Flag of Sicily

{{short description|none}} {{Infobox flag | Name = Sicily | Nickname = ''Trinacria''<ref>{{cite web | title=I simboli della Regione {{pipe}} Regione Siciliana | url=https://regione.sicilia.it/istituzioni/i-simboli-della-regione }}</ref> | Image = Flag of Sicily.svg | Use = 110000 | Symbol = {{FIAV|110000}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Mirror}} | Proportion = 13:20 (as shown above), 2:3 or 3:5 | Adoption = {{start date|2000|01|04|df=y}} | Design = Divided diagonally from the upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red and the lower triangle is yellow; in the center is the ''Sicilian [[triskelion]]'' featuring the winged head of [[Medusa]] with three ears of wheat protruding from it. | Designer = | Type = }}

The '''flag of Sicily'''{{efn|{{langx|scn|bannera dâ Sicilia}}; {{langx|it|bandiera della Sicilia}}}} shows a ''[[triskeles]]'' symbol (a figure of three legs arranged in rotational symmetry), and at its center a [[Gorgoneion]] (depiction of the head of [[Medusa]]) with a pair of wings and three wheat ears. In the original flag, the wheat ears did not exist and the colors were reversed. The original flag was created in 1282 during the rebellion of the [[Sicilian Vespers]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}}

==Description== The flag is characterized by the presence of the [[triskeles]] in its middle formed by the winged head of a woman ({{ill|Hybla (mythology)|lt=Hybla|it|Dea Iblea}}, goddess of fertility among the ancient Sicilian people), head topped with a knot of snakes and three [[wheat]] ears, from which three bent legs radiate, as if seized in mid-race, representing the extreme fertility of the land of Sicily. <ref>Radicini, Ninni. "The Trinacria: History and Mythology | The Symbol of the Hellenic Nature of Sicily | Article by Ninni Radicini." The Trinacria: History and Mythology | The Symbol of the Hellenic Nature of Sicily | Article by Ninni Radicini. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.</ref> The triskelion symbol is said to represent the three [[Cape (geography)|capes]] ([[headland]]s or [[promontory|promontories]] of the island of Sicily), namely: [[Punta del Faro|Pelorus]] (Peloro, Tip of Faro, Messina: North-East); [[Capo Passero|Pachynus]] (Passero, Syracuse: South); and [[Marsala|Lilybæum]] (Lilibeo, Cape Boeo, Marsala: West), which form three points of a triangle from the historical [[Three valli of Sicily|three valli of the island]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Dana Facaros|author2=Michael Pauls|title=Sicily|date=2008|publisher=New Holland Publishers|isbn=9781860113970|page=222|edition=illustrated}}</ref><ref>Radicini, Ninni. "The Trinacria: History and Mythology | The Symbol of the Hellenic Nature of Sicily | Article by Ninni Radicini." The Trinacria: History and Mythology | The Symbol of the Hellenic Nature of Sicily | Article by Ninni Radicini. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.</ref>

The flag is bisected diagonally into regions coloured red and yellow. Those colours were first adopted after the revolution of the [[Sicilian Vespers]] in order to symbolise loyalty to the [[Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon|Aragonese party]].

==History== [[File:001-syracuse-Triskeles.jpg|thumb|Silver [[Ancient drachma|drachma]] from Sicily, minted during the reign of [[Agathocles]], tyrant of Syracuse ({{reign|317|289}} BC) and king of Sicily ({{reign|304|289}} BC), with a [[triskeles]] of three human legs with winged feet, and a [[Gorgoneion]] at their center]] The [[Triskeles]]-with-[[Gorgoneion]] symbol is found in antiquity, depicted on coins minted in [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse]] in the 4th century BC. The emblem was included in the design of the [[Army Gold Medal]] awarded to British Army majors and above who had taken a key part in the [[Battle of Maida]] (1806).<ref>Charles Norton Elvin, ''A Dictionary of Heraldry'' (1889), [https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofhera00elvi/page/126/ p. 126].  </ref> It was used in combination with the [[Italian tricolore]] in the [[Sicilian revolution of 1848]]. It was at this time referred to as "the sign of the Trinacria",<ref>«Il Parlamento decreta: Che da qui innanzi lo stemma della Sicilia sia il segno della Trinacria senza leggenda di sorta. Fatto e deliberato in Palermo li 28 marzo 1848.»</ref> Sicily being referred to by its [[Name of Sicily|ancient name]], ''Trinacria'' ("having three headlands"). The name had been revived during the [[Aragon]]ese period of the [[Kingdom of Sicily]] following the Vespers (1282). Apparently from this use, ''Trinacria'' came to be re-interpreted as a name for the symbol itself.{{huh|date=February 2020}}{{year needed|date=February 2020}}

The diagonal division in red and yellow goes back to 1943 when it was used by the separatist movement led by [[Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile]].

