Flag of Province of Barcelona

The flag of the Provincial Council of Barcelona is a field with nine horizontal stripes —five yellow and four red— and, in the centre, a white lozenge with a yellow border and a red Cross of St George.

How it came about

The Provincial Council of Barcelona has its flag described on 27 July 1971. The design brings together two symbols: the Catalan bars and the emblem of the city of Barcelona.

What makes it particular is that the lozenge is a St George’s shield with the cross, not a plain lozenge: it is the civic heraldic form placed inside the provincial flag.

How it has changed

It has never changed. The description is from 1971 and there are no documented later modifications.

What it means

• Stripes

  nine horizontal bands of the same thickness. Five yellow and four red.

• Lozenge

  white, centred, with a yellow border around it. It does not reach the edges.

• Cross

  red inside the lozenge, with the four arms running to the points.

Fun facts

1. The shield of the city inside the provincial one

   The central lozenge is not decorative: inside it is a red Cross of St George with its arms running to the points. It is the coat of arms of Barcelona inserted into the flag of its Council, that is, the city inside the territory.

2. Nine stripes of two colours

   The flag does not carry the four red bars of the senyera over a whole ground, but nine equal stripes: five yellow and four red. The result is the same as the bars, but the blazon counts them so the field can be reconstructed without error.

3. The yellow border of the lozenge

   The white lozenge does not float on the stripes: it carries a yellow border around it that separates it from them. It is a contrast solution, necessary because otherwise the lines of the lozenge would be confused with the horizontal bands.

Location