Holy See Flag - The (State of the Vatican City)

The State of Vatican City or Holy See is an independent nation contained within the City of Rome Italy.  It is the cultural and administrative centre for the Catholic Christian Church.

The flag of the State of Vatican City (Holy See) is a two rectangle Banner divided in yellow (towards the flagpole) and white, with the white part centered with the crossed keys surmounted by the tiara.  The symbolism is drawn from the Gospel and is represented by the keys given to the Apostle Peter by Christ.

The two keys crossed as the Cross of St. Andrew, one gold and one silver, with the cotter pointed upwards and towards the sides of the shield. The shield is surmounted by the tiara or triregnum.  Two ribbons hang from the tiara, each with a patent cross.

Ordinarily the keys have the mechanical part placed up, facing to the right and the left and usually in the form of a cross, not for the mechanisms of a lock, but as a religious symbol. The grips vary according to artistic taste, from the Gothic to the Baroque.

Since the XIV Century, the two crossed keys have been the official insignia of the Holy See. The gold one, on the right, alludes to the power in the kingdom of the heavens, the silver one, on the left, indicates the spiritual authority of the papacy on earth. The mechanisms are turned up towards the heaven and the grips turned down, in other words into the hands of the Vicar of Christ. The cord with the bows that unites the grips alludes to the bond between the two powers.

Flags Measures 36 in x 60 in and are 100% polyester with grommets for easy flying.