The gonfalon, gonfanon, gonfalone (from the early
Italian ''confalone'') is a type of
heraldic flag or
banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...
, often pointed, swallow-tailed, or with several streamers, and suspended from a crossbar in an identical manner to the ancient Roman
vexillum. It was first adopted by Italian
medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms) among the citizens of a town or city. These took many forms and varied widely in organization and makeup.
C ...
s, and later, by local guilds, corporations and districts. The difference between a gonfalon with long tails and a standard is that a gonfalon displays the device on the non-tailed area, and the standard displays badges down the whole length of the flag.
Background
A gonfalon can include a badge or coat of arms, or decoration. Today, every Italian
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
(municipality) has a gonfalon sporting its
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
. The gonfalon has long been used for ecclesiastical ceremonies and processions. The papal "
ombrellino
The umbraculum ( it, ombrellone, "big umbrella", in basilicas also conopaeum) is a historic piece of the papal regalia and insignia, once used on a daily basis to provide shade for the pope (Galbreath, 27). Also known as the pavilion, in modern ...
", a symbol of the pope, is often mistakenly called "gonfalone" by the Italians because the pope's ceremonial umbrella was often depicted on the banner.
''Gonfalone'' was originally the name given to a neighbourhood meeting in medieval Florence, each neighbourhood having its own flag and coat of arms, leading to the word gonfalone eventually becoming associated with the flag.
Gonfalons are also used in some university ceremonies, such as those at
The College of New Jersey,
University of Chicago,
Rowan University,
Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
,
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
,
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
,
Loyola University New Orleans, the
University of St. Thomas, and the
University of Western Ontario.
A Gonfalon of State (Dutch: ''Rijksvaandel'' or ''Rijksbanier'') is part of the
Regalia of the Netherlands. The banner is made of silk and it has been painted with the sovereign's coat of arms. The Gonfalon of State is only used when a new king or queen is sworn in.
A picture of a gonfalon is itself a
heraldic charge in the coat of arms of the
Counts Palatine of Tübingen and their cadet branches.
Religious significance
These religious objects consisted of a cloth, usually of canvas but occasionally of silk, supported by a wooden frame with a T-shaped support on the back, and a long pole to hold up the banner during ceremonies and processions. The banners were painted with
tempera or
oil paints, sometimes on both sides. Images on the gonfalons included the
patron saints
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person.
I ...
of cities, villages,
confraternities
A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most ...
or
guilds, the
Virgin and Child,
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...
,
God the Father,
Plague Saints, and the Virgin Mary as
Queen of Heaven,
Mediatrix,
Theotokos, or
Madonna of Mercy. Because these banners were often associated with a particular group, highly unusual and individual
iconography could appear.
These gonfalons were often commissioned and kept by confraternities, lay religious groups who gathered together for devotional purposes such as the singing of hymns (''laudae''), the performance of charitable works, or
flagellation. The banners would be either displayed on the wall of the
oratory or packed away until they were needed for their primary use, religious
processions
A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner.
History
Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...
. During processions, the banner would be carried on its pole by members of the confraternity. This devotional act of carrying the banner in procession was believed to be a holy act of worship, and it was hoped that the act would gain divine favour from God, Jesus, Mary, and the saints portrayed on the banner. From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, plague banners were produced and carried in processions as a way to plead for divine intercession to prevent or cure the plague.
See also
* "
Baseball's Sad Lexicon", 1910 poem referring to a baseball championship pennant as a "gonfalon"
*
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
*
Fanion
A fanion is a small flag used by the French military; the equivalent of an American guidon or British company colour. The name derives from the Italian word gonfanone, or gonfanon. They were often attached to a small staff which was placed in the ...
*
Flagellant Confraternities (Central Italy)
*
Gonfaloniere
The Gonfalonier (in Italian: ''Gonfaloniere'') was the holder of a highly prestigious communal office in medieval and Renaissance Italy, notably in Florence and the Papal States. The name derives from ''gonfalone'' (in English, gonfalon), the t ...
*
Khorugv
Khorugv (russian: хоругвь, bg, хоругва, cu, хорѫгꙑ, uk, хоругва, pl, chorągiew, ro, prapur, fi, kirkkolippu, sometimes translated as ''gonfalon'')Historically, the Russian word ''khorugv'', as well as Polish ''ch ...
, a gonfalon analogue in Christian churches of East-European origin
*
Pennon
*
Vexillum
References
External links
{{Wikisource1911Enc, Gonfalon
Armorial Display: Banners, Standards, and Heaters Baseball culture
Heraldry
Italian culture
Subdivisions of Italy
Types of flags