The addition of a pair of wings to the head of the Gorgon is modern (1848), the three ears of corn were added in the 1940s.

A [[gonfalon]] combining the coats of arms of Norman Sicily, the Hohenstaufen emperors, and the Aragonese kingdom of Sicily with the triskeles emblem was adopted by the [[Sicilian Regional Assembly]] in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pti.regione.sicilia.it/portal/page/portal/PIR_PORTALE/PIR_LaStrutturaRegionale/PIR_PresidenzadellaRegione/PIR_UfficioRappresentanzaedelCerimoniale/PIR_7677705.780301599/PIR_2620286.035730297 |title=''Definizione ed adozione del gonfalone della Regione siciliana.'' |access-date=2020-02-27 |archive-date=2015-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201092957/http://pti.regione.sicilia.it/portal/page/portal/PIR_PORTALE/PIR_LaStrutturaRegionale/PIR_PresidenzadellaRegione/PIR_UfficioRappresentanzaedelCerimoniale/PIR_7677705.780301599/PIR_2620286.035730297 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The present design became the official public flag of the [[Autonomous Region]] of Sicily on 4 January 2000, after the passing of an apposite law which advocates its use on public buildings, schools, city halls, and all the other places in which Sicily is represented.

===Kingdom of Sicily=== The [[Kingdom of Sicily]]<ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rYg74wTJS7oC&pg=PA314 |title=Felicis, et fidelissimæ urbis Panormitanæ selecta aliquot ad civitatis decus, et commodum spectantia privilegia per instrumenta varia Siciliæ ... opera don Michaelis De Vio .. |last=Vio |first=Michele Del |date=1706-01-01 |publisher=in palatio senatorio per Dominicum Cortese |language=it |page=314}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hqANAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA303 |title=Considerazioni sopra la storia di Sicilia dai tempi normanni sino al presenti, Volume 3 |last=Gregorio |first=Rosario |date=1833-01-01 |publisher=dalla Reale Stamperia |language=it |page=303}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CW9UAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA109 |title= Parlamenti generali del regno di Sicilia dall' anno 1446 sino al 1748: con le memorie istoriche dell' antico, e moderno uso del parlamento appresso varie nazioni, ed in particolare della sua origine in Sicilia, e del modo di celebrarsi, Volume 1 |last1=Mongitore |first1=Antonino |last2=Mongitore |first2=Francesco Serio e |date=1749-01-01 |publisher=Presso P. Bentivenga |language=it |page=109}}</ref> was a state that existed in the south of the [[Italian Peninsula]] and for a time [[Kingdom of Africa|the region of Ifriqiya]] from its founding by [[Roger II of Sicily|Roger II of Sicily]] in 1130 until 1816. It was a successor state of the [[County of Sicily]], which had been founded in 1071 during the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Norman conquest of the southern peninsula]].

====First flag==== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of the Kingdom of Sicily (Hohenstaufen).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Banner of [[Manfred, King of Sicily]] (r. 1258–1266) }} Manfred, King of Sicily, crowned King of Sicily in 1258, changed the field of the coat of arms of [[Hohenstaufen|Hohenstaufen family]] from gold to silver. In 1266 Manfred was killed in the [[Battle of Benevento]], and Sicily was occupied by the [[France|French]] under the command of [[Charles I of Anjou|Charles of Anjou]]. The banner was lowered, but the black eagle from [[Swabia]] on a white background appeared on Sicilian flags for centuries.

====Second flag==== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of the Kingdom of Naples (Capetian House of Anjou) type 3.svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Banner of [[Charles I of Anjou]] (r. 1266-1282/5) }} Charles I used the standard of the [[Capetian House of Anjou|House of Anjou]]. The Angevins lost power on the island after the revolt of the [[Sicilian Vespers]] in 1282. Thereafter the old Kingdom of Sicily was centered on the mainland, with its capital at [[Naples]], and although informally called '[[Kingdom of Naples]]' it was still known formally as 'Kingdom of Sicily'. Thus, there were two "Sicilies" — the island kingdom, however, was often called "Sicily beyond the Lighthouse" or "Trinacria", by terms of a treaty between the two states.

