Last modified: 2005-06-25 by dov gutterman
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The first attested Papal flag was red with white cross, dated
probably from c. 1195. In 1204 for sure (and perhaps before) it's
attested the red flag with white cross containing white keys. The
first available image is from 1316. The flag is rectangular with
the fly rounded in the corners and swallow tailed in center and
has four white keys, one in each quarter. The four keys were the
keys called of St Peter. About 100 years later, a similar flag is
attested on red cloth without white cross. In next centuries a
red flag with keys or religious motives seems to be in use.
Jaume Ollé, 30 April 2003
Since the creation of Vatican City in 1929, I am not aware of
any full-size "personal" flags for the popes being used
at the Vatican. There were, however, flags for three different
papal corps which bore each successive pope's personal arms.
These corps were all disbanded in 1970 by Paul VI. The Palatine
Honor Guard was an honorary body which served at papal
ceremonies, and carried a yellow-white vertical bicolor charged
with the pope's personal arms in the center, and ornamentations
around the corners. I have a personal photo of the Palatine color
from the pontificate of Pius IX, from the Vatican Historical
Museum at the Lateran Palace in Rome. Its pattern was repeated
for each pope until 1970, but with the new pope's arms. The Noble
Guard also attended the pope in an honorary capacity. Their color
was white, with the pope's personal arms in the center, the name
of the corps, and golden brocade along the edges. The color of
the Pontifical Gendarme Corps was blue with the pope's arms in
the center, and the name of the corps. It has since been replaced
by the "Vigilanza Vaticana," the Vatican City police
force (which does not have its own color).
Rev. William M. Becker, STD, 30 June 2004
From <www.heraldica.org>:
""Flag of the Papacy by Elliot Nesterman
"The flag of the Vatican is yellow and white. However it has
been so only since 1808, at which date, Napoleon amalgamated the
pontiff's army into his own and so the Pope, Pius VII, thought
that new colors were necessary. He chose yellow and white. These
colors were used for various flags of the Pontifical State from
their approval in 1825 until the State was incorporated into
Italy in 1870. When the state was revived as Vatican City in 1929
the yellow and white flag was reborn. The moder