St George's Cross
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The St George's Cross (or Cross of St George) is a red cross on a white background. It is used as the national flag of England and Georgia as well as the municipal flag for numerous cities, including Milan and Genoa.
Contents |
[edit] St George Cross in England
It is believed to have been 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.
After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, a combined British flag was created in 1606, initially for maritime display; however, the flag of England (as opposed to the United Kingdom) remains St George's Cross, and continues to be used when showing allegiance to England alone. Nowadays this is primarily done at events such as international football and rugby union competitions.
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 only recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity fuelled partly by football-inspired nationalism, but also by the devolution movements in Scotland and Wales asserting a separate identity. Until the mid-1990s, it was the Union Flag which was used to support the English football team - even, bizarrely, at games against Scotland where it was literally the flag of both nations. The Football League, despite being part of the national football league system of England alone, has had the Union Flag as part of its symbolism.
[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 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 medival 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 a St George 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.
[edit] Gallery
[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
