Bio Crosses

Crosses with flowers, animals, etc.

These crosses have flowers, fruit, birds, fish, or some other link to the plant or animal kingdoms.

Animals, birds and fish are plentiful in armorial bearings, and far too numerous to list here. The whole animal is shown or just a part; for example the head, beak or claw.

Where the extremities terminate in the heads of eagles, lions, etc., it is called an Anserated Cross.

Other generic terms include:

• Aquilated when charged with eagles.
• Fructed when bearing fruit, such as apples, grapes, olives, etc.
• Gringolée, Gringalee, Gringolly or Guivré, typically showing two serpent heads at the extremities of the cross arms. Seen in French heraldry and representing the salvation.
• Leonced or Lionced, for lions or leopards, often crowned, symbolic of strength.
• Pavonated when peacocks or peacock colours are incorporated

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Click on a cross for its details