St. Andrew's flag must be raised. St. Andrew's flag When was the St. Andrew's flag founded

St. Andrew's Flag Day

On December 11, Russia celebrates St. Andrew's Flag Day. In the Voenpro review - the history of the naval St. Andrew's flag. There is also the opportunity to buy the St. Andrew's flag and other goods with the symbols of the Russian naval flag.

The history of the creation of St. Andrew's flag

A mandatory state attribute is the flag, which is created based on a combination of different colors and symbols. But other administrative-territorial units, international organizations, government agencies and military formations also have their own banners.

For the army, the flag does not just play a symbolic role, but is one of the main elements of the existence of a combat unit. In the old days, the loss of a battle flag could lead to the dissolution of the entire unit that could not keep track of its flag.

The history of the creation of the Russian navy is connected with Peter the Great, who, after his trip to European countries, decided on the need to form a strong army at sea.

The new military formation required its own flag, so the emperor personally took up its development. A total of 8 options were drawn, from which the most successful was chosen. The actual history of the St. Andrew's flag in Rus' dates back to December 11, 1699.

At first, the St. Andrew's Cross was simply added to the banner, and the complete transition to the flag in its usual form took place in 1712, after which it was used on all ships of the Russian squadron.

It is worth noting that St. Andrew's Cross has roots in the distant past associated with religious events. The fact is that one of the apostles - Andrew the First-Called - was executed by crucifixion on an oblique cross, after which he began to be called St. Andrew's.

This symbol is very popular in heraldry and is often used on flags in various variations. It can be seen on the canvases of Jamaica, Great Britain, Scotland, Australia, British Territories, various regional associations and organizations.

Having finally approved the Russian St. Andrew's flag, the emperor said the following phrase: “The flag is white, through which the blue cross of St. Andrew is for the sake of the fact that from this apostle Rus' received holy baptism.”

It was under this banner that the imperial fleet won a large number of glorious victories and performed a lot of heroic deeds. In the entire history of battles, of which there are several dozen, St. Andrew's flag was lowered by the team only twice.

For the first time, the frigate "Raphael" voluntarily capitulated, surrendering to the mercy of the Turkish squadron in May 1829, and for the second time, 5 ships surrendered at once during the Tsushima battle of the Russo-Japanese War.

The importance of the banner for the fleet is evidenced by the fact that in his parting words before the battle, the ship’s commander said at the end the phrase: “God and St. Andrew’s flag are with us!” It was necessary to defend the banner to the last, and, as a last resort, to destroy it, but not give it into the hands of the enemy.

St. Andrew's flag in the USSR

The St. Andrew's Navy flag lost its official status in 1917 after the revolution. But until 1924, it was used by ships of the rebel White Guards who fought to restore the monarchy. In Soviet times, all symbols of Imperial Russia were banned.

During the Second World War, the collaborationist army of General Vlasov fought under the St. Andrew’s flag. Because of this, part of the population perceives a white banner crossed out with a blue cross negatively. But here it is worth noting that simply not everyone knows the true origin and meaning of this symbol.

St. Andrew's Flag Day of Russia

After the collapse of the USSR, the naval St. Andrew's flag was returned to the Russian fleet on January 17, 1992. It is noteworthy that the day before this, a meeting of the heads of the CIS powers took place, at which a joint decision was made to return historical banners to the ships.

On July 21, 1992, the corresponding decree of the President of the Russian Federation was signed on the use of the St. Andrew's flag by all combat units of the Navy.

It was decided to celebrate the holiday of St. Andrew's flag on December 11th in order to pay tribute to its creator. For the population as a whole, this day passes almost unnoticed, but in the navy the date is one of the most important of the year.

All sailors congratulate each other on the holiday, and gala dinners are served on the ships. The command also conducts lectures on the history of the Russian fleet to raise the morale of the personnel and show that they can be proud of their ancestors.

The sea St. Andrew's flag flies not only on the ships of the fleet, but also over the Kronstadt lighthouse. It is this port city that is the cradle of the Russian fleet, so here, contrary to established tradition, not regional symbols are used, but a military banner.