====Third flag==== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Ensign of the Kingdom of Sicily (1282-1296).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} [[Kingdom of Trinacria|Kingdom of Sicily]] (1282-1296) }} The next king of Sicily island was [[Peter III of Aragon]] of the [[House of Barcelona]]. Since Peter III was Manfred's son-in-law, he restored the coat of arms with the black eagle and added [[Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon|four red stripes on a yellow background]] from his own coat of arms. Until 1296, the coat of arms and the [[banner of arms|banner]] derived from it were usually quartered.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://digilander.libero.it/breschirob/sicilia.html | title=Italia antichi sicilia }}</ref>

====Fourth flag==== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4.svg|{{FIAV|historical}} 1296-17th century }} In 1296, the quartering of the Swabian and Aragonese arms was changed to the [[Saltire|Saint Andrew's cross]], with stripes at the top and bottom, and with eagles on the right and left. The function of the flag also changed gradually: initially it was a banner of war later it became a flag raised by Sicilian merchant ships. Perhaps by mistake, due to its rather complicated design, this flag was often depicted with shoulder positions swapped (eagles up and down and stripes right and left).

====Fifth flag==== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of the Kingdom of Sicily (simplified).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} 17th century-c. 1800 }} In the 17th century, the design was significantly simplified: the white fabric was crossed by four horizontal stripes alternating red and yellow, above and below two small black eagles (in a more modern style). The flag probably survived until 1800 - or at least no later than October 2, 1817, when the Sicilian flags were abolished - though it continued to appear on the cards for many years.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://digilander.libero.it/breschirob/sicilia.html | title=Italia antichi sicilia }}</ref> The logo of the separatist party "[[Free Sicilians]]" alludes to this flag.

===Royal Sicilian Regiment=== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Regimental Colours of the Royal Sicilian Regiment of Foot.png|{{FIAV|historical}} Regimental Colours of the Royal Sicilian Regiment, reconstructed on the extant description of the flag }} The [[Royal Sicilian Regiment]] was a [[light infantry]] [[regiment]] recruited from [[Sicily]] that served with the [[British Army]] during the [[Napoleonic Wars]], from 1806 to its disbandment in 1816.

===Modern=== ====Sicilian revolution==== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of Sicilian Kingdom 1848.svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the [[Sicilian revolution of 1848]] }} On 27 May 1848, [[Triskelion|Trinacria]], a symbol of freedom in the pre-Roman period and during the uprising of Vespers, was placed at the center of the [[Italian tricolor]] and was adopted by the Sicilian Parliament as the symbolic flag of the island.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/it_sic.html#hist | title=Sicily - Historical Flags (Italy) }}</ref>

====Separatist movement==== After [[Operation Husky]], [[Sicilian nationalism|Sicilian separatists]] created two organizations: party [[Movement for the Independence of Sicily|MIS]] and paramilitary Voluntary Army for the Independence of Sicily (EVIS)<sup>[[:it:Esercito Volontario per l'Indipendenza della Sicilia|it]]</sup>.

=====Vespro flag===== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of MIS (1945).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the [[Movement for the Independence of Sicily]] (1945) |Vespro_flag.svg|{{FIAV|historical}} The "vespro flag" used by separatist movements in the 1940s }} The first MIS flag closely resembled the current flag of Sicily, although it had many variants. MIS stopped using it around 1946, but the flag did not disappear.

=====EVIS flag===== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:EVIS flag.svg|{{FIAV|historical}} Flag of the Voluntary Army for the Independence of Sicily<sup>[[:it:Esercito Volontario per l'Indipendenza della Sicilia|it]]</sup> (1945–1946) }} EVIS flag consists of [[Senyera]] and the blue canton with Trinacria. The flag symbolized the group's very pro-American position. When the EVIS disappeared after the war, the flag was taken over by MIS, which strengthened the separatist symbolism.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/it_sic.html#1943 | title=Sicily - Historical Flags (Italy) }}</ref>

===Region of Sicily=== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Bandiera_Siciliana_(1995-2000).svg|{{FIAV|historical}} 1995-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digilander.libero.it/breschirob/italiaregioni5.html#sicil|title=Bandiere delle regioni italiane|access-date=2021-09-21}}</ref> }} Sicily adopted its first official flag in 1995. The difference from the current flag was that there was a coat of arms instead of a Trinacria. The coat of arms consisted of four fields: 1 [[Hauteville family]], 2 Manfred's eagle, 3 Trinacria, and 4 [[Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon|Red Bars]]. The flag changed in 2000 to the current design.

==Notes== {{Notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}} * {{in lang|it}} [http://www.palermoweb.com/cittadelsole/sicilytour/la_bandiera_siciliana.htm History of the Sicilian flag ''La Bandier della Sicilia: La Trinacria'']

==External links== * {{commonscat-inline|Flags of Sicily}} * {{commonscat-inline|Triskelion (Sicily)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sicily, Flag of}} [[Category:Flags of regions of Italy]] [[Category:Culture of Sicily|Flag]] [[Category:Cultural depictions of Medusa]] [[Category:Flags introduced in 2000]]