Flag of Montreal

Montreal

Proportion	1:2
Adopted	May 1939
Design	Symmetric cross

The flag flying in downtown Montreal

The current flag of Montreal was first displayed in May 1939, and is based on the city's coat of arms. The flag's proportions are 1:2 in a symmetric cross.

Symbolism

The red heraldic cross represents the "Christian motives and principles which governed the founders of the city," according to the city's official web site. The four floral emblems represent the four main European ethnic groups that were settled in the city in the 19th century, and which are also represented on the Canadian Red Ensign. Clockwise from top left, they are:

Image	Description
	A blue Fleur-de-lys, of the Royal House of Bourbon, representing the French, the original settlers of the city. (The original coat of arms on which the flag is modelled had a beaver in place of the fleur-de-lys until 1936.)
	A red Rose of Lancaster, representing the English.
	A thistle, representing the Scots.
	A shamrock, representing the Irish.

Previous flag

Original 1833 Coat of arms of Montreal

Montreal's original coat of arms was designed in 1833 by its first mayor, Jacques Viger. They were similar to the current version with the difference that the red cross was a saltire and a beaver stood in the place of what is now a fleur-de-lys. The arms were revised in 1938 to which Montreal’s current flag is based.

Four years prior to the first raising of the current flag, King George V, the sovereign of Canada, celebrated his Silver Jubilee (25th year on the throne) on Monday May 6, 1935. An article in the Montreal Gazette from May 3, 1935 reported that the city’s Jubilee committee had discovered a rule whereby official coats of arms of British corporations could be interpreted into flag banners. Per the article, Montreal prepared to raise its own distinct flag for the first time ever on the King’s Jubilee day based on the original coat of arms by Jacques Viger.

See also

• Arms of Canada: Another use of the England/Scotland/Ireland/France motif in Canadian symbolism
• Coat of Arms of Montreal

External links

• Montreal at Flags of the World