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Quadrate Cross
Nowy Cross or Square Cross
A cross with four equal length arms is referred to as a Quadrate, Nowy or Square Cross
Quadrate Cross
Quadrate Cross
As a Christian cross, the Quadrate Cross reminds us of the four Evangelists going out to the four corners of the Earth1. Four is a number often associated with the natural Earth: the four seasons, and North, South, East & West. Similarly with the spiritual Earth, God's name in Hebrew has four letters and to the Greeks, four represented order and stability as opposed to chaos.
Quadrate means 'square'. An extension of this meaning is to align, correspond, agree, suit. "To square things up" means to put matters in order. Another name for this cross is Square Cross2, but in fact any cross with equal-length arms is considered a Square Cross. (See for example, the Greek Cross.) To fit the shape of escutcheons (shields) in coats-of-arms, crosses are often shortened so that the length is the same as the width (see image index for other examples).
In heraldry, any cross with a projection in the middle is called a Nowy Cross. Examples include the St. Chad's Cross and the Glory Cross.
1: Four corners of the Earth: 1 Chronicles 9:24, Isaiah 11:12, Ezekiel 7:2, Daniel 8:8, Acts 10:11, Revelation 7:1 and Revelation 20:8
2: "square cross"; an oxymoron?
Q: When is a square not a square?
A: When it's Times Square
