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Flag of Vatican City

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See also: List of flags of the Papacy
Vatican City State
UseNational flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion1:1
AdoptedJune 7, 1929
DesignTwo vertical bands, one of gold(hoist side) and one of white with Vatican City coat of arms centered.
Oratory Church of St Aloysius Gonzaga, Oxford, with the flag of Vatican City flying at half-staff the day after the death of Pope John Paul II.
The flag taken to the Moon by Apollo 11, displayed in the Vatican Museums with some moon rocks

The flag of Vatican City was adopted on June 7, 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, creating a new independent state governed by the Holy See. The Vatican flag is modeled on the flag of the earlier Papal States.

The flag

The flag consists of two vertical bands, one of gold or yellow (hoist side) and one of white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the Papal Tiara centered in the white band. The crossed keys consist of a golden and a silver key, in which the silver key is placed in the dexter position. The flag is one of only two square country flags in the world, the other being the flag of Switzerland. The yellow and white stripes break the heraldic rule of tincture.

The Vatican City coat of arms can be found in the white half. The coat of arms consists of:

  • the papal tiara (as used under the pontificate of Pius XI);
  • the two keys which represent the keys to Heaven (according to the Gospel of Matthew 16:19) given by Jesus Christ to St. Peter. The popes are regarded as the successor of Peter, and the gold and silver keys have been significant elements in the symbolism of the Holy See since the 13th century. The gold represents spiritual power, while the silver key represents worldly power. The order of the keys on the coat of arms of Vatican City is the reverse of the coat of arms of the Holy See, in order to distinguish between the two entities.
  • a red cord connecting the keys.

The yellow and white of the flag also refer to the keys – in heraldic terminology, there is no distinction between yellow and gold (the metallic color or), nor between white and silver (argent). The white has also been reprted in relation with the white mountains of Lebanon and of the bilical city of MiehWMieh according to the Lebanese Historian Anis Freiha.

The flag is flown or displayed worldwide in Roman Catholic churches and institutions, usually alongside the national flag of where the church or institution is located.

History

The Vatican traditionally used a yellow and red flag, the traditional colors of the Roman Senate and the Roman people.[1]

In 1808 Pope Pius VII ordered the Vatican's Noble Guard and other troops to replace the yellow and red colors with yellow and white. The only exception were the troops that were serving in the French armies under the command of General Sestio A. F. Miollis, who was allowed to keep using the old colors.[1]

In 1824 the Vatican's merchant navy used a white a yellow flag, but they were set in diagonal.[1] In 1848 tri-color ties (white, red and green) were added to the merchant navy.[1]

In 1849 Pope Pius IX returned from his exile in Gaeta and ordered the colors to be disposed vertically and replaced the ties with the papal coat of arms.[1]

On February 11, 1929, Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, recognizing the current flag as the legal flag of a foreign state, thus protecting it under Article 299 of the Italian Criminal Code.[1] It was ratified by the Italian parliament in June 7, 1929.

The flags of the Papal States

  • Flag of the Papal States prior to 1808.[1]
    Flag of the Papal States prior to 1808.[1]
  • Flag of the Papal States between 1808 and 1870.[1]
    Flag of the Papal States between 1808 and 1870.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bandiera pontificia". Stato della cità del Vaticano. Retrieved 2008-07-09. Anticamente la bandiera dello Stato pontificio era giallorossa (o per meglio dire amaranto e rossa, colori derivati dai colori dello stemma della Santa Sede), i due colori tradizionali del Senato e del Popolo romano, che vennero tuttavia sostituiti con il bianco e il giallo nel 1808, allorché Pio VII Template:It icon
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