Although there are no symbols associated with the St. Andrew's Cross on the city flag itself, none of the townspeople object to such symbolism.

Where to buy symbols with the St. Andrew's flag?

You can buy gifts with the St. Andrew's flag at the Voentpro military store. The online store offers a rich collection of accessories with prints of the Russian navy.

Here you can find themed T-shirts, sweatshirts, shirts, hats and a lot of other clothing items. All images are applied using modern technologies, so they can withstand numerous washing cycles and not lose their original appearance under the influence of external factors.

Delivery is carried out to any city in the world, and the client can choose a payment method from numerous options.

There are other souvenirs with St. Andrew's flag on sale. For example, you can purchase a flask, keychain, lighter and many, many other useful products that will have practical use.

Any sailor will gladly accept such a thing as a gift, which will always remind him of his belonging to the sea element. Even on the shore, he will always remember the endless blue expanses.

The flag itself is also sold at Voenpro, and you can choose sizes from a small flag on the glass of a car to a huge banner that you can put in the yard of your house.

Connected with the construction in 1669 of the first Russian warship "Eagle". According to surviving evidence, a flag was made for the “Eagle” in 1668, consisting of white, blue and red colors (and an equal amount of fabric of each color was required to make the flag), the exact arrangement of the colors is not known, Russian was ordered to be “written” on the flag National emblem. There are several reconstructions of this flag. According to one of the reconstructions (author P.I. Belavenets), the “Eagle” flag was divided by a blue cross into 2 red and 2 white fields according to the Streltsy pattern (similar flags are depicted in the engraving of Adrian Schonebeck “The Siege of Azov in 1696” (ca. 1700). A similar flag, along with other variants, is depicted in one of the first books about flags by the Dutchman Karl Alyard (1695).The publication date of Alyard's book (1695) should not confuse the reader, at that time the books took a very long time to be printed, and corrections and additions were made during the printing process In reality, this version of the flag could have appeared in the book no earlier than 1698.

Other historians believed that already on the “Eagle” a flag of three horizontal stripes appeared: white, blue and red. Probably, this idea was first expressed by naval historian F.F. Veselago

Peter I, carried away by the idea of ​​​​creating a Russian fleet, himself studied maritime affairs, he sailed on a boat on Lake Pereyaslavl, Prosyanoy Pond in Izmailovo. Nowadays the boat of Peter I is kept in the Navy Museum. On the surviving engravings, the boat is depicted with the imperial standard on the mast and the flag of the admiral general on the stern.

According to the information of the historian P.I. Belavenets, on August 6, 1693, in Arkhangelsk, on the armed yacht “St. Peter”, Peter I used the striped white-blue-red “flag of the Tsar of Moscow” with a golden double-headed eagle on the middle stripe. In the book of flags by Carlus Alyard this flag was described as follows:

“The flag of His Royal Majesty of Moscow is divided into three, the upper stripe is white, the middle blue, the lower red. On the blue stripe, gold with the royal karuna, is crowned with a double-headed eagle, having a red mark in the heart, with a silver Saint George without a serpent.”

Now this flag is kept in the Maritime Museum of St. Petersburg. He got there from Arkhangelsk, where he stayed for many years, having been presented by Peter I to Archbishop Athanasius of Arkhangelsk.

Some historians are inclined to believe that the white-blue-red flag was borrowed by Peter from Holland (the Dutch flag is almost the same, only the order of the stripes is different). Maybe it is so. But, as we see, the use of white, blue and red colors on the flag was recorded under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter’s father, long before Peter Alekseevich’s Western European voyage. The “Dutch” version is also associated with the leader of the construction of the “Eagle”, the Dutch captain O. Butler. He is credited with the idea of ​​​​making the flag of a Russian ship modeled on the flags of his homeland.

In 1695, Peter I started a war with Turkey. This served as a powerful impetus for the creation of a navy. Many warships were built. Russian sailors penetrated into the Black Sea and then into the Baltic Sea.

