Flag of Vatican City

Flag of Vatican City

Description

  • Two equal vertical bands of yellow (hoist) and white (fly), with the papal emblem centred on the white
  • The emblem consists of the triregnum (three-tiered papal tiara) and two crossed keys — one gold, one silver, bound with a red cord
  • Adopted on 7 June 1929 when the Vatican City State was established by the Lateran Treaty with Italy

Trivia

  • Along with Switzerland's, Vatican City's flag is one of only two national flags with a square ratio (1:1)
  • The crossed keys represent the 'keys of the kingdom of heaven' given by Christ to Saint Peter in the Gospel of Matthew
  • The Holy See holds permanent observer status at the United Nations rather than full membership

Flag of Vatican City

Vatican City's flag is one of only two national flags with a square ratio, sharing that distinction with Switzerland. It shows two equal vertical bands — yellow at the hoist and white at the fly — with the papal emblem centred on the white. The emblem shows the triregnum, the three-tiered papal tiara, above two crossed keys: a gold key for the authority of Heaven and a silver key for the authority on Earth, bound together by a red cord.

Adopted on 7 June 1929 when the Vatican City State was established by the Lateran Treaty with Italy, the flag symbolises the spiritual authority of the papacy. The keys trace to the Gospel of Matthew, in which Christ entrusts Saint Peter with the "keys of the kingdom of heaven." The Holy See holds permanent observer status at the UN rather than full membership.

json:data 
{
  "g": "nf,europe",
  "ns": "vatican-city",
  "id": "vatican-city",
  "index": "c/vatican-city",
  "title": "Flag of Vatican City",
  "ratio": "1:1",
  "use": {
    "as": "national flag and state flag of the Holy See",
    "since": "1929-06-07"
  },
  "colors": [
    {
      "color": "yellow",
      "hex": "#FFE000",
      "cmyk": "0/10/100/0",
      "note": "Represents the golden key of Heaven in the Papal emblem."
    },
    {
      "color": "white",
      "hex": "#FFFFFF",
      "cmyk": "0/0/0/0",
      "note": "Represents the silver key of Earth and the papacy."
    },
    {
      "color": "gold",
      "hex": "#C8A04A",
      "cmyk": "15/30/80/15",
      "note": "The papal tiara and gold key depict spiritual authority."
    },
    {
      "color": "red",
      "hex": "#C8102E",
      "cmyk": "0/100/80/10",
      "note": "The cord binding the keys — a detail from the Holy See emblem."
    }
  ],
  "desc": "- Two equal vertical bands of yellow (hoist) and white (fly), with the papal emblem centred on the white\n - The emblem consists of the triregnum (three-tiered papal tiara) and two crossed keys — one gold, one silver, bound with a red cord\n - Adopted on 7 June 1929 when the Vatican City State was established by the Lateran Treaty with Italy",
  "article": "vatican-city/flag.md",
  "of": {
    "country": "vatican-city"
  },
  "countryData": {
    "name": "Vatican City",
    "officialName": "Vatican City State",
    "continent": "europe",
    "un": "observer"
  },
  "trivia": "- Along with Switzerland's, Vatican City's flag is one of only two national flags with a square ratio (1:1)\n - The crossed keys represent the 'keys of the kingdom of heaven' given by Christ to Saint Peter in the Gospel of Matthew\n - The Holy See holds permanent observer status at the United Nations rather than full membership\n",
  "flag": "vatican-city/flag.svg",
  "_name": "Vatican City",
  "_namespace": "vatican-city",
  "_namePart": ""
}
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