Gonfalone of the Church
Encyclopedia
The Banner of the Holy Roman Church (Latin: Vexillum; Italian
: Gonfalone di Santa Romana Chiesa, occasionally Vessilio di San Pietro, "Standard of St. Peter") was the battle standard of the Papal States
during the Renaissance
and a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church
. The office of the Gonfalonier of the Church
was originally intended to function as its bearer
.
(1198-1216) replaced these with the emblem of crossed keys surmounted by a white cross. Pope Boniface VIII
(1294-1303) established the final form: a cloth of crimson silk, covered with numerous six-pointed stars embroidered in gold, bearing the image of the crossed keys surmounted by a canopy or veil bearing a gold tassel at either end. The banner was attached to a long golden rod and followed the pope
in his travels, including solemn religious and civil processions (such as Corpus Christi
).
during a critical period in the Investiture Controversy
. Though the Holy Roman Emperor
refused to recognise papal authority at the time, Alexander sought to strengthen his image via symbolic acts, such as granting the banner of St. Peter and a blessing to kings who in return offered themselves as his vassals, such as William the Conqueror before the Norman invasion
. The banner was used for the highest-level investiture ceremonies, implying the Papacy's authority over temporal lords. Such banners were also present in the Crusades and at the battle of Lepanto
.
Custody of the Vexillum of the Holy Roman Church was entrusted to a high-ranking figure, who assumed the title of Gonfaloniere or Vessillifero di Santa Romana Chiesa (Gonfalonier of the Holy Roman Church). It was the highest role the pope could grant to a layman, as demonstrated by several of its holders having been kings. Kingly holders included James II of Aragon
(1267-1327, king of Sardinia and Corsica, from Pope Boniface VIII
) and Ladislaus of Naples (1376-1414, king of Naples, Sicily and Hungary, by Pope Innocent VII
). It was also granted to
Pope Innocent XI
(1676-1689) made the post hereditary and conferred it on marquess Giovanni Battista Naro. When the Naro family died out, it then passed to the patrician Montoro
s. To confirm the office's importance Pope Clement XI
(1700-1721) ordered that its holder had to be escorted, in solemn procession, by the captains of the Cavalleggeri
(Papal light cavalry). In 1801, Pope Pius VII
, after the Cavalleggeri were dissolved, replaced them by instituting a new body, the Noble Pontifical Guard, with the standard-bearer acting as its captain with the rank of Tenente Generale
. Finally, Pope Pius IX
ordered that the office-holder was to be accorded a distinctive special collar showing the word Vexillifer and that the holder was always a member of the Papal court.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
: Gonfalone di Santa Romana Chiesa, occasionally Vessilio di San Pietro, "Standard of St. Peter") was the battle standard of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
during the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. The office of the Gonfalonier of the Church
Gonfalonier of the Church
The Gonfalonier of the Church or Papal Gonfalonier was a military and political office of the Papal States. Originating from the use of the Papal banner during combat, the office later became largely ceremonial and political...
was originally intended to function as its bearer
Standard-bearer
A standard-bearer is a person who bears an emblem called an ensign or standard, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, military unit, etc.This can either be an occasional duty, often seen as an honour , or a...
.
Description
The insignia was made of red cloth decorated, initially, with the image of St. Peter and occasionally later with St. Paul as well. Pope Innocent IIIPope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
(1198-1216) replaced these with the emblem of crossed keys surmounted by a white cross. Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
(1294-1303) established the final form: a cloth of crimson silk, covered with numerous six-pointed stars embroidered in gold, bearing the image of the crossed keys surmounted by a canopy or veil bearing a gold tassel at either end. The banner was attached to a long golden rod and followed the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
in his travels, including solemn religious and civil processions (such as Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi (feast)
Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite solemnity, now designated the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ . It is also celebrated in some Anglican, Lutheran and Old Catholic Churches. Like Trinity Sunday and the Solemnity of Christ the King, it does not commemorate a particular event in...
).
History
The Vexillum of Saint Peter came into use under Pope Alexander IIPope Alexander II
Pope Alexander II , born Anselmo da Baggio, was Pope from 1061 to 1073.He was born in Milan. As bishop of Lucca he had been an energetic coadjutor with Hildebrand of Sovana in endeavouring to suppress simony, and to enforce the celibacy of the clergy...
during a critical period in the Investiture Controversy
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest was the most significant conflict between Church and state in medieval Europe. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a series of Popes challenged the authority of European monarchies over control of appointments, or investitures, of church officials such...
