St George's Cross
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The St George's Cross (or Cross of St George) is a red cross on a white background. Originally the flag of the Republic of Genoa, it is used as the national flag of England and Georgia as well as the municipal flag for numerous cities, including Montreal, Barcelona, Almería, Milan, Genoa, Padua and Freiburg im Breisgau. Guernsey was permitted to use it as its state flag between 1936 and 1985.
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[edit] St George Cross in England
St George's Cross was originally the flag of Genoa and was adopted by England and the City of London in 1190 for their ships entering the Mediterranean to benefit from the protection of the powerful Genoese fleet. The maritime Republic of Genoa was rising and going to become, with its rival Venice, one of the most important powers in the world. The English Monarch paid an annual tribute to the Doge of Genoa for this privilege. It was adopted for the uniform of English soldiers during the Crusades of the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, particularly by the Knights Templar. From about 1277 it officially became the national flag of England and Wales.
After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, a combined British flag was created in 1606, initially for maritime display, later restricted to the King's ships. The St George flag remained the flag of England and Wales for other purposes until the Acts of Union 1707. At the union, the first Union flag become official for all purposes in the new Kingdom of Great Britain.
Nevertheless, in heraldry the St George's Cross continued to be used in the fly of standards in English and Welsh grants of arms (until a gradual change in practice in the nineteenth century). It is still used to represent England and by those who wish to show pride in England specifically. Nowadays this is primarily done at events such as international football and rugby union competitions. (Since the adoption of a separate Welsh flag in 1959, the St George Cross has become associated with England alone, rather than England and Wales.)
Saint George is the patron saint of England and various other countries and regions. The St George Cross is also the symbol of Milan, Genoa, Bologna, and Freiburg; and used, for example, in the flag of the city of Barcelona in Spain, and it appears on the flag of Georgia. The Lega Nord, a popular Italian political party campaigning for the independence of Northern Italy, also uses the St George Cross as an official symbol.
The flag of St George is also the rank flag of an Admiral in the Royal Navy, and civilian craft are forbidden to fly it. However, ships which took part in the rescue operation at Dunkirk during World War II are allowed to fly it as a jack.
The flag of St George should not be confused with the flag of the Red Cross. The flag of St George has a red cross which reaches from edge to edge of the flag. The flag of the red cross, like the Swiss flag, has a cross which does not reach the edges.
It has been flown from churches of the Church of England (where such a flag should have the arms of the diocese in the canton). It has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity partly by football-inspired nationalism, and also by the devolution movements in Scotland and Wales.
[edit] St George Cross in Georgia
The flag with St George (who is the patron saint of Georgia) cross was used in 5th century by the Georgian King Vakhtang Gorgasali as the symbol of his state and nation. [1] In 13th century Queen Tamar of Georgia used the St. George flag during her campaign against Seljuk Turks. The five Jerusalem crosses were later added By King George V of Georgia who drove out the Mongols from Georgia in 1334. The flag fell out during the Russian annexation of Georgia and abolition of the Georgian monarchy. However the flag was revived by the Georgian patriotic movement in the 1990s. A majority of Georgians, including the influential Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II of the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church, supported the restoration of medieval flag of Georgia. The flag was finally adopted by the Georgian parliament on January 14, 2004. It was formally endorsed by a presidential decree signed by Saakashvili on January 25, following his election as President of Georgia.
[edit] St George Cross in New South Wales
The state badge of the Australian state of New South Wales features St. George's cross with a golden lion passant guardant in the centre of the cross and a golden eight pointed star on each of the cross limbs.
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[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Flag of England at FOTW
- Banners of English saints at FOTW
[edit] Notes
- ^ Theodore E. Dowling, Sketches of Georgian Church History, New York, p 54
