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Vatican (Holy See)

Last modified: 1997-09-25 by filip van laenen
Keywords: vatican | holy see | pope | europe | keys |
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Mark Sensen 7-NOV-1995


Status of the flag

Introduced in 1825, official since 8 june 1929.

Mark Sensen 7-NOV-1995


The keys

taken from the official Vatican site.

Yellow (or golden) is associated with golden keys - symbols of Saint Peter (popes are the direct descendants of Saint Peter's office). The keys are supposedly the keys to paradise.

Zeljko Heimer, 1996-MAY-21


History

Crampton [cra90] states the yellow and white used today date from 1808. Before that yellow and red were used. However, I'm reading Trevelyan's Garibaldi and the Defence of the Roman Republic at the moment and that source clearly describes the Papal colours in 1848 as still being yellow and red.

Roy Stilling, 1996-MAY-13

'In the whole middle age red was the colour of Chatolic Church, and gold was used for the crossed papal keys. Napoleon mixed his army with papal, so pope Pius VII decided new colours should be found.' [smi75]

Pius VII choose gold and silver, and those were acepted in 1825. The flag was used until 1870, when the state was integrated into Italy. When the City of Vatican was formed as separate state, it took the same flag in 1929.

Zeljko Heimer, 1996-MAY-16


Arms of the Vatican State

I recommend [gal72] as a good reference for papal heraldry.

Pascal Vagnat, 1996-MAY-17

From the 16th Century on the coat of the Papacy may be blasoned: Gules a pair of keys crossed in saltire, one gold, one silver, tied gold, surmounted by a tiara silver, crowned gold.[hei78], page 101

Philip E. Cleary, 1997-MAY-17


Arms of John-Paul II

John-Paul II has a blue shield with golden cross off-centered towards dexter chief, with a golden 'M' in sinister base field. Above the shield there is a papal tiara (three times crowned hat), and behind shield are crossed golden and silver keys.

Zeljko Heimer, 1996-MAY-16