Use | National flag |
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Adopted | 7 June 1929 |
Design | A vertical bicolour of yellow and white, charged with the coat of arms centred on the white portion |
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Vatican City |
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The national flag of Vatican City was adopted in 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, creating the new independent state of Vatican City.
The flag is a vertical bicolour of yellow and white, with the white half charged with the coat of arms of Vatican City (a papal tiara and the crossed keys of Saint Peter). It was modeled after the 1808 flag of the Papal States, a yellow-and-white bicolour defaced with the tiara and keys in the centre. It is one of only two national flags that use a 1:1 aspect ratio, along with the flag of Switzerland.[1]
The flag of Vatican City is also referred as flag of the Holy See.[2] The Holy See, which governs Vatican City, has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over the worldwide Catholic Church. As a result, the flag is also a symbol of Catholic faith or identity, and is sometimes displayed at Catholic churches.[3][4][5][6]
Roman Catholics throughout the world often use the Vatican flag to express Catholic identity at churches, educational institutions, and other establishments.