Russian naval flags

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.

Navy Day is one of the most beloved national holidays. The visual component plays an important role in this: sailors in beautiful dress uniforms, majestic ships in roadsteads, flags fluttering in the wind.

Behind every naval tradition there is a difficult experience and the unique historical path of Russia. The same can be said about the symbols of our fleet and the main one - St. Andrew's flag. Mikhail Monakov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Research Institute (Military History) of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, told TASS about its history, the meanings and images that the blue oblique cross on a white field represents.

At the origins of tradition

The custom of raising flags on ships originated when the fleet was sailing. Then any trip to sea could be the last - ships were destroyed by irresistible natural forces, wars at sea were fought for decades, and in the intervals between them pirates plied their trade on the sea routes. Even then it had not only functional, but also the most important political and ritual significance. The appearance of the flag and its symbolism were supposed to influence the consciousness and mood of the sailors in such a way as to maintain their faith in the protection of higher powers, in the power of their sovereign and their country, and to convince them that the person it overshadowed was stronger than any enemy and the elements of the sea.

The practical significance of flags in the era of sail and at the beginning of the era of steam fleet is obvious. At that time there was no equipment for identifying friend or foe; ships could not see each other over the horizon, which is why the likelihood of a sudden meeting with the enemy or “gentlemen of fortune” was high

Mikhail Monakov

Therefore, until a certain time, even “merchants” - commercial ships - went armed. At sea they approached each other with some caution: before deciding on this, it was necessary to establish whether such a meeting would lead to serious consequences. After all, even between states that were not formally at war, relations were sometimes such that, given the opportunity, they did not hesitate to seize ships and vessels from each other. It was possible to evade the dangerous approach, break away and escape pursuit only by distinguishing the flag of the oncoming ship in time.

Birth of the flag

Until the end of the 17th century, state symbols in Russia were in their infancy. Its use was limited, and it was not used to indicate the ownership of private cargo and fishing vessels sailing along the inland routes and seas of the Russian North.

The regular military fleet in Russia appeared thanks to Peter the Great and his associates. In parallel with the creation of the fleet, its symbols were also formed.

From Western Europe to Russia came the division of flags of the military and commercial fleets according to appearance and status. Today, on this basis, we can distinguish states whose maritime traditions date back to the Middle Ages, the code of chivalry and knightly symbols. At the top of this list is Great Britain. A similar division exists in maritime states historically associated with the British crown, and in some other countries, for example, in Japan, whose fleet at the end of the 19th century was built on the British model.

The Netherlands, France and the USA do not have such a division - both on ships and on civilian vessels the state flag is used as the main symbol of nationality.

Reliable and time-bound sketches of flags, on the basis of which the appearance and main elements of the symbolism of the Russian state flag, military and merchant navy flags were subsequently developed, date back to 1698–1699. It was then that Peter the Great returned from England, where he studied maritime affairs

Mikhail Monakov

Senior Researcher at the Research Institute (Military History), Doctor of Historical Sciences

There is reason to believe that the slightly modified Dutch flag was taken as a model for the flags made for Russian ships and vessels that participated in the first and second Azov campaigns. Three colors - white, blue and red - are present in the state symbols of many countries. This is a very bright combination, easily perceived visually and memorable.

“The flags of Russian ships were tricolor, but we cannot reliably judge how these colors were arranged in the form of some kind of geometric shapes, vertical or horizontal stripes. In the engraving of the Dutchman Adrian Schonebeek, Russian ships carry stern and bow flags, crosses (presumably blue ) divided into rectangles (presumably white and red), arranged in a checkerboard pattern. But these engravings were not made from life, but according to verbal descriptions of the participants in the campaign, and they cannot be trusted,” explains Monakov.

The first images of the St. Andrew's Cross on naval flags also appear no earlier than 1698. Obviously, they are associated with the first award of the Russian Empire - the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called, which was established by Peter. The basis of the symbolism of this order is a blue or azure oblique cross, on which the apostle, who was the first to accept the teachings of Jesus Christ and followed him, was allegedly crucified.

The British flag, or, as it is called, the "Union Jack", which Peter also really liked, combines three crosses - the British St. George's (red on a white field), the Scottish St. Andrew's (white on a blue field) and later - the oblique red cross of St. Patrick , revered in Ireland.

