The flag of Vatican City is a square vertical bicolour of yellow and white. On the white half are the crossed keys of Saint Peter beneath the papal tiara.
What does the Vatican flag look like?
The hoist half is yellow and the fly half white. On the white field are one gold and one silver key crossed beneath the papal tiara. The keys are a long-established emblem of the papacy and refer to the keys of Saint Peter.
Where did yellow and white come from?
The Papal States previously used yellow and red. In 1808 Pope Pius VII ordered loyal papal forces to use a white-and-yellow cockade to distinguish them from troops incorporated into the French army. White and yellow then became increasingly established as papal colors.
The modern Vatican flag
Yellow-and-white papal flags existed in several forms during the nineteenth century. After the Lateran Treaty created Vatican City State in 1929, the modern flag became the flag of the new sovereign state and was first hoisted in that role on June 8, 1929.
Vatican City flag facts
- Colors: yellow and white
- Shape: square
- Symbols: crossed keys and papal tiara
- Modern state flag: 1929
Source
Primary reference: Vatican City State — Flag.
