Switzerland has one of the only two square shaped sovereign-state flags in the world (the other is the Vatican City flag), and the only one to our knowledge that has a centered white cross in the middle. Denmark’s flag (the world’s oldest state flag still in use) also features a white cross, but it’s off center.

The iconic white cross may have had its origin in late middle ages when the German emperor carried a flag with the cross as a holy sign,an indication that he was a protector of christianity. Another opinion is that the larger the old Swiss confederacy became, the harder it was for troops to recognize their allies on the battlefield. White stripes forming crosses and fastened to a soldier’s back, arms, helmet, etc. were mention for the first time in the 14th century Battle of Laupen, but by the middle of the 15th century, the white cross was integrated into the flags of the member states of the confederacy.

We’re pretty sure the Bernese Mountain Dog wasn’t “designed” to reflect Swiss pride by having a white cross on its chest, but the inverted cross (which is the name of the marking, actually) is typically a part of breed type.

Image: Bernese Mountain Dog youngster shared under CC0 Creative Commons license