Saint Andrew's Cross Fireback

Saint Andrew is said to have been martyred on a cross in this shape. It appears in numerous flags such as Saint Patrick's flag, the Spanish flag and the Arms of Burgundy. It is also the origin for the warning sign in this shape to indicate the point at which a railway line intersects a road at a level crossing. The pillar refers to the club of Hercules, his favorite weapon. It symbolizes power. Since antiquity the ‘Pillars of Hercules’ are also the name of the promontories at both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. Hence they also symbolize the frontier between the known and unknown world (Nec Plus Ultra, "nothing further beyond"), and later they also became symbols for the opposite, i.e. taking risks and confronting the unknown (Plus Ultra, ‘further beyond’). In the Spanish royal coat of arms they represent for the overseas possessions.