The first sketches of the Russian St. Andrew's flag, attributed to Peter the Great, indicate that the tsar tried to impose an oblique blue cross on the tricolor, but such an image was very difficult to read.

And then the first Russian emperor followed the path of minimalism - he left the azure St. Andrew's Cross on a white field. It was a very functional approach - to make the flag clearly visible, readable and at the same time different from others.

Creating a Legend

The flag system of the Russian state was created over the course of about 20 years. It was first described in the “Naval Military Regulations”, which was published in 1720. “The introductory chapter of this charter opens with the words “Fleet is a French word.” But then comes the prehistory of the Russian fleet. The following was implied: although this fleet was created not so long ago, its history and traditions are no less ancient and glorious than those of the leading naval powers of that time. time,” explains Monakov.

This chapter of the “Naval Charter” says that the first attempt to create a regular fleet in Russia was made under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the father of Peter the Great, but much earlier, several centuries before the creation of the British fleet, the Russians went to sea on their ships , participated in naval battles. Obviously, all this correlated with the idea of ​​Elder Philotheus that “Moscow is the Third Rome, and there will never be a fourth.”

The basis of the state ideology of any European country at that time was Christianity. Rus' adopted it in the 9th century, however, according to the legend about Andrew the First-Called, already in the 1st century he brought it to the lands of the Eastern Slavs and, preaching the teachings of Christ, traveled from the place where Kiev later arose to the island of Valaam on Lake Ladoga.

“In the circle of Peter’s associates was Archbishop Feofan Prokopovich, one of the largest figures of Russian Orthodoxy of the late 17th - early 18th centuries. According to some sources, he is the co-author of the introductory chapter to the “Naval Charter”. I admit that it was he who inspired Peter with the idea of ​​​​making the Military symbol - Russian Navy St. Andrew’s Cross,” notes Monakov.

Guy's history

At the beginning of the 18th century, a modified replica of the British Union Jack was included in the system of Russian state symbols - this is the naval flag of a ship - the guy.

From a practical point of view, its appearance is explained by the fact that from a certain angle the stern flag of a ship sailing under full sail was not visible. At first they began to duplicate it with the same flag, raised on the bow flagpole, and then, obviously, in order to emphasize the special role of the stern flag, they began to use a jack instead of the bow Andreevsky flag. Being raised on the mainmast (the tallest on a sailing ship), it acted as a “Keiser flag” - a symbol of the power of the commander-in-chief of the fleet, and was also used as a flag for sea fortresses.

The symbol of supreme power became the “royal” standard - a rectangular panel with a black eagle on a yellow background. It was raised when a royal person was present on board.

Until the end of the 18th century, the flag and St. Andrew's flag were raised on all ships and vessels of the Russian fleet, regardless of their size and armament. Later, the huys became the exclusive property of the largest and most powerful of them - ships of the first and second ranks. Initially, they carried this flag while moving, and then they began to raise it only while anchored, barreled or moored.

Mikhail Monakov

Senior Researcher at the Research Institute (Military History), Doctor of Historical Sciences

In battle, in addition to the main (stern) flag, which the ships of the Russian fleet carried on a gaff while moving, a topmast was raised on masts free from other flags and pennants. Thus, if any of the St. Andrew's flags were shot down in battle, at least one of them would remain, and the ship could not find itself in a situation that outwardly resembled surrender.

St. George's flag

In Russia there was a special - honorary version of the St. Andrew's flag, but in the two centuries of pre-revolutionary history of the Russian fleet, only two ships, whose crews showed massive heroism and high military art in battle, earned it.

Outwardly, it looked exactly the same, but in the center of the azure oblique cross was the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Moscow - St. George slaying the serpent on a scarlet (red) field. This flag was established in 1813 and presented to the Marine Guards crew who fought as part of the Guards Corps in 1812 and in the Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army of 1813–1814. By decree of Emperor Alexander the First, the crew was awarded for victory in the battle of Kulm.

Subsequently, the emperor ordered the raising of St. Andrew's flags on all ships assigned to the Guards crew. The first to receive it was the battleship Azov, which distinguished itself in the Battle of Navarino. It is noteworthy that at that time the young lieutenant Pavel Nakhimov, midshipman Vladimir Kornilov and midshipman Vladimir Istomin served on it, and the Azov was commanded by one of the greatest Russian admirals, the discoverer of Antarctica, Mikhail Lazarev

Mikhail Monakov

Senior Researcher at the Research Institute (Military History), Doctor of Historical Sciences

The second ship to receive the St. George flag was the famous brig "Mercury", depicted in the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky. In 1829, under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Alexander Kazarsky, this 20-gun brig dared to engage in battle with two Turkish battleships, each of which had 80 guns.

