Flag of Vatican City explained

Vatican City
Imagetext:Flag of Vatican City, version since 2023
Use:111000
Design:A vertical bicolour of yellow and white, charged with the coat of arms centred on the white portion

The flag of Vatican City, also referred to as the flag of the Holy See,[1] was adopted in 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, creating the new independent state of Vatican City. The Holy See, which governs Vatican City, has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the worldwide Catholic Church. As a result, the flag is also a symbol of Catholic faith or identity, and is often displayed at Catholic churches.[2] [3] [4] [5]

The flag is a vertical bicolour of yellow and white, with the white half charged with the coat of arms of Vatican City (a papal tiara and the crossed keys of Saint Peter). It was modeled after the 1808 flag of the Papal States, a yellow-and-white bicolour defaced with the tiara and keys in the centre. It is one of only two national flags that use a 1:1 aspect ratio, along with the flag of Switzerland.[6]

Description

The 2023 Fundamental Law of Vatican City State states: "The flag of the Vatican City State is made up of two vertically divided sides, one yellow adhering to the hoist and the other white, and in the latter carries the tiara with the keys, all according to the model on Annex A of this Law".

Regulations

Current regulations

The flag is described in Article 23 of the 2023 Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, with a visual model appended as Attachment A.[7]

Previous regulations

The flag is described in Article 19 of the 1929 Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, with a visual model appended as Attachment A.[8]

The flag is also described in Article 20 of the 2000 Fundamental Law of Vatican City State, with a visual model appended as Attachment A.[9] [10] The 2000 Fundamental Law of Vatican City State's Attachment A, shows a square flag.

In 2010, the Apostolic Nunciature to Germany stated that the flag does not have to be square.[11]

History

Before 1808, the Papal States commonly used a bicolor, yellow-red flag, which was derived from the colours of the Holy See's coat of arms, as well as being the two tradional colours of the Senate and the Roman people.[12] [13] In 1798, Napoleon established the Roman Republic, which introduced a black, white, and red flag; after the Papal rule was restored, Pope Pius VII restored the Papal cockade, which was described as red and yellow.[14]

In 1808, Pope Pius VII ordered the Vatican's Noble Guard and other troops to replace red color with white, in order to distinguish them from the troops that had been incorporated into Napoleon's army.[15]

In 1803, the Papal States started using a white merchant flag with the Papal coat of arms in the centre. This flag was made official on 7 June 1815. On 17 September 1825, it was replaced with a yellow and white flag which took its colours from the materials of the two keys (yellow for gold, white for silver). These colors were probably taken from the 1808 flag of the Palatine guard.[16] This was the first bicolour used by the Papal States and the ancestor of the modern flag of Vatican City.[17] The merchant flag also served as a state flag on land.

Starting in 1831, the papal infantry flew square yellow and white flags. At first, they were diagonally divided, but after 1849 they were vertically divided like the merchant flag. The last infantry colour, adopted in 1862, was a plain square white and yellow flag.

On 8 February 1849, while Pope Pius IX was in exile in Gaeta, a Roman Republic was declared. The new government's flag was the Italian tricolor with the motto "Dio e Popolo" on the central stripe. The papal government and its flags were restored on 2 July 1849. On 20 September 1870, the Papal States were conquered by Italy.

After the Lateran Treaty was signed in 1929, papal authorities decided to use the 1825–1870 merchant flag as the state flag of the soon to be independent Vatican City state.[18] The treaty came into effect on 7 June 1929.

Previous versions

Incorrect version

An incorrect version of the flag has been commonly used. In this version, the visible inner lining of the papal tiara is colored red instead of white, and a different shade of yellow or gold is used in some portions of the coat of arms. This was used as Wikimedia Commons' version of the Vatican flag between 2006 and 2007 and between 2017 and 2022, and has since become widespread on the Internet.[19]

Controversies

During Pope Francis's 2018 visit to Ireland, the South Dublin County Council refused to fly the Vatican flag; a local petrol station began to fly the flag in response.[20] [21]

