Saint George's Cross

In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (also known as the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which, from the Late Middle Ages, has been associated with Saint George, a military saint who is often depicted as a crusader.

Associated with the Crusades, the red-on-white cross has its origins in the 10th century. Perhaps as early as that time, it was used as the ensign of the Republic of Genoa. The symbol was later adopted by the Swabian League in the pre-Reformation Holy Roman Empire. George became recognized as the patron saint of England in the fourteenth century, replacing St. Edmund the Martyr.

Since then, the flag has commonly been identified as the national flag of England. Saint George is also the patron saint of Catalonia and the country of Georgia. Across Europe, it appears in the coat of arms of Barcelona, and the national flag of Georgia supplements the symbol with Jerusalem crosses. Across Northern Italy, in cities such as Bologna, Genoa, Padua, Reggio Emilia, Mantua, Vercelli, and Alessandria, the design has received significant support.^[1] However, the flag of Milan, which was adopted in 1045, instead represents a simplification of the cross of Saint Ambrose, who was bishop of Milan in the 4th century.^[2]