Then the St. George's flag was inherited by the cruisers "Memory of Azov" and "Memory of Mercury" named after these two heroic ships.

Colorization flags

During the holiday, each ship is traditionally decorated with signal flags (colors) from stem to stern. Initially, they were intended for communication between ships in battle or on a cruise - transmitting signals with which the flagship controlled his squadron. First, they were raised on the flagship ship, and then the signal was rehearsed (repeated) by the ships in front and those following in the wake.

If the connection was numerous, rehearsal ships were assigned to speed up the transmission of flag signals. They went out of order, followed a parallel course, repeated signals behind the flagship, and in this case they could be observed simultaneously from several ships of the squadron, which significantly reduced the time it took to carry out the commander’s orders

Mikhail Monakov

Senior Researcher at the Research Institute (Military History), Doctor of Historical Sciences

Usually the signals were three-flag. Centuries-old maritime experience suggests that a person on a neighboring ship is not able to perceive more than three symbols quickly and unambiguously. In the domestic fleet, each signal flag has a name and meaning that coincides with the name and meaning of the corresponding letter of the Old Church Slavic alphabet: “az”, “buki”, “vedi” and so on.

Over time, these bright flags, which were used for their intended purpose and on special occasions (for example, at the highest shows), began to be used as a festive decoration of ships - colorful flags. In this case, a strict rule states that then they are “typed” without any system, so that a combination of them does not accidentally develop that could be interpreted as a signal to be executed. Those that are similar in appearance to the flags of other states are also excluded (there are such in the set of signal flags).

At night, the colorful flags give way to festive illumination. This custom has existed since, after sunset during public holidays, garlands of lanterns suspended on the masts began to be lit on warships, and luminous images in the form of the state emblem or imperial monogram were placed between them.

Traditions are alive

All the main maritime symbols passed from the sailing fleet to the steam fleet almost unchanged. He also inherited a special military ritual - raising the stern St. Andrew's flag and jack (on those ships that were assigned it by rank). Previously, this ceremony was held simultaneously with sunrise, but now it is scheduled at eight in the morning.

The morning flag raising ceremony was always very solemn. In some ways it was akin to the liturgy, which on the ships of the old fleet began with the words: “To prayer! Hats off!” And before the flag was raised, the command sounded: “Hats off! Raise the flag!”

After the revolution, the St. Andrew's flag was abolished, but the guy served almost unchanged for some time. The most interesting thing is that the appearance of the first naval flag of the RKKF (or the Naval Forces of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army of the USSR - TASS note), which existed before 1935, echoes the jack - there are elements of both the St. George's Cross and the St. Andrew's Cross.

It is also noteworthy that the Soviet naval ensign, introduced in 1935, has the same primary colors - white and blue - as the St. Andrew's flag. Only bright red elements were added - a star, a sickle and a hammer.

“The modern ritual of raising and lowering the flag on Russian warships differs from rituals in the fleets of other countries. These are echoes of the old, imperial fleet. Carrying the flag at sea on the gaff, and not on the stern, is also a Russian tradition,” adds Monakov.

When the St. Andrew's flag was raised again on Russian ships in 1992, it became a symbol of the inextricability of the pre-revolutionary and Soviet traditions of the Russian Navy. Today, the status of this flag has become even higher - it is legally equated to a battle flag, being a symbol of heroism, valor and honor of many generations of Russian sailors.

Prepared Anna Yudina

The history of the naval flag begins with the reign of Tsar Peter I. It is he who is considered the progenitor of the entire Russian navy. Under him, the first combat ships began to be built and the first naval victories of Russia were won. Peter I paid a lot of attention to the development of flag projects. In 1692 he personally drew two designs. One of them had three parallel stripes with the inscription "white", "blue", "red", the second had the same colors with a St. Andrew's cross on top of them. In 1693 and 1695, the second design was included in some international atlases as the flag of "Muscovy".

But Peter I did not stop there, and in the period from 1692 to 1712, Peter I drew eight more flag projects, which were successively adopted by the Navy. The last (eighth) and final version was described by Peter I 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.

