Flag and coat of arms of Saint Barthélemy

Saint Barthélemy
	Flag of France; Saint Barthélemy is an overseas collectivity of France
	Tricolore
Use	National flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	15 February 1794; 230 years ago
	Unofficial flag of Saint Barthelemy

An unofficial flag of Saint Barthélemy consisting of the coat of arms of Saint Barthélemy centered on a white field is used on the island.^[1]^[2]^[3] Officially, only the flag of France, of which Saint Barthélemy is a self-governing overseas collectivity, is flown in the territory.

Coat of arms

Coat of arms of Saint Barthélemy on a vehicle registration plate.

The coat of arms of Saint-Barthélemy is a shield divided into three horizontal stripes (parted per fess), three gold fleurs-de-lis on blue, above a white Maltese cross on red, over three gold crowns on blue, and "Ouanalao" is what the indigenous people called the island. On top of the shield is a mural crown.

The fleurs-de-lis, Maltese Cross, and gold crowns are heraldic reminders of the island's history as a colony ruled by first the Kingdom of France, then the Knights Hospitaller and in turn the Kingdom of Sweden. Eventually, the island returned to French rule.

On a white background, the arms serves as an unofficial flag for Saint Barthélemy.

References

^ "Archived copy". stbartsvilla.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Saint-Barthélemy (Overseas Collectivity, France)".
^ "Saint Barthélemy". worldstatesman.org. Retrieved 2023-10-03.