the name refers to the apostle andrew, who is said to have died as a martyr on such a cross, reports from the 4th century suggest. the diagonal cross has therefore become an attribute of this apostle and found expression in religion and especially in late medieval christian iconography. originally a symbol of the crossed sticks of the fire sacrificial altar, it can also be found in depictions of the sacrifice of isaac. it also contains the greek letter chi (χ) as a symbol for christ, as in the christ monogram. especially in early christian times, the st. andrew's cross was often used for the name of christ, e.g. b. was used as an identifier.