St. Andrew's flag is a white cloth with two diagonal blue stripes forming an inclined cross, called St. Andrew's. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is one to one and a half; The width of the blue stripe is 1/10 the length of the flag.

If you dig deep into history, during the times of early Christianity, I think this will be interesting to you, you can find out that the Apostle Andrew was the brother of the Apostle Peter. Both brothers fished in the Sea of ​​Galilee, which led to their patronage of maritime trade. Andrew was the first whom Christ called to be his disciple, therefore he was called the First Called. According to medieval legend, Apostle Andrew also visited the territory of future Rus', in connection with which he is considered the patron saint of Russia. In Kyiv, he left a pectoral cross after he visited Novgorod and nearby Volkhov. The Apostle Andrew became famous after tirelessly preaching Christianity on his journey and accepting martyrdom on an oblique cross in the Greek city of Patras. Now I think everyone understands where such symbolism came from.

It’s simply impossible to count how many victories the Russian fleet won under this flag, but there were also defeats. But the heroic glory of St. Andrew's flag is difficult to overestimate.

The next milestone in the history of the naval flag was the October Revolution of 1917. As you remember, all the symbols of the tsarist army were abolished by them.

By the way, otherwise my story will not be complete, on ships of the navy they use not only the stern flag, which was discussed at the beginning of my story, but also the bow flag, which is called Guys. Guys was also the name given to the serf flags of the navy. Both of these flags are raised on ships only when they are parked, at anchor or at the pier, or as sailors say at the wall. But Huys, together with the stern flag, is raised on ships of ranks 1 and 2 only. When the ship goes to sea, both of these flags are lowered and one stern one is raised, but on the highest mast, as before, or on the topmast, as now on modern ships; on the main topmast, in addition, during the battle, the Russian state flag is raised .

So, until 1923, all ships of the RSFSR Navy sailed under a simple red revolutionary flag. And only in August 1923, captain of the first rank N.I. Ordynsky designed the first flag of revolutionary Russia, the development of which was based on the Japanese naval flag.

And so the communists, having assembled the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, on August 24, 1923, after a meeting, established this stern flag of the USSR Navy. The resolution stated:

The naval flag is red, rectangular, in the middle of the flag there is a white circle with 8 diverging white rays to the corners and middle sides.

In the circle there is a red five-pointed star, inside of which there is a sickle and a hammer, one end facing up.

Dimensions: the ratio of the length of the flag to its width is 3 × 2; the circle has a size of half the width of the flag; the star has a diameter of 5/6 of the diameter of the circle; the width of the rays in the circle is 1/24, in the corners and middles of the sides of the flag - 1/10 of the width of the flag.

This flag existed in the fleet until the beginning of 1935. The change or impetus for changing this flag was the transformation of the Naval Forces of the Far East, created on April 21, 1932, into the Pacific Fleet Order of January 11, 1935. That’s when the question arose about replacing the naval flag, since it was very similar to the naval flag of Japan, which could lead to possible problems for Japan, which was not so friendly towards us.

And so on May 27, 1935, by resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, a new Naval flag of the USSR was established.

The new naval flag of the USSR was a white cloth with a blue stripe running along the lower edge of the flag. On a white cloth there are: in the center of the left half a red five-pointed star, one cone facing upward; in the center of the right half of the panel there is a crossed red sickle and hammer.

The diameter of the star is equal to 2/3 of the width of the entire flag, and the largest diameter of the crossed hammer and sickle is 2/3 of the width of the white flag. The ratio of the width of the white panel to the blue stripe is 5:1. The ratio of flag length to width is 3:2.

All victories in the Second World War were won under this flag, but it was destined to live only until 1950.

Since the flag was unpublished and not included in the Code of Laws of the USSR, on November 16, 1950, by a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the flag was introduced into this Code and, in addition, changes were made to the Naval flag, in particular, the proportions and locations of the star and sickle were changed and a hammer. It is not easy to notice this outwardly, but it was not in vain that the people held the meeting. And now the flag looked like this and existed right up until July 26, 1992.

In all likelihood, the Council of Ministers of the USSR liked this activity of changing the flag of the USSR Navy that on April 21, 1964 they approved descriptions and drawings of the naval flags and pennants of the USSR of warships, ships of the border troops, auxiliary vessels and officials of the Ministry of Defense and the State Security Committee THE USSR.

