Georgia Flag

A bit of History

The existence of the "five cross flag" has been documented since the thirteenth century. The centerpiece of the flag is the cross of St. George is considered standard in Georgia and also on the flag of England. According to Georgian scholar Giorgi Gabeskiria, probably the four small crosses of the flag date from the reign of George V of Georgia (nicknamed "The Shining" or "the Splendid"), the monarch who expelled the Mongols. Over time some modifications were introduced, as the design of small crosses, which became a variant of those in Jerusalem Cross, a symbol used by crusaders.

The flag fell into disuse during the Middle Ages. After Georgia's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 was recovered by Georgian nationalism. Eight years later a majority of Georgians, including the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Georgia, supported the restoration of the old emblem of the Kingdom of Georgia and in parliament the bill to change the flag passed all the steps, but failed to enter into force by the refusal of President Eduard Shevardnadze to enact the standard. After the President's refusal to recover "The flag of the five crossings," it was adopted as a symbol of the main opposition party, the Movement of National Unity, led by Mikhail Saakashvili and his refusal to use accounted for Shevardnadze.