The St. Andrew's flag is considered the main ship's stern ensign of the Russian fleet. It is the intersection of two blue stripes on a white background. The intersection of these two stripes is called St. Andrew's Cross, hence the name of the flag.
The history of the St. Andrew's flag, as the main flag of the Russian fleet, and the history of the creation of this symbolism is very old: since the reign of Tsar Peter I. According to an old Biblical tradition, Tsar Peter had his own divine patrons - the brothers Apostle Andrei and Apostle Paul. The apostles patronized maritime trade because they were engaged in fishing in the Sea of Galilee. One day the brothers were called by Christ to themselves. The first of them was Andrew, which is why he was called Andrew the First-Called. Also, the Apostle Andrew, according to ancient legends, is considered the patron of the Slavic lands and the people inhabiting these lands. Nowadays, in a village called Gruzino, there is a temple named after St. Andrew the First-Called (formerly it was the city of Volkhovo). The temple was erected in honor of the fact that St. Andrew visited the city and left his pectoral cross as a sign of this. Also, according to legend, the Apostle visited the lands of citiesNovgorod and Kyiv, and also left a pectoral cross there. In his journey, the Apostle tirelessly preached Christianity and a humble way of life, and he was also martyred - crucifixion.
For the first time in Russia in 1698, Tsar Peter I received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. They were awarded for good public service and various military feats. Such an order is a golden cross with a blue ribbon. All this was fastened on a gold chain. On the cross is a five-pointed silver star, in the center of the star is a small eagle, and on the chest of the eagle is a ribbon in the form of St. Andrew's cross.
For the first time, the symbolism of the St. Andrew's flag was used not by Peter I, but by his father, Alexei Mikhailovich. He invented a flag designed specifically for the first military ship in Russia. This vessel was called the Eagle.
Tsar Peter paid a lot of attention to flags. He personally designed and designed flags for the fleet. Almost all flags used the theme of the St. Andrew's Cross. When designing flags, the king most often used blue, white and red colors. All the flags he created were accepted by the fleet. And one of them, which consisted of vertical stripes of white, blue and red, began to be considered the flag of Moscow and was even drawn in the atlases of that time.
Well, the most final version of the flag is St. Andrew's flag (blue St. Andrew's cross on a white background). He became the main ship symbol of the Russian fleet. This flag in this form is in the Russian Navylasted until November 1917.
And in 1992, on January 17, the Russian government decided to return the St. Andrew's flag and make it the Naval flag of Russia again. The return of the old sea comrade was received by the fleet with great joy. St. Andrew's flag was lit in St. Petersburg in St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Epiphany. We can see him on Russian ships, both military and civilian.
Very common, significant, recognizable symbols can be considered the St. Andrew's Cross and the St. Andrew's flag, the photo of which you saw in the presented article.
