Flag of Holy See

Country

Flag of Holy See uses square vertical bicolour with the papal coat of arms. Ratio 1:1 and current adoption June 7, 2001.

Hoist Ratio 1:1 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Holy See
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Vatican City State
Identifier	VA / VAT
Region	Southern Europe

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	June 7, 2001
First Documented Use	1825
Proportion	1:1
Shape	Square
Colours	Gold, White, Silver
Construction	Square vertical bicolour with the papal coat of arms

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Gold	#FFE000	255, 224, 0	0, 12, 100, 0
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Silver	#CCCCCC	204, 204, 204	0, 0, 0, 20

Design and Symbolism

Gold	the golden key of spiritual power.
White	the silver key of temporal power.
Silver	the crossed key.
Crossed keys	The keys of Saint Peter — gold for spiritual authority, silver for temporal.
Papal tiara	The threefold crown of the Pope.
Square shape	One of only two square national flags, alongside Switzerland.

Proportions

Ratio	1:1
Hoist	1 units
Fly	1 units

About the Flag of Holy See

Square vertical bicolour with the papal coat of arms The recorded proportion is 1:1. Within this library it is grouped with vertical bicolour with an emblem designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Holy See is Gold (#FFE000), White (#FFFFFF) and Silver (#CCCCCC). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Crossed keys: The keys of Saint Peter — gold for spiritual authority, silver for temporal; Papal tiara: The threefold crown of the Pope; Square shape: One of only two square national flags, alongside Switzerland.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1825. The adoption field for the present record is June 7, 2001.

Additional flag context

One of only two square national flags in the world, alongside Switzerland's.

The crossed keys are the keys of Saint Peter — gold for the power in heaven, silver for the power on earth — bound by a red cord.

The tiara above the keys is the papal crown, still used heraldically even though it has not been worn since 1963.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Square vertical bicolour with the papal coat of arms, a 1:1 proportion and the visible crossed keys. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Holy See — Specialist vexillological reference

Other vertical bicolour with an emblem flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Holy See

Holy See is recorded as square vertical bicolour with the papal coat of arms.
The reference proportion for the flag of Holy See is 1:1.
The stored palette for Holy See contains Gold, White and Silver.
The adoption field for this country flag record is June 7, 2001.
The design record traces first use to 1825.
Its construction is grouped with the vertical bicolour with an emblem design family in this library.
Crossed keys: The keys of Saint Peter — gold for spiritual authority, silver for temporal.
Papal tiara: The threefold crown of the Pope.
One of only two square national flags in the world, alongside Switzerland's.
The crossed keys are the keys of Saint Peter — gold for the power in heaven, silver for the power on earth — bound by a red cord.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Holy See

What does the flag of Holy See look like?

Square vertical bicolour with the papal coat of arms, with a recorded proportion of 1:1.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Holy See?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 1:1.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Holy See?

The reference palette lists Gold #FFE000, White #FFFFFF and Silver #CCCCCC.

What do the symbols on the flag of Holy See represent?

Crossed keys — The keys of Saint Peter — gold for spiritual authority, silver for temporal. Papal tiara — The threefold crown of the Pope. Square shape — One of only two square national flags, alongside Switzerland.

When was the present flag record for Holy See adopted?

The adoption field in this record is June 7, 2001.

Which design family does the flag of Holy See belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with vertical bicolour with an emblem designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Holy See?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.