For example, this is what the flag of the Marine Units of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR looked like.

Well, as they say, no matter how the rope twists, everything returns to normal. And so on June 26, 1992, our old, but again new St. Andrew’s flag returned to its old place. White cloth with a blue cross diagonally.

That seemed to be all, but he already had to make room. Namely, Federal Law No. 162-FZ of December 29, 2000 “On the banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the banner of the Navy, the banners of other branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the banners of other troops.” The historical blue color of the diagonal cross was returned to the Naval flag of the Russian Federation, which served to automatically replace all flags with the image of the Naval flag of the Russian Federation.

Yes, this is the story of the flag. In general, the Navy has many different types of flags. These are the Guards flags, where the Guards ribbon is added to the flag. And order flags, and flags of auxiliary ships of the Navy, and flags of colors, as well as Breid pennants, pennants, flags of officials of the Navy and the State. The flags of the maritime units of the border troops have also changed, and the flags of the ships of the Internal Troops have also appeared. But that is another story.

I had the opportunity to serve in the 80s under the hammer and sickle flag. And sail the expanses of the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Barents Seas under it as a handsome man. For me, he is more precious and more beautiful than anyone else in the world, what can I do, this is my story, the history of my service...

On December 1 (11), 1699, Tsar Peter I Alekseevich established the St. Andrew's flag as the official flag of the Russian Navy. The main ship banner of the Russian Navy is a white, rectangular panel, crossed diagonally from corner to corner by two blue stripes that form an oblique cross. The tsar explained his choice by the fact that it was from Apostle Andrew the First-Called that Rus' first received holy baptism, and he became its heavenly patron, and thus Peter wanted to perpetuate the name of the saint.

The symbolism of St. Andrew's flag has deep roots. One of the disciples of Jesus Christ was Andrew - the brother of the Apostle Peter (Cephas, former Simon), the patron saint of Tsar Peter I. According to the Gospel, both brothers fished on Lake Galilee, that is, they were directly related to the sea. Andrew was the first to be called by Jesus Christ as a disciple and therefore was called the First Called. According to some sources, Andrei was sent for missionary work to Scythia (Northern Black Sea region). A number of Russian sources report on the apostle’s journey from Crimea to Rome via Ladoga. It is said that Andrei, having made a stop on the hills near the Dnieper, where Kyiv would be founded, told his disciples that the grace of God would shine here and a great city would be founded. He climbed the hills, blessed them and planted the cross. Then he visited the northern lands of Rus', marveling at the custom of the Slavs, who, while washing in the baths, beat themselves with “young twigs” and doused themselves with kvass and ice water. Some sources report the further journey of the Apostle Andrew to the north, where he erected a cross near the present village of Gruzino on the banks of the Volkhov, to Lake Ladoga and visiting the island of Valaam. At the same time, it should be noted that many authors, including Orthodox church historians, question the existence of this journey.

One thing is certain, the Apostle Andrew became famous as a tireless traveler and preacher of Christianity. The missionary's activities were closely connected with the sea. The “Golden Legend” (a collection of Christian legends and lives of saints, written in the 13th century) reports the salvation and even resurrection of 40 travelers who were heading by sea to the apostle, but were destroyed by a storm (another version reports the calming of the sea by prayer). This can explain the veneration of St. Andrew the First-Called as the patron saint of sailors. His life ended with martyrdom - crucifixion on an oblique cross (which received the name of the apostle).

The veneration of the Apostle Andrew in the Russian state and the special attitude of Tsar Peter Alekseevich towards him was expressed in the fact that in 1698 the first Russian order was established - the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. The main part of the order was the image of the Apostle Andrew, crucified on an oblique cross. Until 1917, the Order of St. Andrew on a blue ribbon remained the main and most revered award in the Russian Empire (since 1998, the highest award of the Russian Federation). It should also be noted that the symbolism of the St. Andrew’s flag came from Peter’s father, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who established a special flag for the ship “Eagle” built under him - a white-blue-red panel with a double-headed scarlet eagle.

