Presidential Library marks 325th anniversary of St. Andrew's Flag

The ship and its flag are inseparable. The day starts with the solemn raising of the flag, which tells you what the ship will experience - joy or sadness, anchored or going to battle. It is no coincidence that the traditional words spoken by the commanders of Russian ships before battle are: "God and the St. Andrew's Flag are with us!"

The flag of the Russian Navy, known as the Andreevsky, turns 325 years old this year. Traditionally, its birthday is celebrated on December 11th, 1699, when Peter the Great personally worked on its design. He created two versions of the flag. One had three horizontal stripes with colored inscriptions, while the other had a diagonal Saint Andrew's cross on a white, blue, and red background. You can find the handwritten design of Tsar Peter Alekseevich on the Presidential Library portal in the 1910 edition of The Colors of the Russian State National Flag by Peter Belavents. According to legend, Andrew the First-Called was the first disciple of Jesus Christ and the patron saint of Russia. He was crucified on a diagonal cross.. This cross was known as the St. Andrew's Cross.

After Peter the Great established the Order of St. Andrew in 1699, the St. Andrew's Cross became the dominant emblem on the naval flag. This was because the stripes on the flag were blocked by the blue St. Andrew's Cross, which meant its primacy over other heraldic emblems. This information is written by Nikolai Nikolaevich Semenovich, a historian of flags, in his book History of the Russian Naval Flag, which is housed in the Presidential Library.

During this time, according to Semenovich, the design of the first naval flag, the "Flag of the Tsar of Moscow," was also changed. This new flag featured a crowned double-headed eagle holding navigational charts in its beak and claws. At first, it probably held only three charts - the White, Caspian, and Azov seas. However, the fourth chart - the Baltic Sea - was added later, after the capture of Nienschanz in 1703. This event closed the exit to the Gulf of Finland and allowed Russia to control the Baltic region.

On May 2nd, 1703, Peter the Great wrote to Metropolitan Stefan Yavorsky about this event: "I hereby declare to your Episcopacy that the Most Merciful Lord God has now granted us this final position, and our naval flag (in the form of the Saint Andrew's cross) was pleased to be corrected." And more emotionally, to his associate Peter Apraksin, he said: "Glory, Glory, Glory to God for correcting our flag." The flag with four maps arranged to form a naval cross was first raised in 1703 when the first frigate, Standard, was laid in the city of Olonets, as Peter noted in his journal: "A fourth sea was added to this image," according to Semenovich.

On January 1st, 1704, a massive fireworks display took place in Moscow to celebrate the recent victories. The centerpiece of the display was a crowned, double-headed eagle measuring 30 arshins in height (approximately 21.5 feet). The eagle held maps of the three seas that Russia ruled in its beak and claws. According to the description, "Neptune himself appeared, ablaze with fire, and gave the fourth sea into the great eagle's claws."

Peter attached great importance to the flags and banners of the armed forces and designed new flag designs himself. After starting work on the St. Andrew's flag in 1699, the tsar continued for almost two decades, perfecting the banner until it remained unchanged until today. "The flag is white with a blue cross of St. Andrew, which Russia received its holy baptism through this apostle," is how Peter the Great described the final version of the St. Andrew's flag.

The Naval Charter of Peter the Great, which established the St. Andrew's Flag as the sole variant of the stern flag for the Russian fleet, included a direct prohibition against lowering it in front of anyone, under pain of death: "All Russian warships must not lower their flags, pennants, or topsails in front of anyone under penalty of losing their lives." Additionally, the charter, available on the website of the Presidential Library, discusses the restoration of a sailor's honor. If their innocence was established, one legal ruling was not sufficient - it was necessary to place the ship's flag upon the acquitted sailor. Otherwise, in the public eye, the sailor would remain unjustified and dishonored, "without a flag," which they would be reminded of with reproaches on occasion.

For centuries, the St. Andrew's flag was a symbol of the Russian navy. Under this flag, our sailors fought and won battles, protecting their homeland and adding to its military glory. A white cloth with a blue diagonal cross flew on the masts of Russian ships until 1917, when the Bizerte squadron, including the ship George the Victorious, was the last to fly it. Today, the flag from this legendary ship, which participated in both the First World War and the Civil War, is kept near the grave of Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov in Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

In 1992, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the president of the Russian Federation issued a decree making the Andreevsky Naval Flag of Russia a symbol of continuity with the traditions of the Russian Navy once again.