<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"  xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><dc:title xml:lang="en">Maltese crosses</dc:title><dc:identifier>http://AATesaurus.cultura.gencat.cat/aat/getty_en?tema=31310936</dc:identifier><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:publisher xml:lang="en">Getty Institute</dc:publisher><dcterms:created>2026-03-30 20:23:46</dcterms:created><dcterms:isPartOf xsi:type="dcterms:URI">http://AATesaurus.cultura.gencat.cat/aat/getty_en</dcterms:isPartOf><dcterms:isPartOf xml:lang="en">Tesaurus d&apos;Art i Arquitectura</dcterms:isPartOf><dc:format>text/html</dc:format> <dcterms:alternative xml:lang="en">Amalfi crosses</dcterms:alternative> <dcterms:alternative xml:lang="en">Maltese cross</dcterms:alternative> <dcterms:alternative xml:lang="en">crosses of eight points</dcterms:alternative> <dcterms:alternative xml:lang="en">crosses, Maltese</dcterms:alternative> <dc:description xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[ Crosses having four splayed arms; it is an eight-pointed cross comprising four deep V-shapes joined together at their apex, so that each arm has two points. The cross was originally the symbol of medieval Amalfi, a small Italian republic. The form has been in use since the First Crusade, when the eight points represented the eight facets of courage: loyalty, piety, honesty, bravery, honor, fearlessness, charity, and obedience to the church. ]]></dc:description></metadata>