In 1697, Peter I established a new model of the Russian naval flag, which consisted of horizontal white, blue, and red stripes. In October-November 1699, the first versions of the St. Andrew's flag appeared. In 1699, when the ship "Fortress" set sail for Constantinople, Peter I, in instructions to the Russian envoy Emelyan Ukraintsev, drew a three-sheet flag with an oblique cross crossing it.

Peter I especially emphasized that he chose the St. Andrew’s flag in honor of St. Andrew the First-Called “for the sake of the fact that Russia received holy baptism from this apostle.” Additionally, according to Peter I, the St. Andrew's flag showed that Russia has access to four seas. It is very likely that Peter’s choice was influenced by the flag of Scotland he saw in Europe (blue with a white St. Andrew’s Cross). Saint Andrew was considered the patron saint of Scotland long before the introduction of his cult in Russia. The Scottish Order of St. Andrew is famous. Peter copied the order and perhaps decided to transfer the St. Andrew’s flag to Russian soil, only changing its colors.

In engravings with images of ships of that time you can see various options for transitional types of naval flags(some of them are possibly true, some are most likely an erroneous reconstruction of the engraver). For example, in the engraving depicting the ship Predistination, flags of 9 horizontal stripes are depicted on the bow, on the topmast and on the stern; white, blue and red (a similar practice was widespread in Holland). The frigate "Dumkart" is depicted with a "hybrid" flag - the St. Andrew's cross is framed at the top and bottom with stripes of national colors.

In the engraving with the image of "Poltava" a white flag with an St. Andrew's cross flies at the stern of the ship, the ends of which do not reach the corners of the flag, and on the topmast there is an imperial standard. However, the engraving of “Poltava” raises certain criticisms. The fact is that on the bow of the ship there is a red flag with the St. Andrew's cross in the canton, and on the stern there is a flag with the St. Andrew's cross in the entire panel. This practice is highly questionable. In the Russian fleet, the huys (bow flag) first repeated the stern one, and then a single huys was introduced. If there is a “colored” flag at the bow, then there must also be one at the stern. Apparently the author of the engraving somewhat “approximated” the information he had.

St. Andrew's flag is a cloth with a blue cross on it. This cross is called St. Andrew's cross.

There are at least two versions of the appearance of this flag in Russia. One version says that the amusing ships of Peter I sailed under this flag.

The second version of the appearance of the St. Andrew’s flag is as follows: Russian ambassadors were heading to Turkey, and they needed a flag.

Peter I took upon himself the responsibility of making the sketch. After some time, the flag was ready, and was a three-stripe banner on which the St. Andrew's Cross was depicted.

Since then, Russian ships have sailed under this banner. The appearance of the St. Andrew's flag, according to the second version, is dated 1699.

In 1703, the St. Andrew's flag became the official flag of the Russian fleet. This happened after Russian troops occupied the mouth of the Neva.

The Russian Empire now had access to the White, Caspian, Baltic and Azov seas.

And now the main question. Why did St. Andrew's Cross become the symbol of the Russian fleet? The answer must be sought in Orthodoxy. Once upon a time there lived two fishermen who fished in the Sea of ​​Galilee.

The names of those fishermen were Andrey and Peter. Andrew became the first person whom Christ called to be his disciple. Therefore, the Apostle Andrew is called the First-Called.

Andrew the First-Called is considered the patron saint of maritime affairs and the Slavs. The Apostle preached a lot, including in the places where Slavic tribes settled. Like many of the first preachers of Christianity, he died a martyr's death on an oblique cross.

This story contains the answer to the question of why St. Andrew's flag. Peter I believed that Rus' received holy baptism from Andrew the First-Called, and the Apostle Peter was the patron saint of the emperor.

In 1709, the appearance of the St. Andrew's flag underwent some changes. Panels of three colors were introduced - white, blue and red, on which there were St. Andrew's crosses. The white St. Andrew's flag was assigned to the admiral's squadrons, the blue one to the vice admiral, and the red one to the rear admiral.

Under Anna Ioannovna, the white St. Andrew's flag with a transverse blue cross became common to all ships of the Russian fleet. Under Elizaveta Petrovna, St. Andrew's flags of various colors appeared again.