A Police Scotland list of flags which could be a criminal offence to display "in a threatening manner" included the Vatican flag; sectarianism is common in Scotland, especially in Glasgow, and the Vatican flag could supposedly be flown as a sign of Catholic identity to intimidate Protestant neighbours.[22] [23] [24]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: United Nations to Raise Holy See Flag on September 25 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924164133/http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/09/21/united_nations_to_raise_holy_see_flag_on_september_25/1173557 . 2015-09-24 . 2015-10-20 . En.radiovaticana.va.
  2. Web site: CNA . Wikipedia had the wrong Vatican City flag for years. Now incorrect flags are everywhere . 2024-05-22 . Catholic News Agency . en .
  3. Web site: CNA . American flag in the sanctuary . 2024-05-22 . Catholic News Agency . en.
  4. Web site: 13 January 2023 . The Vatican Flag . St. Cletus Catholic Church.
  5. Web site: The Flag of Vatican City . 2024-05-22 . mnflag.tripod.com . Roman Catholics throughout the world often use the Vatican flag to express Catholic identity at churches, educational institutions, and other establishments..
  6. Web site: Flag of the Vatican City . 2024-05-08 . flaginstitute.org.
  7. Web site: Legge Fondamentale dello Stato della Città del Vaticano (13 maggio 2023) Francesco . 2023-05-24 . www.vatican.va . 2023-05-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230527132301/https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/motu_proprio/documents/20230513-legge-fond-scv.html . live .
  8. 1929 . [two sections] ]. Acta Apostolicae Sedis . Supplemento per le leggi e disposizioni dello stato della città del Vaticano . 5, 35 . Vaticanstate.va.
  9. Web site: Legge fondamentale dello Stato della Città del Vaticano – 26 novembre 2000 . 2023-05-24 . www.vatican.va . 2023-05-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230515213054/https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/sp_ss_scv/informazione_generale/legge-fondamentale_it.html . live .
  10. Web site: 2013-09-06 . STATE OF VATICAN CITY, Flag, Coat of Arms and Seal . deviated . https://web.archive.org/web/20230516094945/https://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/sp_ss_scv/insigne/sp_ss_scv_stemma-bandiera-sigillo_en.html . 16 May 2023 . 2023-05-06 . Holy See Press Office . en-GB.
  11. Web site: letter from the German nunciature (2010-05-27) . 2021-09-26 . de . 2021-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211205175053/https://www.protokoll-inland.de/SharedDocs/downloads/Webs/PI/DE/Beflaggung/GenauerBetrachtet/vatikan.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1 . live .
  12. Web site: Storia della Bandiera dello Stato della Città del Vaticano . 31 December 2000 . vatican.va . it . "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.".
  13. Web site: Bandiera pontificia . Estado de la Ciudad del Vaticano . 2024-03-09 . En el pasado, la bandera del Estado pontificio era de color amarillo y granate (o mejor dicho, carmesì y rojo, colores relacionados con el escudo de la Santa Sede), dos colores tradicionales del Senado y del Pueblo romano. . es . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100731170831/http://www.vaticanstate.va/ES/Estado_y_Gobierno/Breve_Introduccion/Bandera_pontificia.htm . 31 July 2010 .
  14. Book: Becker, William M. . Vatican Flags: Keys and Crowns Since 1800 . 1: Toward the Modern Papal Colors (1800–1825) . 978-0974772875 . North American Vexillological Association . 2018 . 22.
  15. Web site: Bandiera pontificia . Stato della cità del Vaticano . 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 . it . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081015004609/http://www.vaticanstate.va/IT/Stato_e_Governo/NoteGenerali/Bandiera.htm . 2008-10-15 .
  16. Web site: Breschi . Roberto . Stato Pontifico . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923205719/http://digilander.libero.it/breschirob/chiesa.html . 23 September 2015 . 9 February 2014 . it.
  17. Web site: Flag of Vatican City. 9 February 2014. Becker. Rev. William M.. 6 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160106203346/http://vatflag.tripod.com/. live.
  18. Becker . Rev. William M. . Jan–Mar 2012 . The Vatican Flag: Proportions & Alternatives . NAVA News . Trenton, New Jersey . North American Vexillological Association . 9 February 2014 . 6 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210606112916/https://nava.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/NAVANews_2012_no213.pdf . dead .
  19. Web site: McKeown . Jonah . 8 April 2023 . Wikipedia had the wrong Vatican City flag for years. Now incorrect flags are everywhere . 2023-04-12 . Catholic News Agency . en . 2023-04-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230411234445/https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254032/wikipedia-had-the-wrong-vatican-city-flag-for-years-now-incorrect-flags-are-everywhere . live .
  20. News: Neylon . Laoise . Flagging support for Vatican . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211223225609/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/flagging-support-for-vatican-8c7d0s9h9 . 2021-12-23 . 2021-12-23 . www.thetimes.co.uk.
  21. Web site: Finn . Christina . 28 July 2018 . South Dublin Council won't be flying the Vatican flag, but this Texaco is . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211223225609/https://www.thejournal.ie/vatican-flag-4151619-Jul2018/ . 2021-12-23 . 2021-12-23 . TheJournal.ie.
  22. Web site: October 21, 2018 . Beware the pernicious Catholicism that is presently abroad in the land | Kevin McKenna . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211223225615/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/21/beware-pernicious-catholicism-presently-stalking-the-land . December 23, 2021 . December 23, 2021 . the Guardian.
  23. Web site: In Scotland, flying the Vatican flag 'provocatively' could be criminal . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211223225608/https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/39558/in-scotland-flying-the-vatican-flag-provocatively-could-be-criminal . 2021-12-23 . 2021-12-23 . Catholic News Agency.
  24. Web site: October 3, 2018 . Flying Vatican flag in a 'provocative manner' could be a criminal act, say Scottish police . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211223225610/https://catholicherald.co.uk/flying-vatican-flag-in-a-provocative-manner-could-be-a-criminal-act-say-scottish-police/ . December 23, 2021 . December 23, 2021.

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