Flag of the Vatican City
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National flag. Flag ratio: 1:1
The flag of the Vatican City consists of two vertical bands of gold (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the Papal Tiara centered in the white band. It is one of only two square country flags in the world, the other being the flag of Switzerland. In placing yellow next to white breaks the rule of tincture.
The flag was adopted on June 7, 1929. In the same year Pope Pius XI signed a treaty with Italy, ensuring that the Papal State, albeit its territory had been decreased, will continue to exist as an independent state. In previous centuries (especially in the 19th century) the Papal States used a purple and gold flag, which resembled the current one.
The square flag is vertically divided into two halves, the half closer to the flagpole is yellow, the other is white. The 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 Papal State since the 14th century. The gold represents spiritual power, while the silver key represents wordly power.
- a red cord connecting the keys.
The yellow and white of the flag also refers to the keys – in heraldry yellow is used to represent gold, while white represents silver.
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