Flag of Quebec

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Flag of Quebec

The flag of Quebec, called the Fleurdelisé, was adopted by the provincial government of Maurice Duplessis and first flown on January 21, 1948, at the Legislative Assembly in Quebec City.

The Fleurdelisé takes its white cross from the ancient royal flags of France and its white fleurs-de-lis and blue field from a banner honouring the Virgin Mary reputedly carried by French-Canadian militia at General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm's victory at Carillon (now Ticonderoga, New York). Contrary to popular belief, the fleurs-de-lis are not taken from the banner of the kings of France, who used golden fleurs-de-lis. The white fleurs-de-lis on Quebec's flag are symbols of purity, which originally represented the Virgin Mary.

The desire of French Canadians in the province for a distinctive flag is an old one. Other flags that had been used included the Patriotes flag, a horizontal green, white, and red tricolour, which became the flag of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society; as well as the French tricolour.

The direct predecessor of the modern Fleurdelisé was created by Elphège Filiatrault, a parish priest in Saint-Jude, Quebec. Called the Carillon, it resembled the modern flag except that the fleurs de lis were at the corners pointing inward. It was based on an earlier flag with no cross and with the figure of the Virgin Mary in the centre.

The Carillon flag was first raised on September 26, 1902, and is preserved in the Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec archives.

Another version, with the Sacred Heart in the centre, also appeared, but was left behind in the push for a new provincial flag after World War II. In 1947, an independent member of the legislative assembly, René Chaloult, demanded a new provincial flag to replace the unpopular Red Ensign in the province, but Premier Duplessis preempted him by choosing the fleurdelisé as the new provincial flag.

The flag, with the fleurs de lis repositioned to their modern configuration in correspondence with the rules of heraldry, was officially adopted by the legislature on March 9, 1950.

The flag is blazoned Azure, a cross between four fleurs de lis argent.

The flag's official ratio is 2:3, but the flag is very often seen as a 1:2 variant to match the flag of Canada in size when flying together.

A 2001 survey by the North American Vexillological Association ranked the Fleurdelisé as the best provincial or territorial flag, and the third-best of the flags of all American and Canadian provinces, territories, and states.

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Flag of Quebec

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