Cross of Lorraine

The Cross of Lorraine (French: Croix de Lorraine or Croix d' Anjou ), is a cross with two crossbars - the lower cross bar is the lower end of the vertical bar as far away as the upper cross bar from the top.

Lorraine cross in distinction to the patriarchal cross

In the original version, both cross- beams were of equal length, in the modern version of the lower cross bar is slightly longer than the upper - it can then see the patriarchal cross quite similar, but this one has throughout his joist above the center. The Hungarian form and their relatives see the Cross of Lorraine quite similar story, but the use and symbolic meaning are different.

In the modern use of the cross, a heraldic mistake is made, because even though the cross " Lorraine " was named Cross and its symbolism relates thereof, it corresponds not with the different cross- bar of the old Cross of Lorraine, but the patriarchal cross.

Uses of the Cross of Lorraine

The cross was since King René I the symbol of the Dukes of Anjou, who ruled until 1473 on Lorraine.

Republic of Alsace -Lorraine in late 1918

When Alsace -Lorraine was released at the end of the First World War from the Association of the collapsing German empire, a republic was briefly proclaimed. However, this had only a short time, the region was annexed to France.

1940-1944 Free French Forces

During World War II it was chosen after the surrender of France and the installation of the Vichy government under Philippe Pétain in the summer of 1940 with modified cross bar by the French government in exile in London as a symbol. Georges Thierry d' Argenlieu suggested the use of the Cross of Lorraine on July 1, 1940, Charles de Gaulle to have the swastika counter -fixed symbol. Since then, the free French forces withdrew under this sign into the fight. In addition, it can be seen on three French medals and service medals from this era: the Ordre de la Libération, the Médaille de la Résistance and the Médaille des services commémorative volontaires dans la France Libre. On Collars his uniform de Gaulle was, however, another variant of the cross, which could be described as " Patriarch Shamrock Cross" - it was a cross with clover leaf-shaped ending arms. This is visible on old newsreels.

As a sign of the government in exile and in memory of the successful invasion of Allied forces in Normandy in 1944 some of Lorraine crosses stand at the local landing beaches.

Today is best known monument to Charles de Gaulle in Colombey -les -Deux- Églises showing a cross of Lorraine.

Soldiers Helmet of Free French forces: the Cross of Lorraine replaced by the 1939-1940 common RF ( Republique Francaise )

1940-1944 Navy Flag of the Free French Forces

Monument Colombey

Cross of Lorraine on a hill overlooking charm

Ordre de la Libération

Médaille de la Résistance with rosette

Others

• A related symbol uses the American Lung Association

Character

In Unicode is in the block " Miscellaneous Symbols " as U 2628 cross of lorraine contain a character whose glyph shown in the code tables, however, shows no clear demarcation to the patriarchal cross.

One of the design principle of the Cross of Lorraine near upcoming character is the two beams cross ( U 2021 double dagger in the Unicode block General Punctuation ), which, however, has an unsuitable for cross - symbols design in many fonts ( in particular the representation of longitudinal and transverse beams is often not rectangular).

Another such character is U 29 E7 thermodynamics ( " Vertical beams crossed by two horizontal ") in the Unicode block " Miscellaneous Mathematical Symbols -B".