Having become tsar, Pyotr Alekseevich paid great attention to the development of designs for the flag of the Russian fleet. So, in 1692, two sketches were created. One - with three horizontal stripes and the signature: “white”, “blue”, and “red”. The second drawing shows the same colors with a St. Andrew’s cross “superimposed” on them. In 1693 and 1695, the flag of the second project was listed in a number of European atlases as the “flag of Muscovy.” It must be said that in search of the final version of the Russian naval flag, the tsar went through about 30 projects over two decades. In August 1693, Tsar Peter raised the St. Peter" flag of three horizontal stripes (white, blue and red) with a golden eagle in the center. From this moment on, one can trace the development of the naval flag of the Russian state. Unfortunately, there is no data on what banners the boats of Russian soldiers sailed under in the first millennium AD, or the ships of Novgorod merchants and ushkuiniks. Although it can be assumed that Russian battle banners have been red since ancient times.

In 1696, during the second siege of the Turkish fortress of Azov, Russian ships carried at the stern a flag with a blue straight cross and quarters of white and red colors. However, the very next year, Tsar Peter established a new flag of the navy of three horizontal stripes - white, blue and red, essentially returning to the 1693 version. Under this flag, the ship “Fortress” went to Constantinople in 1699 with the first official diplomatic mission of the Russian navy. At the same time, the Russian sovereign, who had just returned from a trip to Western Europe, continued his search for a design of the Russian naval flag. In the autumn of 1699, for the first time, the “St. Andrew’s” oblique blue cross appears on a white-blue-red cloth - the sign of the patron saint of Rus', Apostle Andrew the First-Called. It was also placed by the king in the white head of the tricolor pennant, known since 1697, which existed under the name “ordinary” until 1870.

In 1700, Tsar Peter examined engravings and drawings of the 58-gun ship Goto Predestination (God's Foresight). In the engravings of Adrian Schonebeck and in the watercolors of Bergman, the warship is depicted with six different flags! One of the views depicts a flag, in the panel of which nine horizontal stripes of white, blue and red colors are successively located; on the other there is a white-blue-red flag with three horizontal stripes (1697 version); on the third there is a flag of seven stripes, on a wide white central stripe of which there is a black St. Andrew's cross, above this stripe there are narrow white, blue and red stripes, and below it there are narrow blue, white and red stripes. However, the tsar believes that the flag of 1697 is outdated, and the nine-stripe panel is difficult to read and, moreover, is very similar to the Dutch flag of the rear admiral. The Tsar is satisfied with the flags in the drawings: white, blue and red with St. Andrew's blue cross in the upper quarter of the flag near the flagpole. This system was similar to that adopted in the English fleet. At the same time, flags of the galley fleet were established, which differed from ship flags by the presence of braids (the ends of the flag in the form of right triangles). In addition, white, blue and red pennants began to be raised on the masts of ships, with a blue St. Andrew's cross placed in the white head. Blue and red flags and pennants, which were sometimes canceled and reintroduced, generally existed until 1865. The white flag received a new design already in 1710 - the blue St. Andrew's cross was moved to the center of the flag and seemed to hang in it, without touching the ends of the flag. The St. Andrew's flag adopted its familiar image in 1712: a white flag with a blue St. Andrew's cross. In this form, this flag existed in the Russian Navy until November 1917.

Since 1720, a special flag, which was previously used as a flag for sea fortresses and called the “Keiser flag,” began to be raised on the bowsprit of ships of the Russian fleet. The red banner was crossed not only by an oblique blue cross, but by a straight white cross. It is believed that it appeared in 1701. Until 1720, Russian ships carried a small copy of the stern flag as a huys. The word “guys” has an interesting meaning: it comes from the Dutch “guys”, meaning beggar. This is the name given to the inhabitants of the Netherlands who rebelled against Spanish rule in the 16th century. The largest group of Gueuze fought at sea ("Sea Gueuze") and began to use this flag for the first time.

The primacy of the white flag, with the blue St. Andrew's Cross, was finally enshrined in the Charter of 1797: “If ships are not assigned anywhere, they fly white flags.” At the same time, the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet from its founding until 1918 sailed only under white St. Andrew's flags. Colored - blue and red flags were abolished during the reigns of Anna Ioannovna and Catherine the Great. In the roofs (the upper quarter of the flag near the pole) of the blue and red flags from 1797 to 1801 (during the reign of Pavel Petrovich) it was not the St. Andrew’s flag that was placed, but the guy, which for Emperor Paul I, who from childhood held the rank of admiral general, had special meaning as a personal sign. It should be noted that it was Emperor Pavel Petrovich who turned old flags and banners from items of clothing into military relics. In addition, under Emperor Paul, some Russian ships for some time raised a red flag with a white cross of St. John. This flag was created as a stern sign of the Maltese squadrons created by the newly created head of the Order of Malta. On December 16, 1798, Paul I was elected Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and planned to create a fleet based in Malta to ensure the interests of the Russian Empire in the Mediterranean Sea and southern Europe. The flag was abolished after the death of Pavel Petrovich.

