Flag of Montecara

Montecara

Name	I do sangi "The Two Bloods"
Use	National flag and ensign
Proportion	3:5
Adopted	Early 14th century
Design	Two red stripes of equal width on a white field
File:MC-jack.png Variant flag of Montecara
Use	Naval jack
Proportion	1:1
Design	Concentric squares of alternating white and red

The flag of Montecara is one of the oldest flags in continuous use in the world. Its use is definitively recorded as early as the fourteenth century in depictions of Montecaran merchant ships, and records indicate that it came to symbolize and be used by the city-state as a whole by the end of that century.

Origin

According to legend, the design comes from an event that occurred in 515. After the wealthy merchant Piero de' Malatesta took control of the city with his mercenary army and made himself dictator, the city's burghers conspired to assassinate him and restore their traditional rights to govern Montecara collectively. Their plan was hatched on 16 April, which is commemorated as Montecara's national day. A crowd of burghers and their supporters disguised in hooded white priests' robes fell on Piero as he left the old cathedral, stabbing him to death. The assassins each dipped two fingers into the fallen dictator's blood and drew them across their white robes to signify their participation in the conspiracy, creating the design that still appears on Montecara's flag today.

Protocol

The flag is afforded legal protection, and it is an offense to deface, sully, or destroy it. It should never be allowed to touch the ground or water. No other flag may be flown higher than or on the same pole as the national flag, and it should always occupy the place of honor and be the first raised and last lowered. It should be lowered at night unless properly illuminated. The flag may not be used in advertisement or printed on anything disposable or undignified.

During times of mourning, the flag may be lowered by one flag-height on a flagpole; if lowering it is not practicable, a black cravat may be attached at the upper hoist. During mourning periods, it should be raised to the top of the flagpole for a moment before being lowered, and this process should be reversed when the flag is taken off the pole. The flag may be used to drape the coffin at funerals, but should not be lowered into the grave.

When excessively worn, the flag should be burned (if made of natural fiber) or unstitched and recycled (if synthetic).

The flag is required by law or order to be displayed at the following places and times:

• On the Palaço Pùblico every working day
• On the Palaço Capitolìn when the Senate is in session
• At ports of entry when open
• At military installations during daylight hours

Official specifications

File:Montecara-construction-sheet.png

Montecaran flag construction sheet

The Montecaran constitution defines the flag as one of the national symbols along with the coat of arms, anthem, motto, and personification of the Republic. The Secretariat of State publishes official specifications of the colors to be used in manufacturing and depicting the flag.

Official colors

Name		RGB				CMYK
		R	G	B	8-bit hex	C	M	Y	K
White		255	255	255	#FFFFFF	0	0	0	0
Luminous red		255	42	42	#FF2A2A	0	84	84	0