Blue belonged to the vanguard, white to the battle cord, red to the rearguard. Catherine II returned the single white flag. And Paul I again returned the options for using the St. Andrew's flag of 1709.

In 1865, by decree of Alexander II, the Russian fleet acquired a single white St. Andrew's flag and sailed under it until the 1917 revolution.

Ships that especially managed to distinguish themselves in battle received a special banner - the St. Andrew's flag. The first ship to receive such a banner was the Azov. “Azov” especially distinguished itself during the Battle of Navarino, during one of the Russian-Turkish wars.

In January 1992, the St. Andrew's flag was returned to the status of the Russian Naval flag. It was a wise and historically correct decision. St. Andrew's flag - personifies the power, strength and valor of the Russian fleet, which more than once brought horror and fear to the enemies of our Motherland.

Under the St. Andrew's flag, Russian ships sailed to different countries of the world . Very successful, by the way.

December 11, 1699 Peter I approved the St. Andrew's flag as the banner of the Russian fleet.

Scottish Godbrothers

The first state flag in history with the so-called St. Andrew's cross appeared in Scotland.

He suffered martyrdom on an oblique cross Apostle Andrew the First-Called. According to legend, in 832 King Angus II, who led the army of Picts and Scots, before the battle with the Angles, whom he led Æthelstan, on the night before the battle, he prayed to God for victory on the battlefield and made a vow that in case of victory he would declare the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called patron of Scotland. In the morning, the clouds above the battlefield formed the letter “X” in the blue sky, repeating the shape of the cross on which the Apostle Andrew was crucified. The inspired Scots and Picts defeated the enemy, after which Andrew the First-Called was proclaimed the patron saint of Scotland. The country's flag is a white oblique cross on a blue background.

After the personal union of England and Scotland emerged in 1606, the Scottish cross became part of the common flag of the United Kingdom and is still present today.

Flag of the personal union of England and Scotland from 1606 to 1707 and of the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1801. Photo: Public Domain

The fleet received a flag in honor of the heavenly patron of Russia

When, at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, Peter I thought about new state symbols, the oblique cross was among the most preferred symbols.

According to legend, the Apostle Andrew visited the lands of future Rus', therefore, starting from the 11th century, he was a particularly revered saint in the Russian lands - the heavenly patron of Russia.

Designs of naval flags made personally by Peter I. Photo: Public Domain

In 1698, Peter I established the first order in Russia, which was the highest award of the Russian Empire - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle. It is not surprising that among the flag designs that the tsar himself drew, there was also a flag with an oblique cross.

On December 11, 1699, Peter I approved a flag with a blue oblique cross on a white background as one of the flags adopted for use in the Russian fleet. In fact, the finalization of the flag and status was carried out by the tsar for another two decades, and only the Naval Charter of 1720 established: “The flag is white, across it there is a blue St. Andrew’s cross, with which he christened Russia.”

“God and St. Andrew’s flag are with us!”

From that moment until 1917, the St. Andrew's flag became the main and only one in the Russian Navy. In 1819, it was supplemented by the St. George Admiral's flag, which was the St. Andrew's flag, in the center of which a red heraldic shield with a canonical image was placed Saint George the Victorious. Such a flag was awarded to a ship whose crew showed exceptional courage and bravery in achieving victory or in defending the honor of the naval flag.

Initially, the length of the St. Andrew's flag reached four meters. The gigantic size was needed so that the banner fluttering in the wind would create a terrifying roar - this was a kind of psychic attack.

The veneration of St. Andrew's flag in the fleet was extremely great. The commanders of Russian ships, entering into battle, invariably repeated the same phrase: “God and St. Andrew’s flag are with us.”

The ship that lowered its flag was burned, the captain was forbidden to marry

The naval charter of Peter I, which ordered the defense of St. Andrew's flag to the last drop of blood, was strictly observed. In the entire history of the Russian fleet, the flag was lowered voluntarily only twice.

May 11, 1829 commander of the Russian frigate "Raphael" captain 2nd rank Semyon Stroynikov lowered the flag in front of the Turkish squadron of 15 ships, trying to save the lives of the crew.

