 | |
| Senyera | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 25 May 1933 |
| Design | Nine alternating horizontal stripes of yellow and red. |
TheSenyera[a] is avexillological symbol based on thecoat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which consists of four red stripes on a yellow field. Thiscoat of arms, often calledbars of Aragon,[1] or simply"the four bars", historically represented theKing of theCrown of Aragon.
The senyera pattern is currently in the flag of fourSpanishautonomous communities (Aragon,Catalonia, theBalearic Islands, and theValencian Community), and is the flag of the historically Catalan-speaking city ofAlghero (Catalan:L'Alguer) inSardinia, Italy. It is also used on thecoat of arms of Spain, thecoat of arms of thePyrénées-Orientales department and ofProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, the flag ofRoussillon,Capcir,Vallespir, andProvence in France, on thecoat of arms of Andorra, and on the local flags of many municipalities belonging to these territories. The Senyera (sometimes together with theflag of Andorra)[citation needed] is also used informally in Catalonia to represent theCatalan language.
It is also asynonym (inCatalanSenyal Reial or Senyera and oldSpanishSeñal Real or Señera) forRoyal Flag, although the word normally refers to the Aragonese and Catalan flags. Also inAragonese, it is usually referred to asO Sinyal d'Aragón, i.e. "The Sign of Aragón".
The Senyera is one of the oldestflags in Europe still used in the present. There are several theories advocating either a purelyAragonese or a purelyCatalan origin for the symbol.
TheGran Enciclopedia Aragonesa states that its first material undisputed evidence dates back to a royal seal ofAlfonso II of Aragon (1159), and that all evidence about a "Catalan" origin is debatable since historically nothing can be accepted other than the concept of"Barcelonès", and understanding that as allusive to theHouse of Barcelona (Counts of Barcelona), and then, nothing referring to the ancient geographical area known asCathalania,Catalonie (Catalonia)[2] where the County of Barcelona was found.
TheGran Enciclopèdia Catalana (1968) claims that the first appearance of the flag is in the arms of the tomb ofRamon Berenguer II, Count of Barcelona, died in 1082 as well as later in the seals ofRamon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona of Barcelona and III of Provence in Provençal (1150) and then in Catalan (1157) documents.
Besides, amongst the ancient manuscripts preserved today inPoblet Monastery is found acarte plegada on son tots los Reys d'Arago e Comtes de Barchinona figurats, a genealogical roll of the Kings of Aragon and Counts of Barcelona commissioned between 1396 and 1400 byKing Martin I of Aragon. In the document, the four red stripes on a golden background appears only in the royal images painted ofWilfred the Hairy Count of Barcelona (878–897),Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona (1131–1162),King Martin I of Aragon (1356–1410) andKing Martin I of Sicily (1390–1409). So it may suggest theFour Red Bars on Golden Background emblem was believed to belong to theHouse of Barcelona and theCounts of Barcelona in times of the initial dynasty (1164–1410) who ruled the Crown of Aragon.
Furthermore, thePennon of the Conquest ofValencia is documented as the world's oldest extant flag, dating from 1238, even though the yellow part was originally white, but the red stripes design was the same.
The Government of Catalonia states about its official symbols that it may derive from 11th century or 12th century pre-heraldic symbols and theCounty of Barcelona's coat of arms, in which the yellow and red bars were vertical, while horizontal in the flag.[3] The dynastic coat of arms became also the one for the lands ruled by the counts. It is thus present in the flags and shields of the territories that once were part of theCrown of Aragon and also in the arms ofAndorra,Provence-Côte d'Azur andSicily among others.
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Another version is that theKings of Aragon used and adopted the colours of thePapal States in their own coat of arms as a public and notorious submission to thePope, something which the County of Barcelona would have followed shortly after according to this version. The colours for the city ofRome, which in those times was controlled by thePope, were the same. According to theEncyclopædia Britannica, the flag of theHoly See's Navy from the 12th century on consisted of two vertical red and yellow bands, sometimes bearing thetiara and the keys. According to theVatican official website, the yellow and red of the flag of the Holy See were two colours traditional of the Roman Senate and People.[4] This ancient flag can still be seen on theCapitoline Hill inRome, near theRoman Forum. The Papal States changed its colours in 1808 to the present yellow and white,[4] while the City ofRome sticks to the old colours to this day. We can reject this theory based on the works of Geronimo de Blancas, chronicler of the Kingdom of Aragon, 1585. This author reports that Pope Innocent III after crowning the King Pedro II (the Catholic) accepted that Aragon was a tributary kingdom of the Apostolic See. To compensate for this gesture the Pope appointed King Peter IIGonfalonier of the Church and that the Church's banner had the colours of the crown of Aragon.
TheAlmogavars of theCatalan Company used a royal pennon with the arms of the Kings of Aragon when campaigning in theByzantine Empire.[5] It was used as ensign of the Aragonese Navy from 1263 to 1516.[6]
The plain version of this was used as official flag of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia during theSecond Spanish Republic and since theSpanish transition to democracy. In its plain version, it is also used in theFrenchdépartement ofPyrénées-Orientales (Northern Catalonia), part of the formerPrincipality of Catalonia until 1659. It is also used as the flag ofProvence, a distinct region with historic ties to the Counts of Barcelona and the Crown of Aragon.
Theblazon of this standard version isOr, four bars Gules.
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The senyera pattern is nowadays in the flag of fourSpanishautonomous communities: without any change forCatalonia, and, with variations, for the territories of the former kingdoms of the Crown of Aragon:Aragon proper, theBalearic Islands andValencia (while the latter two are modern interpretations, the ValencianSenyera Coronada does originate back tomedieval times). It also forms the basis of various unofficial versions, such as the blue or redestelada used byCatalan independence supporters.
The senyera is also the basis for thecoat of arms ofPyrénées-Orientales, the flag of thepays ofRoussillon in France, and one quarter of theCoat of arms of Andorra. Dozens of municipalities belonging to these territories base their local flags on the Senyera as well.
According to a 14th-centurylegend, the flag dates back from the 9th century, when the four red bars were drawn, as an act of gratitude, onWilfred I the Hairy's (Count of Barcelona) golden shield by kingCharles the Bald's fingers drenched with blood from the Count's war wounds prior to Wilfred's death in 897 during the siege of Barcelona byLobo ibn Mohammed, the Moorish governor ofLleida. This legend would relate the emblem unambiguously to the Counts of Barcelona title.[2] However, Charles the Bald had died 20 years earlier, in 877.Romantic-driven Catalan nationalists were particularly keen on this legend during theRenaixença, in the 19th century, albeit it has always been recognized and divulged as such even in patriotic circles.
Another version of this legend citesLouis the Pious as the king drawing the bars during the conquest of Barcelona, in this version drawing them in a golden shield, but Louis died before Guifré was born.[7] Also, Barcelona was conquered long before the events described on the legend.[7] Another medieval variant of the legend features Ramon Berenguer painting the bars with his own blood on a yellow shield, with the yellow field of the shield being the arms of Aragon before his marriage.[8]
There are a few variations in the official flags of other territories. For instance, in Aragon an extracoat-of-arms, in Balearic Islands acastle in thecanton, and in València a blue crowned fringe on thehoist.
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Anticamente la bandiera dello Stato pontificio era giallorossa (o per meglio dire amaranto e rossa, colori derivati dai colori dello stemma della Santa Sede), i due colori tradizionali del Senato e del Popolo romano, che vennero tuttavia sostituiti con il bianco e il giallo nel 1808, allorché Pio VII