In the 19th century, several more new stern flags appeared in the Russian Empire. So, back in 1797, the ships of the Naval Cadet Corps received a special stern flag, where the coat of arms of the educational institution was placed in the center of the St. Andrew's flag in a red oval. And on the mainmast of the ships of this educational institution they began to raise “ordinary” pennants with three-color braids. Since 1827, ships of training sea crews received the right to raise a special flag, which had an image of a cannon and an anchor (they were also placed in a red oval). The Russian Imperial Navy received its stern flags and hydrographic vessels. In 1828, a flag “for navigation” was established; on the St. Andrew’s flag in the center there was a drawing of a black compass reel with a golden anchor pointing to the north. True, already in 1837 this flag was replaced by the flag of the Hydrograph General established in 1829. It had the same black compass reel, but in a small blue cover. In addition, in 1815-1833. there was also a stern flag for the ships of the Vistula military flotilla (Flag of the military ships of the Kingdom of Poland). It was St. Andrew's flag with a small red roof, in which a white Polish eagle was placed. This flag was canceled after the defeat of the Polish uprising of 1830-1831.

Until 1797, auxiliary vessels of the navy of the Russian Empire carried a tricolor flag at the stern and a jack on the bowsprit. From 1794 to 1804, auxiliary vessels were distinguished by a military pennant. And since May 1804 they received a special flag with a white or blue cloth, with a roof of national colors (white-blue-red) and crossed anchors under it. In addition, the armed transport simultaneously carried a military pennant. All of these flags were abolished in 1865.

St. George's pennant is a three-color pennant with the St. Andrew's flag at the head, on the center of the cross of which there is a red shield with the image of the patron saint of the military, St. George the Victorious, was established in 1819. It began to distinguish the guards crew, which earned this honor in the battle of the city of Kulm in 1813. Other differences that distinguished senior officials were the St. George admiral's flag (it had the panel of the St. Andrew's flag, but with the red shield of St. George the Victorious), the St. George's braid pennant and the rear admiral's boat flag. In addition, during the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829. In battles with the Turks, the 74-gun battleship Azov (hero of the Battle of Navarino) and the 18-gun brig Mercury (victory over two Turkish battleships) especially distinguished themselves; they were marked with the Admiral's St. George flags, which were raised as stern ones. In the entire subsequent history of the Russian Empire, not a single warship of the Russian fleet has received such an award.

With the development of the country, changes also occurred in the flags of the navy. In 1865, due to unnecessary use, blue and red flags and pennants were abolished. All, except St. Andrew's, stern flags were also cancelled. In 1870, boat flags became topmast flags of admirals, and the “ordinary” pennant under which ships that were not assigned to any unit sailed was eliminated. The St. George pennant received white braids instead of tricolor ones. In the same year, the stern flag of the auxiliary ships of the Russian Navy became a blue flag, which had an image of the St. Andrew's flag in the roof. In addition, as the armed forces develop, flags of ships of sea fortresses, new flags of officials, ships of individual units, ships of a separate Border Guard Corps, and flags of naval aviation appear.

The 1917 revolution brought new symbols. Red banners began to be raised next to St. Andrew's flags. Since the spring of 1918, the raising of the St. Andrew's flag on ships of Soviet Russia was stopped. At the end of 1924, St. Andrew's flags were also lowered on the ships of the White fleet in Bizerte (the ships were laid down to the French, who would soon “put them on pins and needles”). The Guys and the fortress flag, with some changes - in the central part of the flag in a white circle there was a red star with a hammer and sickle in the middle, existed until 1932. In addition, during the Second World War, the symbolism of the St. Andrew's flag was used by the collaborationist units of General Vlasov.

On January 17, 1992, the Russian government adopted a resolution that returned the St. Andrew's flag to the status of the Russian Naval flag. As a result, the pre-revolutionary St. Andrew's flag and jack were restored to the Russian Navy and are still in use today.

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.