History of the San Marino Flag: 1465 Banner, 1862 Colors & 2011 Law
San Marino’s current white-and-light-blue flag is the result of centuries of republican symbolism, replacing a much older orange-white-violet banner tradition.
1465: the earliest documented flag
Government material records that San Marino’s first flag, commissioned in 1465, was a horizontal orange-white-violet tricolour with the coat of arms in the centre.
1797 white-and-blue cockade
In 1797 the Great and General Council adopted a white-and-blue cockade, beginning the transition toward the modern national colors.
April 6, 1862
Government documentation states that the white-and-blue colors took their established modern form on April 6, 1862.
The coat of arms
The emblem also reached its definitive nineteenth-century form around this period, showing the three towers of Mount Titano, a crown, oak and laurel branches and the motto LIBERTAS.
1974 national-symbol legislation
Law No. 59 of July 8, 1974 formed an important part of San Marino’s modern legal framework for state symbols.
2011 constitutional law
Constitutional Law No. 1 of July 22, 2011 precisely described the flag and official coat of arms and added them to the republic’s constitutional-symbol framework.
What is the current flag?
The national and state flag is white over light blue with the official coat of arms in the centre.
Why this history matters
The evolution from historic republican banners to the modern flag mirrors San Marino’s exceptional continuity as an independent republic.
