Cross form

Huguenot cross

Drawing under review. New Atlas drawing (22 October 2026) of the documented form; it awaits review.

Form

An equal-armed cross based on the Maltese and Languedoc crosses, with a pendant dove (the Holy Spirit).

When it is documented

Probably made around 1688 by Maystre, a goldsmith in Nîmes, in the south of France.

Context

A sign of French Protestant (Huguenot) identity, from the period after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685). Its likeness to the cross of the royal Order of the Holy Spirit has led to various interpretations.

Links in the Atlas

Historically associated with Reformed and Presbyterian Churches (Tradition)
A sign of the French Reformed (Huguenot) community, not of the Reformed tradition as a whole.

Sources and how they were checked

Probably created around 1688 by Maystre, goldsmith in Nîmes; Maltese and Languedoc crosses; dove pendant; resemblance to the Order of the Holy Spirit.
Musée protestant, “The Huguenot cross” · checked 2026-10-21