. Though the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
refused to recognise papal authority at the time, Alexander sought to strengthen his image via symbolic acts, such as granting the banner of St. Peter and a blessing to kings who in return offered themselves as his vassals, such as William the Conqueror before the Norman invasion
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
. The banner was used for the highest-level investiture ceremonies, implying the Papacy's authority over temporal lords. Such banners were also present in the Crusades and at the battle of Lepanto
Battle of Lepanto (1571)
The Battle of Lepanto took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of Catholic maritime states, decisively defeated the main fleet of the Ottoman Empire in five hours of fighting on the northern edge of the Gulf of Patras, off western Greece...
.
Custody of the Vexillum of the Holy Roman Church was entrusted to a high-ranking figure, who assumed the title of Gonfaloniere or Vessillifero di Santa Romana Chiesa (Gonfalonier of the Holy Roman Church). It was the highest role the pope could grant to a layman, as demonstrated by several of its holders having been kings. Kingly holders included James II of Aragon
James II of Aragon
James II , called the Just was the King of Sicily from 1285 to 1296 and King of Aragon and Valencia and Count of Barcelona from 1291 to 1327. In 1297 he was granted the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica...
(1267-1327, king of Sardinia and Corsica, from Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
) and Ladislaus of Naples (1376-1414, king of Naples, Sicily and Hungary, by Pope Innocent VII
Pope Innocent VII
Pope Innocent VII , born Cosimo de' Migliorati, was briefly Pope at Rome, from 1404 to his death, during the Western Schism while there was a rival Pope, antipope Benedict XIII , at Avignon.Migliorati was born to a simple family of Sulmona in the Abruzzi...
). It was also granted to
- Louis XI of FranceLouis XI of FranceLouis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
whilst Dauphin (by Pope Eugenius IV) - Gianfrancesco Gonzaga marquess of Mantua (by Pope Julius IIPope Julius IIPope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
) - Odoardo I Farnese, fifth duke of ParmaParmaParma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
and PiacenzaPiacenzaPiacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
, from Pope Gregory XVPope Gregory XVPope Gregory XV , born Alessandro Ludovisi, was pope from 1621, succeeding Paul V on 9 February 1621...
(1621-1623) - Carlo Barberini by his brother Pope Urban VIIIPope Urban VIIIPope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
(1623-1644) - Torquato ContiTorquato ContiTorquato Conti was an Italian military commander who served as a General-Field Marshal of the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years War. His barbarous treatment of defenceless villagers earned him the nickname, The Devil...
, duke of Guadagnolo, by Urban VIII after Carlo's death in 1630
Pope Innocent XI
Pope Innocent XI
Blessed Pope Innocent XI , born Benedetto Odescalchi, was Pope from 1676 to 1689.-Early life:Benedetto Odescalchi was born at Como in 1611 , the son of a Como nobleman, Livio Odescalchi, and Paola Castelli Giovanelli from Gandino...
(1676-1689) made the post hereditary and conferred it on marquess Giovanni Battista Naro. When the Naro family died out, it then passed to the patrician Montoro
Montoro
Montoro is a city and municipality in the Córdoba Province of southern Spain, in the north-central part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located about east-northeast of the capital of the province, Córdoba...
s. To confirm the office's importance Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...
(1700-1721) ordered that its holder had to be escorted, in solemn procession, by the captains of the Cavalleggeri
Cavalleggeri
Cavalleggeri was originally an Italian term used to describe an inferior category of cavalry during the classic period of feudal cavalry. It included knife-armed cavalry, lancers' pages and mounted crossbowmen...
(Papal light cavalry). In 1801, Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...
, after the Cavalleggeri were dissolved, replaced them by instituting a new body, the Noble Pontifical Guard, with the standard-bearer acting as its captain with the rank of Tenente Generale
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. Finally, Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
ordered that the office-holder was to be accorded a distinctive special collar showing the word Vexillifer and that the holder was always a member of the Papal court.
See also
- GonfaloniereGonfaloniereThe Gonfaloniere was a highly prestigious communal post in medieval and Renaissance Italy, notably in Florence and the Papal States. The name derives from gonfalone, the term used for the banners of such communes....
- Gonfaloniere of the Church
- Captain General of the ChurchCaptain General of the ChurchThe Captain General of the Church was the de facto commander-in-chief of the papal armed forces during the Middle Ages. The post was usually conferred on an Italian noble with a professional military reputation or a relative of the pope...
- Umbraculum