Flag of Saint David

The flag of St David

Proposed version of the Flag of Saint David, defaced with the Welsh Red Dragon flag in the first quarter (canton).

The flag of Saint David (Welsh: Baner Dewi Sant) is normally a yellow cross on a black field, although it has also appeared as a black cross on a yellow field, or with an engrailed cross. It has been used as a flag representing Wales (as an alternative to the Red Dragon flag), in the same sense that the crosses of Saint George, Saint Andrew, Saint Patrick and Saint Piran are used to represent England, Scotland, Ireland and Cornwall (of which they are, respectively, patron saints). It is similar, and no doubt related, to the arms of the Diocese of St David's.

Use of the flag

The flag can be seen throughout Wales, though not as frequently as the Red Dragon. On St David's Day it often plays a central role in the celebrations.

The flag of Saint David (right) alongside the flag of Wales (left) on St David's Day.

The history of the flag is somewhat ambiguous, though it seems to have emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. One theory is that it was developed to fly atop Anglican churches in Wales, in the same way that the St George's Cross was flown outside churches in England, though since 1954 churches are more likely to fly a flag bearing the armorial bearings of the Church in Wales, granted that year.

In any case, the colours of the flag - black and gold - have certainly long been associated with the Welsh saint, even if not always in the form of a symmetrical cross. St David's University College, Lampeter (now the Lampeter campus of the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David), founded in 1822, adopted these colours as the 'college colours' in 1888,^[1] and the flag of St David continues to be associated with the college, and is often flown today in a form defaced to include the cinquefoils of the crest of St David's College.

The flag has also had military significance, representing the 38th Welsh Division in the Second World War.

In 2002 Cardiff City F.C. incorporated the flag into their new logo. Their supporters have been known to decorate commercially produced flags of St. David's cross with a bluebird, symbol of the club, to match the logo. Crusaders RLC, who started playing rugby league in Bridgend in 2006, had the flag on their logo.

See also

• Saint David

References

1. ^ Price, DT William. A History of Saint David's University College, Lampeter. 1. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-0606-2. 

External links

• Saint David's Day Parade