Flag of the Republic of Venice

Other names	Banner of St. Mark,Standard of St. Mark
Proportion	1:2
Relinquished	1797 (1797)
Design	A goldLion of St. Mark on a field of dark red accompanied by sixsestiere on the fly
The original version of the year 1659 at the Museo Correr

TheFlag of the Republic of Venice, commonly known as theBanner orStandard of Saint Mark (stendardo di San Marco), was the symbol of theRepublic of Venice, until itsdissolution in 1797.

Its maincharge was theLion of Saint Mark, symbolizingMark the Evangelist, thepatron saint ofVenice.^[1] A distinguishing feature of the flag is its six fringes, which were added to represent the original sixsestiere of Venice. The fringes also serve to prevent damage being caused to the central section of the flag by wind.^[2]

During times of peace, the Lion of Saint Mark was depicted alongside an open book. However, when the Republic was at war the Bible was replaced with the lion grasping an upright sword.^[1] During thecorteo dogale (lit. 'procession of thedoges'), four banners of Saint Mark with different background colours, white, purple, blue, and red, were carried, with the one in front representing the state of the republic at that time (at peace, in a truce, in an alliance, at war, respectively). When at war, the war version of the Lion of Saint Mark was used.^[3][4]

The flag inspired the modernflag of the Veneto region in Italy.^[5]

It is unclear as to when the republic officially adopted the flag. One chronicler,John the Deacon, described how in 998Doge Pietro Orseolo II was presented with a "triumphale vexillum" (triumphal banner) before leading a naval expedition against theNarentines, pirates who moored off the eastern coast of theAdriatic and harassed Venetian seamen.^[6][7] However, this chronicle does not explicitly mention the use of the Lion of Saint Mark within the flag or mention the colours used upon the banner.

The first recorded use of the Lion of Saint Mark on a red field by the Venetians dates back to the late thirteenth century.^[8] Genoese archivistJacobus de Voragine makes reference to the Lion of Saint Mark as the official symbol for Venice. He also mentions how the phrase "PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEUS" was found on the flag.^[6]

The winged lion was chosen as a symbol of Venice due to its connotations with Saint Mark. Venetian tradition states how Saint Mark was travelling fromAquileia toRome when an Angel appeared whilst he was in the lagoon of Venice and stated'Pax tibi, Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum' (Peace be with thee, O Mark, my evangelist. Here thy body will rest).^[9] The legend was used in 828 by Venetian merchants Rustico da Torcello and Bon da Malamocco to justify their journey toAlexandria to take the corpse of Saint Mark to Venice and inter it within the city. From that moment Saint Mark became the patron saint of Venice and thus began the association between the city and the winged lion.^[9]

VexillologistWhitney Smith suggests that the colours chosen, red and gold, were selected on the basis that they were the colours of theByzantine Empire, the previous rulers of the region.^[8]

For 337 years 12 Gonfalonieri, mercenaries fromPerast (modern dayMontenegro), were appointed by theVenetian senate to guard the flag of the Republic at all times on the pain of death. 8 were executed in 1571 after theBattle of Lepanto for failing to protect it.^[2]

Following thefall of the Republic of Venice in May 1797 byFrance andAustria, the Lion of Saint Mark was suppressed throughout Venice. As a result, the traditional flag of the Republic of Venice was abolished and replaced with two equal horizontal bands of blue on top of yellow.^[10]

The last place where the flag was used as a symbol of the Republic was Perast, inVenetian Albania, a town faithful to Venice. Perast continued to celebrate its loyalty to Venice for several months by continuing to fly the flag. On 23 August 1797, theAustrian navy arrived in the town and the Banner of St. Mark was hauled down for the last time. CaptainJoko Viskovich made a speech in the local language, stating "The history of this day will be known throughout all Europe, how Perast has maintained, with dignity, to the very end, the honour of the Venetian flag, honouring it with this solemn act, lowering it to the ground, bathed in our universal and bitter tears'.^[11]

Usage of the Lion of Saint Mark in the flag of Venice would not return until 1848, when it appeared in the canton of the flag of theRepublic of San Marco.^[10]

The flag enjoys continued usage throughout the city of Venice. It can be found flying from the balconies of homes, hotels, and government offices. Some residents of the city also elect to fly the flag as anensign from thestern of private boats, whilst some gondoliers choose to attach the flag to theirgondola. On some occasions, the flag of the Republic of Venice flies atop a flagpole outsideSt. Mark's Basilica inPiazza San Marco.^[12]

Even if it is not the flag of the Veneto region, it is preferred by people and institutions across the entire region because of its symbolic meaning of the unity of Venetian people and the historic heritage of the Republic of Venice.^{[citation needed]} The flag can be seen in many other cities as Verona and Treviso, but it is used in some towns fromFriuli too, once under the rule of Venice. The Venetian people tend to recognize themselves in this flag, which has become the true symbol of their unity.^{[citation needed]}

Usage of the flag has also been adopted as a symbol by some claiming to represent theVenetian regionalist movement.^{[citation needed]}

The flag of the Republic of Venice appears alongside the flag ofGenoa, theCross of Pisa, and the flag of theRepublic of Amalfi on theensign of the Italian navy.^[13]

Historical flags of the municipality^[14]

• 
  1879–1942
• 
  1942–1947de facto; 1997de jure
• 
  1922de facto – 1997de facto
• 
  1997–present

Historical flags of the republic

State flags

• 
  Flag of theRepublic of Venice, showing theLion of Saint Mark holding a Bible, associated with peace.^[15]
• 
  Flag of theRepublic of Venice, showing theLion of Saint Mark holding a sword, associated with war.^[16]
• 
  Heraldic Standard of 1648^[17]
• 
  Official flag of the Republic of Venice used by the DogeDomenico Contarini (1659-1675)^{[18][19][20][21]}
• 
  Flag of theRepublic of San Marco (1848-1849)^[22]

Naval and land fortifications flags^[23]

• 
  12th-13th century^[a]
• 
  14th century.^[b]
• 
  14th century-1797^[c]
• 
  Variant in use during the last years of the republic
• 
  Variant in use during the last years of the republic flown on land fortifications

• 
  A modern-day replica of the flag flown from a balcony in Venice
• 
• 
  Flag of theItalian administrative region ofVeneto (adopted in 1975)
• 
  Canaletto (1730) - The venetian flag on theBucintoro

Wikimedia Commons has media related toFlags of the Republic of Venice.

• Aldrighetti, Giorgio; de Biasi, Mario (1998).Il Gonfalone di San Marco: analisi storico-araldica dello stemma, gonfalone, sigillo e bandiera della Citta di Venezia (in Italian). Venice: Filippi., 378 pp.
• de Biasi, Mario (1983).Il Gonfalone di S. Marco (in Italian). Venice: Ufficio Affari Istituzionali., 66 p.

• Republic of Venice
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• History of Venice
• Flags displaying animals
• Flags introduced in 1997

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