Nominal decree Emperor Nicholas I It was ordered that the frigate that had disgraced itself should be burned when it fell into the hands of the Russians. This happened only 24 years later, in the Battle of Sinop, but the emperor’s will was carried out - “Raphael,” which was in the Turkish fleet, was burned, and this name was never again used for Russian ships.

As for Captain Stroynikov, upon his return from captivity he was stripped of all awards and titles, and was also demoted to ordinary sailors. Moreover, Stroynikov was forbidden to marry, “so as not to have the offspring of a coward and a traitor in Russia.” The paradox, however, was that the disgraced captain already had two sons by that time, and both of them later became rear admirals of the Russian fleet.

The second time the flags on Russian ships were lowered in 1905, at the end of the Battle of Tsushima, by order Rear Admiral Nebogatov, trying to save the lives of the remaining sailors and officers.

In August 1905, for this act, he was deprived of his ranks, and then put on trial, which in December 1906 sentenced the rear admiral to death, commuted to 10 years of imprisonment in a fortress. Nebogatov served 25 months, after which he was pardoned.

Return

The St. Andrew's flag ceased to be the flag of the Russian Navy in 1917. The last St. Andrew's flags on Russian ships were lowered in 1924 in the port of Bizerte in northern Africa, where the ships of the White Army squadron were concentrated.

The darkest page in the history of the St. Andrew's flag was its use as symbolism by collaborators from the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) General Vlasov who fought on the side of the Nazis.

In January 1992, the Russian government decided to return the St. Andrew's flag to the Russian Navy instead of the flag of the USSR Navy.

On July 26, 1992, on Navy Day, the flags of the USSR Navy were raised for the last time on all warships, after which they were lowered to the sounds of the USSR anthem. Instead, St. Andrew's flags were raised during the anthem of the Russian Federation.

The only ship where the St. Andrew's flag is not raised to this day is the Soviet submarine S-56, which has become a war memorial. In tribute to the feat of Soviet sailors during the Great Patriotic War, the ceremony of raising and lowering the flag of the USSR Navy takes place daily on the S-56, and Russian symbols are not used.

But, I think, there is no disrespect for the St. Andrew’s flag in this.

St. Andrew's flag

“God and St. Andrew’s flag are with us!” - with these words in the fleet of the Russian Empire, ship commanders addressed their crews before the battle.

St. Andrew's flag is the main ship's stern flag of the Russian fleet. It is a white panel crossed diagonally by two blue stripes, which form an inclined cross, called St. Andrew's. This cross gave the name to the flag.

St. Andrew's cross- an oblique cross symbolizing the crucifixion of St. Andrew the First-Called. It is a common symbol and is used on the flags and symbols of several countries and territories.

Who was Andrew the First-Called, whose name is so gloriously immortalized throughout the world?

Andrew the First-Called

Apostle Andrew, known as the apostle Andrew the First-Called,- one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, brother of the Apostle Peter. It is mentioned in the books of the New Testament.

Like Peter, Andrei was a simple fisherman. He was born in the city of Bethsaida, on the shores of Lake Galilee.

Francisco de Zurbaran "St. Andrew the Apostle"

At first, Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, but when Christ called him, he was the first to follow Him, which is why he was called the First Called. Until the last day of the Savior’s earthly journey, his First-Called Apostle followed Him, and he was also a witness to the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ.

The reason why the St. Andrew's Cross is present on the flags of many countries is that the Apostle Andrew visited many countries preaching about Christ. And those countries where he visited consider him their patron. On the day of Pentecost (50 days after the Resurrection of Christ), the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire. This is how they received the gift of healing, prophecy, and the ability to speak in different languages. The 12 apostles divided among themselves the countries where they were supposed to convert pagans to Christianity. Saint Andrew was given the land by lot Bithynia(Asia Minor), Propontids(region of Turkey), Thrace(modern region of Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey), Macedonia in the Balkans , Scythia, Thessaly(coast of the Aegean Sea), Hellas(Greece), Achaia(Southern Balkans), many individual cities. But the first field of his apostolic ministry was Black Sea coast.

