)

The Republic of Pisa was an independent state existing from the 11th to the 15th century and centered on the Tuscan city of Pisa. It rose to become an economic powerhouse, a commercial center whose merchants dominated Mediterranean and Italian trade for a century, before being surpassed and superseded by the Republic of Genoa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War of Saint Sabas</span> 1256–1270 Venetian-Genoese war over Acre

The War of Saint Sabas (1256–1270) was a conflict between the rival Italian maritime republics of Genoa and Venice, over control of Acre, in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime republics</span> Sea-based city-states on the Italian peninsula and Dalmatia during the Middle Ages

The maritime republics, also called merchant republics, were Italian thalassocratic port cities which, starting from the Middle Ages, enjoyed political autonomy and economic prosperity brought about by their maritime activities. The term, coined during the 19th century, generally refers to four Italian cities, whose coats of arms have been shown since 1947 on the flags of the Italian Navy and the Italian Merchant Navy: Amalfi, Genoa, Pisa, and Venice. In addition to the four best known cities, Ancona, Gaeta, Noli, and, in Dalmatia, Ragusa, are also considered maritime republics; in certain historical periods, they had no secondary importance compared to some of the better known cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Sardinia</span> Flag of the island of Sardinia

The flag of Sardinia, called the flag of the Four Moors or simply the Four Moors, represents and symbolizes the island of Sardinia (Italy) and its people. It was also the historical flag and coat of arms of the Aragonese, then Spanish, and later Savoyard Kingdom of Sardinia. It was first officially adopted by the autonomous region in 1950 with a revision in 1999, describing it as a "white field with a red cross and a bandaged Moor's head facing away from the hoist in each quarter".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Sardinia</span> State in Southern Europe from 1324 to 1861

The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom ofSardinia-Piedmont or Piedmont-Sardinia as a composite state during the Savoyard period, was a country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Piedmont</span>

The flag of Piedmont is one of the official symbols of the region of Piedmont in Italy. The current flag was adopted on 24 November 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genoese navy</span> Military unit

The Genoese navy was the naval contingent of the Republic of Genoa's military. From the 11th century onward the Genoese navy protected the interests of the republic and projected its power throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It played a crucial role in the history of the republic as a thalassocracy and a maritime trading power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regatta of the Historical Marine Republics</span>

The Regatta of the Historical Maritime Republics is a sporting event of historical re-enactment, established in 1955 with the aim of recalling the rivalry of the most famous Italian maritime republics: those of Republic of Amalfi, Republic of Pisa, Republic of Genoa and Republic of Venice, during which four rowing crews representing each of the republics compete against each other. This event, held under the patronage of the President of the Italian Republic, takes place every year on a day between the end of May and the beginning of July, and is hosted in rotation between these cities. The regatta is preceded by a historical procession, during which parade through the streets of the city organizing some figures that play the role of ancient characters that characterized each republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the Republic of Venice</span> Flag of the city-state of Venice, 8th–18th centuries

The Flag of the Republic of Venice, commonly known as the Banner or Standard of Saint Mark, was the symbol of the Republic of Venice, until its dissolution in 1797.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Tuscany</span> Flag of Italian region

The flag of Tuscany is the official flag of the region of Tuscany, Italy. The flag depicts a silver Pegasus rampant on a white field between two horizontal red bands. The flag first appeared as a gonfalon on 20 May 1975 along with accompanying text Regione Toscana above the Pegasus. It was officially adopted as the flag of Tuscany on 3 February 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Campania</span>

The coat of arms of Campania has as its coat of arms the one that the Maritime Republic of Amalfi gave itself at its dawn. This coat of arms consists of a red band on a white field. In reality, the insignia of the Maritime Republic of Amalfi of the 12th century were blue with the white Maltese cross. The flag with a red band on a white field was from the municipality and appeared in the 13th century when the Maritime Republic of Amalfi no longer existed.