The Flag of the Church in Wales is the flag used to represent the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

. It consists of a blue cross on a white background with a gold

celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...

in the centre. It was adopted in 1954 by the

Governing Body of the Church in Wales The Governing Body of the Church in Wales is the deliberative and legislative body of the Church in Wales, broadly speaking equivalent to the General Synod of the Church of England. The Governing Body usually meets twice each year to receive report ...

History

Prior to its disestablishment in 1920, the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

in Wales was a part of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. The flag used to represent the church was the

Saint George's Cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross, the Cross of Saint George, is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with the cru ...

, the same as the Church of England. Following the

Welsh Church Act 1914 The Welsh Church Act 1914 is an Act of Parliament under which the Church of England was separated and disestablished in Wales and Monmouthshire, leading to the creation of the Church in Wales. The Act had long been demanded by the Nonconformist ...

, the Church in Wales was disestablished and separated from the Church of England. In the 1930s, the Church of England started to fly

flags of England This is a list of English flags, including symbolic national and sub-national flags, standards and banners used exclusively in England. The College of Arms is the authority on the flying of flags in England and maintains the only official reg ...

with the coat of arms of the respective

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

in the upper left of the flag. This practice became popular and was adopted by the Church in Wales unofficially using a

flag of Saint David The flag of Saint David ( cy, Baner Dewi Sant) is normally a yellow cross on a black field, but it has also appeared as a black cross on a yellow field or with an engrailed cross. It represents the 6th-century Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; � ...

with the colours reversed in place of the Saint George's Cross. In 1954 the Church in Wales' governing body passed a motion for an official flag to represent the church. Following negotiations with the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

, it was decided that the new flag would consist of a blue cross with a white background with a gold celtic cross in the centre. The flag gained official status on 9 December 1954.

Official heraldry

The official grant of arms defines the flag as "Argent, on a Cross Azure a Celtic Cross Or". There have been differences in the celtic cross in the flag with versions where the cross has the spaces within it filled with gold rather than showing the blue of the cross. As a flag for the Welsh made separate from England, the flag of the Church in Wales is viewed as a uniquely Welsh flag. Churches can use the flag, or the flag of their diocese.

References

{{Church in Wales Church in Wales Welsh heraldry

Flags of Wales Christian symbols Celtic crosses

Religious flags