The Apostolic Cross of Hungary

King Stephen (Saint Stephen of Hungary) received the Holy Crown of Hungary and the Apostolic Cross from Pope Sylvester II for "the royal dignity and the power, demonstrating his determination to honour of God, the exaltation of His Church and to Christianise the people of Hungary and establish episcopal sees for promoting the glory of God and the good of his people".
The history and the tradition of the double cross goes back to the early Egyptian Pharaohs.
Throughout the ages it always signified power and authority.
The Holy Roman Catholic Church used it from near the beginning.
There is no doubt about the origin, the authenticity and the history of the Hungarian Apostolic Cross.
One of the enamel plates on the Holy Crown is depicting Géza I (1074-1077) holding the Apostolic Cross.
The Royal Stamp of Béla IV (1235-1270) has the Apostolic Cross on its reverse.
The Illuminated Kodex from the 1300 shows the Apostolic Cross on top of the three hillocks in the Hungarian Crest, much like the present day crest.
King Matthew I Corvinus (I Mátyás, 1458-1490) had the cross in his crest.
The modern days Hungarian crest has the double cross in it, so has many statues, plagues in Budapest and around the country, including the lost territories.

Very good examples of this are the Saint Stephen Statue and the Angel Gabriel at the Heroes Square, near Downtown Budapest.
Over the years many Hungarian stamps depicted it in one form or other.
During Hungary's tumultuous history the Apostolic Cross disappeared.
The date and circumstances are debatable.
These days the Holy Crown and other Hungarian Royal treasures are at the Hungarian Parliament, but not the Cross.
The Royal Orb, one of the Ancient Royal treasure do have the double cross on it, most likely representing the Apostolic Cross.

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