Almost everywhere the authorities met him with cruel persecution. He suffered especially much torment in the city of Sinope, where he was subjected to cruel torture by the pagans. But Saint Andrew again turned out to be healthy and unharmed from his wounds.

According to medieval legend, the Apostle Andrew visited the territory of Rus', and therefore is its patron saint. In Kyiv, he left his pectoral cross, after which he visited Novgorod and Volkhov, located nearby.

He also visited modern Abkhazia, Alania And Adygea, and then arrived in the city of Byzantium and was the first to preach the teachings of Christ there. Here he founded the Christian Church.

Andrew the First-Called suffered martyrdom on an oblique cross in Patras (Greece), this cross has since been called St. Andrew's cross. This happened in the 70s of the 1st century.

Martyrdom of St. Andrew the First-Called

The last years of the apostle’s life passed in the city of Patras. Here he preached and gathered a large Christian community around him. In Patras he performed many miracles: healing by laying on of hands, raising the dead. Ruler Aegeat ordered the execution of Andrew the First-Called by crucifying him on the cross. But the apostle considered himself unworthy to die on the same cross as Jesus Christ, so they chose an oblique cross for execution. Ruler Egeat ordered that he not be nailed to the cross, but tied by his arms and legs in order to prolong the torment. For two days the apostle preached from the cross. The people listening to him demanded to stop the execution, and the ruler, fearing popular unrest, ordered the apostle to be removed from the cross. But Andrew the First-Called wanted to accept death in the name of Christ, so the soldiers could not untie the ropes. His life reports that when the holy apostle died, the cross was illuminated with a bright radiance. According to legend, at the site of the crucifixion of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, a spring gushed out.

Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called in Patras (Greece)

At the same place in Patras, the majestic Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called, the largest in Greece, was erected.

About flags using St. Andrew's Cross

St. Andrew's cross is a common symbol depicted on the flags of many states and administrative units.

Flag of Scotland

This is a flag Alabama(one of the US states), flag Katwijk(communities in the Netherlands), flag Scotland(Andrew the First-Called is considered her patron), flag Tenerife(spanish island), flag Jamaica, flag Potchefstroom(provinces of South Africa), three St. Andrew's crosses are located on the flag and coat of arms Amsterdam. And about 20 more flags of different countries bear the St. Andrew’s Cross.

Flag of the Russian Navy

St. Andrew's flag is the main ship's stern flag of the Russian fleet. It is a white panel crossed diagonally by two blue stripes, which form an inclined St. Andrew's cross.

Flag of the Russian Navy

In 1698 Peter I established the first order in Russia (the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle) to reward military exploits and public service.

The order consisted of a gold cross, a blue ribbon, a silver eight-pointed star and a gold chain. In the center of the star, in a rosette covered with red enamel and gold stripes, is a double-headed eagle, crowned with three crowns; on the eagle’s chest is an oblique blue cross.

Badge on the order chain and star of the order

The symbolism of the St. Andrew's flag was a tribute to the memory of Peter I to his father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who first established a special flag for the first Russian military vessel - the three-masted galliot "Eagle".

Peter I personally worked on the design of the flag of the Russian Navy and drew several options. Peter I himself described the eighth (last) version of the flag as follows: “The flag is white, across it there is a blue St. Andrew’s Cross, with which he christened Russia”. In this form, the St. Andrew's flag existed in the Russian Navy until November 1917.

On January 17, 1992, the Russian government adopted a resolution to return the St. Andrew's flag to the status of the Russian Naval flag. On February 15, 1992, the St. Andrew's flag was consecrated in St. Petersburg in the St. Nicholas Cathedral.

The guis (bow flag of a ship or vessel) of the navy also bears the St. Andrew's Cross. Both flags (hull and stern) were replaced in 1918 by the flag of the RSFSR, and then by the newly created huys and naval flag of the USSR.

Guys of the Russian Navy

The official banner of the Russian Navy is based on the flag of the Russian Navy, it was approved by Federal Law No. 162 of December 29, 2000.