Flag of Greece: history and meaning. What does the flag of Greece look like?

The modern flag of the Hellenic Republic - a small unitary state located in Southern Europe - is a rectangular panel with nine horizontal stripes of white and blue. In the left upper part of the flag there is a blue square field, inside of which there is a white cross with the same length of rays. The flag of Greece at the Olympic Games traditionally rises first. The banner of white and blue colors, with a special arrangement of the cross and an odd number of bands, marks the opening ceremony of the most important sporting events in the world. After all, the tradition of holding the Olympics originated in Ancient Greece in 776 BC. E. In this article we will talk about how the main state symbol of the country has changed for centuries, what it represented and how inspired the Greek people in the period of liberation wars against the Turkish conquerors.

What does the modern flag of Greece symbolize?

The banner of the Hellenic Republic embodies its country, freedom and God's wisdom. Nine stripes on the flag remind of the nine syllables of the national motto, which marked the liberation of the country from the Turkish yoke in the war of 1821-1829. "Elephtery and Thanatos!" (In translation means "Freedom or death!"). They also symbolize the nine geographical regions of the Greek Republic - Macedonia, Thessaly, Thrace, Epirus, Peloponnesus, Ionian Islands, Crete, Aegean Islands and Central Greece with Fr. Euboea. In general, for the Greeks, the number 9 has a sacred meaning. The cross denotes the Christian religion, the people's faith in God and the great role of the Greek Orthodox Church in the heavy liberation war. The white color of the cross and four stripes symbolizes primordiality, peace, purity of ideals, the sacred character of the struggle for independence. The national flag of Greece is also blue. He represents the peaceful and cloudless sky, the blessing of the Lord God for the struggle, and also the seas - the Crete, the Aegean, the Mediterranean and the Ionian, washing the Greek islands. Now you know what the flag of Greece symbolizes. The photo shows what the most important symbol of state power looks like today.

How did the Greek flag change over time?

Throughout the centuries, the form of the state structure of Greece has changed many times, and, of course, along with it, the national symbols also changed. During the Ancient and Hellenistic Greece, there were no flags as such. Instead of banners used emblems, which were placed on the sails of ships and shields of soldiers. Such signs symbolized belonging to any policy. It is believed that the first flags that appeared on the territory of Greece were the military Roman standards, which were called the Veksillums. They were quadrangular pieces of matter, attached to a crossbar perpendicular to the shaft. Veksillums were used during the battle to designate various military detachments, as well as as a battle flag on admiral ships or over the tents of commanders.

Labarums of the Byzantine emperors

In the Byzantine period of Greek history, the flags continued to serve as battle standards. The most important of them at that time were the so-called labarums - the banners of Byzantine emperors. In surviving sources ("The Chronicles of Madrid") it is reported that the flag of Ancient Greece was often performed in blue and red colors. Usually in the center of the Labarum pattern was placed the Christian symbolism - the cross, the faces of the saints, Jesus Christ or the Mother of God. In the 14th century, in the Byzantine Empire, ruling virtually all Greek territories, the first state flag appeared. It was a square pattern divided into four parts. In two quarters on a white background the St. George cross was placed in red. In the other two - the image of the banner of the last dynasty of Byzantine rulers, Paleologues.

What flag did Greece have during the Ottoman rule

In 1389 the Turks, having defeated Serbs and Bulgarians, went to the south, to Greece. Athens fell under the onslaught of the invading army in 1458, and the Peloponnese in 1460. By 1500 almost all the territories of plain Greece and most of the islands were under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire. There came one of the most difficult periods in the history of the Greek people. Nevertheless, the Turks granted the Greeks freedom of religion and allowed the use of traditional symbols. For example, teams of Greek volunteer soldiers in the Turkish troops went under a special flag until 1619. It depicted a cross, as well as George the Victorious, defeating the dragon. In the 17th century, private Greek merchant ships went under a special commercial tricolor with two red and one blue stripe. As the flag of Greece looked like at that time, you can see in the next photo. Red meant Ottoman Empire, and blue - Greek people. This standard was used until 1830. Also, since 1774, after the Kyuchuk-Kainardzhy agreement was signed, Greek commercial vessels were allowed to walk under the Russian flag.

Greek flag in the late 18th - early 19th centuries

During the Second Peloponnesian Uprising of 1770 (against the oppression of the Turks) the Greeks began to use special white cloths with a blue cross of St. George. In the future, such a banner became a symbol of the struggle of Greek Christians against Ottoman oppressors. Over time, an overturned crescent was added to the flag. The cross began to be portrayed above it. In 1800, the first Greek state was established on the Ionian Islands, free from Turkish domination. What was the flag of Greece then? Up to 1863, the banner was a blue cloth, on which was depicted the golden winged lion of St. Mark, holding one paw on the book. In 1815, a red border was added, and in 1817 - the British Union Jack (as a sign of protection of Britain).

Flags of the country during the national liberation war

In the 1920s, various movements appeared on the territory of Greece, which had their own banners. Insurgents of the Ionian Sea created a flag that has three bands - white, red and green. On the flag, at the shaft, was depicted a black double-headed eagle. The movement led by Nikoforos Fokas was marked by a flag consisting of four white and five blue stripes. In the upper left part of the panel there was a white cross and the inscription "With this you will win!". The movement headed by Alexander Ypsilantha had a flag consisting of a black, red and white stripes. Also on the panel were depicted the stage of the construction of the Cross of the Lord by the saints Constantine and Elena and the phoenix reviving from the flames. The banner also contained inscriptions: "With him you will win!" And "I am reborn from the ashes." As the flag of Greece looks like at the beginning of the 19th century, you can see it in the next photo. In 1821, he became the first official symbol of the country and was consecrated by the Metropolitan. However, after the movement was defeated, this symbol disappeared without a trace. In March 1821, another flag appeared in Greece - a dark red flag, in the center of which were depicted a black cross and an inverted crescent under it. Then the black cross was replaced with white. This banner began to be called the national flag.

Flags of Greece in the first half of the 19th century

In March 1822, the provisional government of Greece issued a decree in which the national, naval, and flag of the armed forces was approved. The first was a rectangular blue cloth, in the center of which there was a white George cross. The second consisted of nine alternating strips of blue and white flowers, with a cross in the first quarter. The third was the same as the first. In 1832 a monarchy was established, and the flag of Greece was modified. On the panel added an image of the crown with a shield. The latter was removed after the abdication of King Otto I. In 1941-1944, The Greek People's Liberation Army fought against the German invaders under the blue flag, in the center of the cross which was placed the contour of a triangle inscribed in a circle. The flag of Greece was again subjected to changes in 1967, when the military junta of the so-called black colonels, headed by Georgios Papadopoulos, came to power. The image of the crown was removed from the cloth. From 1974 to 1978, after the overthrow of the junta, the blue flag with the St. George Cross was again used. And in December 1978 the state and national flag of Greece was approved, such as we see it today.