 | |
| Trinacria[1] | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag   |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 13:20 (as shown above), 2:3 or 3:5 |
| Adopted | 4 January 2000 (2000-01-04) |
| Design | Divided diagonally from the upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red and the lower triangle is yellow; in the center is theSiciliantriskelion featuring the winged head ofMedusa with three ears of wheat protruding from it. |
Theflag of Sicily[a] shows atriskeles symbol (a figure of three legs arranged in rotational symmetry), and at its center aGorgoneion (depiction of the head ofMedusa) with a pair of wings and three wheat ears.In the original flag, the wheat ears did not exist and the colors were reversed. The original flag was created in 1282 during the rebellion of theSicilian Vespers.[citation needed]
The flag is characterized by the presence of thetriskeles in its middle formed by the winged head of a woman (Hybla [it], goddess of fertility among the ancient Sicilian people), head topped with a knot of snakes and threewheat ears, from which three bent legs radiate, as if seized in mid-race, representing the extreme fertility of the land of Sicily.[2] The triskelion symbol is said to represent the threecapes (headlands orpromontories of the island of Sicily), namely:Pelorus (Peloro, Tip of Faro, Messina: North-East);Pachynus (Passero, Syracuse: South); andLilybæum (Lilibeo, Cape Boeo, Marsala: West), which form three points of a triangle from the historicalthree valli of the island.[3][4]
The flag is bisected diagonally into regions coloured red and yellow. Those colours were first adopted after the revolution of theSicilian Vespers in order to symbolise loyalty to theAragonese party.
TheTriskeles-with-Gorgoneion symbol is found in antiquity, depicted on coins minted inSyracuse in the 4th century BC. The emblem was included in the design of theArmy Gold Medal awarded to British Army majors and above who had taken a key part in theBattle of Maida (1806).[5]It was used in combination with theItalian tricolore in theSicilian revolution of 1848.It was at this time referred to as "the sign of the Trinacria",[6] Sicily being referred to by itsancient name,Trinacria ("having three headlands"). The name had been revived during theAragonese period of theKingdom of Sicily following the Vespers (1282).Apparently from this use,Trinacria came to be re-interpreted as a name for the symbol itself.[clarification needed][year needed]
The diagonal division in red and yellow goes back to 1943 when it was used by the separatist movement led byAndrea Finocchiaro Aprile.
The addition of a pair of wings to the head of the Gorgon is modern (1848), the three ears of corn were added in the 1940s.
Agonfalon combining the coats of arms of Norman Sicily, the Hohenstaufen emperors, and the Aragonese kingdom of Sicily with the triskeles emblem was adopted by theSicilian Regional Assembly in 1990.[7] The present design became the official public flag of theAutonomous Region of Sicily on 4 January 2000, after the passing of an apposite law which advocates its use on public buildings, schools, city halls, and all the other places in which Sicily is represented.
TheKingdom of Sicily[8][9][10] was a state that existed in the south of theItalian Peninsula and for a timethe region of Ifriqiya from its founding byRoger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of theCounty of Sicily, which had been founded in 1071 during theNorman conquest of the southern peninsula.
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Banner ofManfred, King of Sicily (r. 1258–1266)Manfred, King of Sicily, crowned King of Sicily in 1258, changed the field of the coat of arms ofHohenstaufen family from gold to silver. In 1266 Manfred was killed in theBattle of Benevento, and Sicily was occupied by theFrench under the command ofCharles of Anjou. The banner was lowered, but the black eagle fromSwabia on a white background appeared on Sicilian flags for centuries.
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Banner ofCharles I of Anjou (r. 1266-1282/5)Charles I used the standard of theHouse of Anjou. The Angevins lost power on the island after the revolt of theSicilian Vespers in 1282. Thereafter the old Kingdom of Sicily was centered on the mainland, with its capital atNaples, and although informally called 'Kingdom of Naples' it was still known formally as 'Kingdom of Sicily'. Thus, there were two "Sicilies" — the island kingdom, however, was often called "Sicily beyond the Lighthouse" or "Trinacria", by terms of a treaty between the two states.
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Kingdom of Sicily (1282-1296)The next king of Sicily island wasPeter III of Aragon of theHouse of Barcelona. Since Peter III was Manfred's son-in-law, he restored the coat of arms with the black eagle and addedfour red stripes on a yellow background from his own coat of arms. Until 1296, the coat of arms and thebanner derived from it were usually quartered.[11]
1296-17th centuryIn 1296, the quartering of the Swabian and Aragonese arms was changed to theSaint Andrew's cross, with stripes at the top and bottom, and with eagles on the right and left. The function of the flag also changed gradually: initially it was a banner of war later it became a flag raised by Sicilian merchant ships. Perhaps by mistake, due to its rather complicated design, this flag was often depicted with shoulder positions swapped (eagles up and down and stripes right and left).
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17th century-c. 1800In the 17th century, the design was significantly simplified: the white fabric was crossed by four horizontal stripes alternating red and yellow, above and below two small black eagles (in a more modern style). The flag probably survived until 1800 - or at least no later than October 2, 1817, when the Sicilian flags were abolished - though it continued to appear on the cards for many years.[12] The logo of the separatist party "Free Sicilians" alludes to this flag.
Regimental Colours of the Royal Sicilian Regiment, reconstructed on the extant description of the flagTheRoyal Sicilian Regiment was alight infantryregiment recruited fromSicily that served with theBritish Army during theNapoleonic Wars, from 1806 to its disbandment in 1816.
Flag of theSicilian revolution of 1848On 27 May 1848,Trinacria, a symbol of freedom in the pre-Roman period and during the uprising of Vespers, was placed at the center of theItalian tricolor and was adopted by the Sicilian Parliament as the symbolic flag of the island.[13]
AfterOperation Husky,Sicilian separatists created two organizations: partyMIS and paramilitary Voluntary Army for the Independence of Sicily (EVIS)it.
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Flag of theMovement for the Independence of Sicily (1945)
The "vespro flag" used by separatist movements in the 1940sThe first MIS flag closely resembled the current flag of Sicily, although it had many variants. MIS stopped using it around 1946, but the flag did not disappear.
Flag of the Voluntary Army for the Independence of Sicilyit (1945–1946)EVIS flag consists ofSenyera and the blue canton with Trinacria. The flag symbolized the group's very pro-American position. When the EVIS disappeared after the war, the flag was taken over by MIS, which strengthened the separatist symbolism.[14]
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1995-2000[15]Sicily adopted its first official flag in 1995. The difference from the current flag was that there was a coat of arms instead of a Trinacria. The coat of arms consisted of four fields: 1Hauteville family, 2 Manfred's eagle, 3 Trinacria, and 4Red Bars. The flag changed in 2000 to the current design.
Media related toFlags of Sicily at Wikimedia Commons Media related toTriskelion (Sicily) at Wikimedia Commons
