- Definition: What Exactly Is the Cross of Lorraine?
- History and Origins: From Byzantine Relics to the French Resistance
- Symbolism and Meaning: What the Two Bars Carry
- Practices and Traditions: Where the Cross of Lorraine Appears Today
- Comparisions: Cross of Lorraine vs. Other Christian Symbols
- Common Misconceptions
A French Resistance fighter in 1942 sewed a piece of fabric onto his jacket. It bore a cross with two bars, the top shorter than the bottom. He knew that symbol would mark him for execution if captured — but it also marked him as part of something larger than the Occupation. That cross was the Cross of Lorraine, and its story reaches back a thousand years before that jacket. The Cross of Lorraine is a two-barred cross (technically a variant of the patriarchal cross) with the upper bar shorter than the lower, historically tied to the Duchy of Lorraine, the Knights Templar, and later the Free French Forces. It differs from the Latin cross, the Greek cross, and the Celtic cross in form, origin, and symbolic weight.
The single most telling difference is that the Cross of Lorraine carries two horizontal beams instead of one. That structural detail is not decorative: it signals a history of layered authority, relics, and territorial claims that the standard Western cross never had to negotiate.
Definition: What Exactly Is the Cross of Lorraine?
The Cross of Lorraine is a specific two-barred cross where the upper horizontal bar is shorter than the lower bar, and both bars are placed near the top of the vertical shaft. The lower bar sits roughly one-third of the way down from the top, the upper bar close to the apex. This distinguishes it from the patriarchal cross (sometimes used interchangeably, though heraldry scholars argue the patriarchal cross often has both bars of equal length) and from the papal cross, which has three bars.
The cross appears in the coat of arms of the Duchy of Lorraine (eastern France), in the insignia of the Knights Templar, and as the central emblem of the Free French Forces under Charles de Gaulle. In occult and esoteric contexts, it surfaces in Rosicrucian orders, particularly the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC), where it represents the balance of spirit and matter.
History and Origins: From Byzantine Relics to the French Resistance
The earliest recorded European usage of a two-barred cross appears in Byzantium, where it was displayed on ecclesiastical banners and coins as early as the 6th century. The bar itself (the patibulum or suppedaneum, the footrest) had been present in earlier Christian iconography, but the consistent use of a second horizontal beam as a distinct symbol solidified under the Byzantine Empire.
The specific link to Lorraine begins with Duke Godfrey of Bouillon. After the First Crusade, Godfrey refused to wear a crown where Christ had worn a crown of thorns, but he accepted the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri (Defender of the Holy Sepulchre). Legend holds that the two-barred cross was used as a symbol of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, and that Godfrey’s descendants — the Dukes of Lorraine, brought it back to their territory.
By the 14th century, the cross was firmly associated with the Dukes of Lorraine. René II, Duke of Lorraine, flew it at the Battle of Nancy (1477) against Charles the Bold. The symbolism of two bars was variously interpreted as the cross of the crucifixion together with the Titulus Crucis (the inscription board “INRI”) or as representing the two crosses of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.
In 1940, Charles de Gaulle adopted the Cross of Lorraine as the symbol of the Free French Forces. He chose it partly because it was little known outside Lorraine, a clean slate, and partly because the Vichy regime had already co-opted the tricolor. The cross became a sign of defiance. The dark gray flag of the Free French Naval Forces still carries it.
Symbolism and Meaning: What the Two Bars Carry
The two bars of the Cross of Lorraine have never had a single, fixed interpretation. The most common meaning in Catholic and heraldic contexts is that the upper bar represents the inscription board placed above Christ’s head (INRI), while the lower bar supports his feet. But that is a straightforward reading; the cross also accumulated more subtle associations.
In the Templar tradition, the two bars were said to signify the dual nature of Christ (divine and human) or the two swords of spiritual and temporal power. The latter interpretation made it a useful emblem for a military-religious order that answered only to the Pope, not to local kings.
In esoteric Rosicrucian circles (particularly the 20th-century orders such as AMORC), the two bars symbolize the two polarities of the universe, spirit and matter, light and darkness, the active and the passive. The vertical shaft represents the axis mundi connecting heaven and earth. The shorter upper bar is the divine spark; the longer lower bar is the material world. The cross as a whole stands for the alchemical marriage of opposites, the reconciliation of the soul with the body.
We find that interpretation less in medieval documents and more in the syncretic texts of the early 20th century, but it has become standard in many contemporary occult schools. The cross is not intended as a symbol of suffering but of integration.
Practices and Traditions: Where the Cross of Lorraine Appears Today
The Cross of Lorraine is not a frequent object of devotional practice outside of Lorraine itself. Few people wear it as a pendant in the way Catholics wear a Latin cross. Its appearances are more often symbolic, institutional, or heraldic.
