List of flags of the Papacy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of flags used in the Vatican City and its predecessor, the Papal States.
National flag and State flag
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Papal flags
Papal standard
| Flag | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | 1523–1534 | Orange and red stripes charged with the coat of arms of Pope Clement VII. |
 | 2005–2013 | Two fields divided vertically, yellow field on the staff side and a white field on the fly side, which bears Pope Benedict's personal arms. |
.svg) | 2013–2023 | Two fields divided vertically, yellow field on the staff side and a white field on the fly side, which bears Pope Francis's personal arms. |
 | 2023–2025 | |
 | 2025- | Two fields divided vertically, yellow field on the staff side and a white field on the fly side, which bears Pope Leo's personal arms. |
Papal pennant
| Flag | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | 2005–2013 | With a yellow band at the hoist and Pope Benedict's personal arms in color in the white fly. |
.svg) | 2013–2023 | With a yellow band at the hoist and Pope Francis's personal arms in color in the white fly. |
 | 2023–2025 | |
 | 2025- | With a yellow band at the hoist and Pope Leo's personal arms in color in the white fly. |
Papal banners
| Flag | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | 1922–1939 | Papal banner of Pope Pius XI |
 | 1939–1958 | Papal banner of Pope Pius XII |
 | 1958–1963 | Papal banner of Pope John XXIII |
 | 1963–1978 | Papal banner of Pope Paul VI |
 | 1978–2005 | Papal banner of Pope John Paul II |
 | 2005–2013 | Papal banner of Pope Benedict XVI |
.svg) | 2013–2025 | Papal banner of Pope Francis |
 | 2025- | Papal banner of Pope Leo XIV |
Military flag
| Flag | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | 1978–1982 | Papal guard flag of 1914, but with the arms of Pope John Paul II and Commandant Franz Pfyffer von Altishofen |
 | 2002–2005 | Papal guard flag of 1914, but with the arms of Pope John Paul II and Commandant Elmar Mäder |
 | 2005–2008 | Papal guard flag of 1914, but with the arms of Pope Benedict XVI and Commandant Elmar Mäder |
 | 2008–2013 | Papal guard flag of 1914, but with the arms of Benedict XVI and Commandant Daniel Anrig |
 | 2013–2015 | Papal guard flag of 1914, but with the arms of Pope Francis and Commandant Daniel Anrig |
 | 2015–2025 | Papal guard flag of 1914, but with the arms of Pope Francis and Commandant Christoph Graf |
 | 2025– | Papal guard flag of 1914, but with the arms of Pope Leo XIV and Commandant Christoph Graf |
Historical flags
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Papal naval ensign | White flag with a version of the coat of arms of the Holy See between the figures of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. | |
 | 1300s | Banner of Pope Boniface VIII | A red swallowtail with two golden keys crossed over an umbraculum of the same colour. |
 | 1510s | Banner of Pope Leo X | An orange swallowtail with seven red roundels. |
 | 1520s | An orange swallowtail featuring two crossed keys on a white shield. | |
 | 1520s | Flag used by papal military strategist Jacopo Pesaro | |
 | 1540s | Banner of Pope Paul III | Dark red swallowtail with the keys and tiara design. |
.gif) | 1669–1771 | Flag for Papal Ships | A red flag with Christ on the cross, surrounded by St. Peter and St. Paul. |
.svg) | -1808[5][6] | Papal cockade until 1808, de facto state flag[7] | Vertical red and yellow bicolour. |
.svg) | 1808-1870[8] | Pilot flag, Infantry colours and de-facto civil flag[9] | Vertical yellow and white bicolour. |
 |
-1870 | War and proto-national flag[10] flown over Porta Pia during the fall of Rome (1870)[11][12][13] | Yellow and white, with simplified coat of arms of the Holy see in the middle |
.svg) | 1803–1825 | Flag for Papal Merchant Ships | A white banner with the keys and tiara in the centre. |
.svg) | 1849 | Flag of the Roman Republic | The Italian tricolour with the phrase DIO E POPOLO (God and People) in the centre. |
.svg) | 1825–1870 | Flag for Papal Merchant Ships | Vertical yellow and white bicolour with the tiara and keys in the center of the white half. |
