Senyera Reial

The flag of the Valencian Community and of the City of Valencia, also known as "Senyera Coronada" or Crowned Senyera, is the traditional Senyera, composed of four red bars on a yellow background, crowned with a blue strip party per pale next to the spear with 1/4 of the total length.cite web |url=http://www.gva.es/cidaj/cas/c-normas/5-1982.htm#7 |title=LEY ORGÁNICA 5/1982, DE 1 DE JULIO, DE ESTATUTO DE AUTONOMÍA DE LA COMUNIDAD VALENCIANA [DOGV núm. 74, de 15 de julio] |work= Valencian Statute |publisher=Centro de Información y Documentación Jurídico Administrativa de la Generalitat Valenciana. Presidencia de la Generalitat |accessdate=2007-07-18 |language=Spanish] It was adopted on July 1, 1982

It is an historical derivation of the "Senyera", the heraldic symbol of the Crown of Aragon, also used today with few variations in all the former Kingdoms and Counties which were a part of this crown.

History of the flag

As many other flags of medieval origin, the Senyera, or "Senyal Reial" (Royal Ensign) was used in those years as the arms of the King of Aragon. While not existing still in the Middle Ages the concept of National flag as we understand it at today, the true symbol of the nationality was constituted on the Royal Shield.

It is traditionally considered that a Senyera was granted by James I of Aragon as the arms of Valencia following the Christian conquest from moorish rule in 1238, although the earliest sources related to this are dated in 1377, when the City Council agreed to replace the old arms used for seals with a new one with the Senyera. [AMV, Manual de Consells, A-17, f. 87r.] While the origins of the usage of the Senyera as a coat of arms remain uncleared in the agreement, a crown in the helm and two "L" as supporters were added, according to an honour awarded by Peter IV of Aragon for the loyalty and courage shown by Valencians to him in several wars such as the War of the Two Peters against the Kingdom of Castile.

This Valencian coat of arms began to be used in textile standard as a pennon, including the crown in a fringe, although the blue colour was slightly different. It was "bipartida", it means two swallow tails, or "abocellada", that's only one swallow rounded and higher tail. The latter is one of the two shapes used and officially regulated todaycite web |url=http://www.pre.gva.es/bdlgv/defaultc.htm?URL=http://www.pre.gva.es/L/BASIS/DOGV/WEB/LEGIS_VALENCIANO/DDW?W%3DSIGNATURA_TOPOGRAFICA+EQ+%221487/1994%22+ORDER+BY+FECHA_DOGV/D%26M%3D1%26K%3D1487/1994%26R%3DY%26U%3D1|title=Decret 116/1994, de 21 de juny, del Govern Valencià, pel qual es regulen els símbols, tractaments i honors de les entitats locals de la Comunitat Valenciana.|work= Decree about symbols related to Valencian Municipalities|publisher=Centre d'Informació i Documentació Jurídico-Administrativa de la Generalitat Valenciana. Presidència de la Generalitat |accessdate=2007-07-18|language=Catalan] , together with the rectangle, for Valencian municipalities. See an [http://www.just.gva.es/pls/civadapv/p_civis.detalle1?ent=0313600000&codigo=ente&codcat=03136&tabla=SIMBOLS&opcion=1&categoria=Municipi&escudo=ep/0313600000.gif&bandera=bp/0313600000.gif&denominacion=Vall+de+Gallinera&tit=S%EDmbols example of a flag in "abocellada" shape] of a Valencian municipality, Vall de Gallinera, or [http://www.just.gva.es/pls/civadapv/p_civis.detalle1?ent=1202100000&codigo=ente&codcat=12021&tabla=SIMBOLS&opcion=1&categoria=Municipi&escudo=ep/1202100000.gif&bandera=bp/1202100000.gif&denominacion=Betx%ED&tit=S%EDmbols another this] of Betxí, in Valencian Information System about Municipalities website.]

The only currently preserved pennon, commonly considerated a copy of the original, was made in the 17th century and is kept, though very damaged, at the City Historical Archive of Valencia.

Design

The flag design is or, four stripes of gules. A transversal azure band 1/4 to the hoist ornated with lambrequins of or with a thin stripe of gules ornated with pearls, emeralds and rubies. [José Luis Calvo Pérez; Luis Grávalos González. (1983a). Banderas de España (in English: Flags of Spain). Sílex: Madrid (Spain). ISBN 84-85041-78-X . According to Calvo and Grávalos 1983, drawing 666, the flag of the Comunidad Valenciana is defined in the Organic Law 5/82 of July 1 1982, published in the [http://www.boe.es/g/es/bases_datos/tifs.php?coleccion=iberlex&ref=1985/01806&anyo=1985&nbo=23&lim=A&pub=BOE&pco=2256&pfi=2262 Boletín Oficial del Estado number 164] : Article 5, 1: "The traditional flag of the CV is made up of four red stripes on a yellow field crowned over a blue band by the hoist." 2. "A Law of the Cortes Valencianas [the autonomous parliament] may determine the heraldical symbols of the Community which shall contain those [arms] of the provinces of Castellón, Valencia and Alicante, and its incorporation to the flag over the stripes". The drawing uses a ratio of 2:3. The precious stones are -E-S-E-S- (E: emerald or green oval; S: sapphire or blue quatrefoil; each hyphen would represent a pearl or white circle), from bottom hoist to top. The width of the blue band (including the thin red stripe carrying the jewels) is about 1/5th of the fly. [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v200/maurice27/BanderasdeEspaaCalvoyGrvalos.jpgscanned picture of the book] . Aslo quoted [http://flagspot.net/flags/es-vc.html here] ] There are no official proportions specified cite web |url=http://www.pre.gva.es/bdlgv/defaultv.htm?URL=http://www.pre.gva.es/L/BASIS/DOGV/WEB/LEGIS_VALENCIANO/SDW?M%3D1%26W%3DSIGNATURA_TOPOGRAFICA%20%20%3D%20%270995/1984%27 |title=Llei de la Generalitat Valenciana 8/1984, de 4 de desembre, per la qual es regulen els simbols de la Comunitat Valenciana i el seu ús.
work=Protocol to the Valencian Symbols. |publisher=Presidència de la Generalitat valenciana |accessdate=2007-07-17 |language=Catalan] , but two ratios, 1:2 and 2:3, are being used.

Chromatic colours of the Valencian flag

Flag Protocol

The flag of Valencia is to be hoisted both outside and inside of each and every public and civil building of the Valencian Community, without endangering the prominence and most honorable place of the Flag of Spain. It has to be hoisted at the right of the National flag (left from viewer's point). The Flag of Valencia can't be bigger than the Flag of Spain nor smaller than the flags of other entities.

Historical Flags

Political Flags

Gallery

ee also

*Flags of the autonomous communities of Spain
*Pennon of the Conquest
*Senyera

External links

* [http://vexilologia.web1000.com/beval.htm Spanish Vexillological Society on the Valencian flag] Spanish Only
* [http://www.gva.es/cidaj/cas/c-normas/5-1982.htm#7 Organic Law of the valencian Statute] Spanish only
* [http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/vexicat/ban_esp.htm Catalan vexilological society on the Valencian flag] Spanish only

References