In France, the cross was used on medals awarded to Free French veterans, and it still appears on the insignia of certain French military units, including the Ordre de la Libération. In heraldry, it appears on the coats of arms of many municipalities in Lorraine and eastern France.
In occult and initiatic orders, the cross is used in ritual. In AMORC meetings, a Cross of Lorraine may be carried in processions, or its image is placed on the altar between candles. The symbolism of the two bars is explained to candidates as they advance through degrees. The cross is also carved onto rings, seals, and temple furniture.
Outside of organized orders, the cross appears in modern Talismanic magic, sometimes combined with Hebrew letters or planetary squares. Its meaning depends on the system: it may stand for the element of Air (with the two bars evoking the wings of a bird), or for the sphere of Jupiter (because of the number 4 associated with the cross shape, multiplied by 2, yields 8, a Jupiter number). But those are later innovations, not historical.
Comparisions: Cross of Lorraine vs. Other Christian Symbols
The Cross of Lorraine is frequently confused with three other crosses: the Latin cross, the Greek cross, and the patriarchal cross.
| Symbol | Bars | Symmetry | Historical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latin cross | 1 bar | Long vertical, shorter horizontal | Standard Western Christianity |
| Greek cross | 1 bar, equal arms | Four arms of equal length | Byzantine, Eastern Orthodox, St. George’s Cross |
| Patriarchal cross | 2 bars, often equal length | Upper bar shorter or same | Eastern Orthodox patriarchs |
| Cross of Lorraine | 2 bars, upper shorter, lower near center | Upper bar offset near top | Duchy of Lorraine, Templars, Free France |
| Papal cross | 3 bars | Three descending lengths | Papal coats of arms only |
| Celtic cross | 1 bar with ring | Latin cross with a nimbus circle | Irish and Scottish Christian sites |
| St. Peter’s cross | 1 bar inverted | Same as Latin cross upside down | Peter’s martyrdom; later anti-Christian occult use |
The most common mix-up is between the Cross of Lorraine and the patriarchal cross. Some dictionaries treat them as identical, but strict heraldists insist that in the patriarchal cross the two bars are either equal or placed in the upper third of the shaft, while the Cross of Lorraine has the lower bar closer to the center. The Jerusalem cross (a central cross with four smaller crosses in the quadrants) is sometimes mistaken for a multi-bar design, but it is actually five separate crosses.
In the Orthodox world, the Russian Orthodox cross has three bars: a short top bar (the titulus), a long center bar, and a slanted footrest. That slanted bar is missing entirely from the Cross of Lorraine, a quick way to tell them apart.
Common Misconceptions
“The Cross of Lorraine is the same as the patriarchal cross.” Not exactly. The patriarchal cross is a broader category; the Cross of Lorraine is a specific regional and heraldic variant. They share the two-bar form but differ in proportions and historical context.
“The Cross of Lorraine was invented by the Knights Templar.” No. The Templars adopted it because it was already associated with the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but they did not create it. The Dukes of Lorraine used it earlier.
“The cross has only Christian meaning.” In esoteric contexts, it acquired meanings that are not specifically Christian, such as the alchemical reconciliation of opposites. Those meanings do not erase the Christian one, but they run parallel.
“It is a variation of the Celtic cross.” No. The Celtic cross has a ring connecting the arms. The Cross of Lorraine has two separate bars. The only resemblance is that both are crosses.
FAQ
Which cross has two bars? Several do: the patriarchal cross, the Cross of Lorraine, the papal cross (three bars), and the Russian Orthodox cross (three bars, one slanted).
Is the Cross of Lorraine used in the occult? Yes. It appears in Rosicrucian orders (especially AMORC) and in some talismanic magic traditions as a symbol of balance and polarity.
What does the second bar on the Cross of Lorraine represent? Historically, the Upper bar was the inscription board INRI. In esoteric readings, it often represents the divine principle, while the lower bar represents material existence.
How can I tell the Cross of Lorraine from other crosses? Look for two bars. If the lower bar is near the center of the vertical shaft and the upper bar is near the top, it is likely the Cross of Lorraine. If the bars are both in the upper half, it is a patriarchal cross.
The Cross of Lorraine is one of those symbols that crosses between religious, political, and occult worlds without fully belonging to any. Its two bars have carried the weight of a medieval duchy, a wartime resistance, and a Rosicrucian initiation. That flexibility is what separates it from the Latin cross, which has remained tethered to Passion imagery, or the Celtic cross, tied to a specific cultural landscape. To understand the Cross of Lorraine is to see how a single change in form, one extra beam, can rewrite everything a symbol says.
For a deeper look at the family of crosses and their meanings in esoteric tradition, browse our esoteric glossary. See also the entry for the patriarchal cross and our guide to Christian symbols in occultism.