The Georgian flag, known as the “Five Cross Flag,” is not just a symbol of the nation; it signifies much more about the history of Georgia.

This white rectangle with the great red cross looks back to centuries past, becoming an intricate part of the Georgian spirit and the nation’s dreams.

The Georgian Flag: A Storied Symbol and Distinctive Design

The current Georgian flag was officially recognized only in the early 21st century, yet its origins can be traced much earlier.

Historians of vexillology suggest that the red cross on white, used as a flag for Tbilisi in a 14th-century map, is of historical importance. Additionally, the discovery of a 12th-century coin featuring the five-cross insignia corroborates the Georgian flag’s antiquity.

Georgian Flag: From Kingdom to Republic

Many early states of Georgia, such as the Kingdom of Iberia, had flags resembling the flag of England: a red cross on a white background. Kings Vakhtang I and Tamar are documented to have had flags featuring crosses and stars. The Jerusalem cross pattern, popular today, appeared in Britain during King George V’s reign, presumably to unite divided citizens.

Georgian Flag: Soviet Rule and the Return

During the short-lived Republic of Georgia (1918-1921), the flag was red with black and white stripes, representing nationalistic sentiments. However, with Soviet occupation, red flags featuring symbols of the political system replaced it. The 1918-1921 flag was revived after Georgia’s independence in 1991, but this design was soon replaced by the current Georgian flag due to the unrest and instability associated with that period.

Georgian Flag: The Rise of the Five Cross Flag

The existing Georgian flag symbolizes unity and defiance. The large red cross represents Christ and the Georgian nation, while the smaller ‘Bolnisi crosses’ in each corner symbolize Georgia’s historical regions. Adopted in 2004 alongside the Rose Revolution, the Georgian flag embodies the hope for a better future and a departure from the past.

Georgian Flag: Heritage and Significance

The Five Cross Flag now freely flies throughout Georgia, reflecting the interest of the people and government in this powerful symbol of history and the nation’s potential future. It represents the human spirit, a collective cultural underpinning, and a continuing story embedded in the Georgian nation’s history.

Design and Symbolism of the Georgian Flag

In the Georgian flag, the white color signifies purity, innocence, and wisdom, while the red color reflects courage, justice, love, and the fight for independence.

Georgia is a country in the South Caucasus region of Western Asia, situated at the intersection of Europe and Asia. It borders the Black Sea to the west, Russia to the north, Turkey and Armenia to the south, and Azerbaijan to the east. With a total area of 69,700 sq. km, Georgia is home to around 4 million inhabitants.

Georgians call themselves Kartvelians, and their country is called Sakartvelo, which translates to ‘Land of the Kartvelians.’ They speak Kartuli.

In Georgian historical narratives, Kartvelian people are said to have descended from Kartlos, who has a genealogical link to Japheth, the son of Noah. The name Sakartvelo consists of two parts: Kartvel (ქართველი), referring to the inhabitants of the historic region of Kartli (Iberia) noted in ancient and Byzantine chronicles.

In ancient times, the early eastern Georgians were known as Iberians, while early western inhabitants were referred to as Colchians, according to Strabo, Herodotus, Plutarch, and Homer for the Greeks, and Titus Livius and Cornelius Tacitus for the Romans.

Like many other Caucasian peoples, Georgians cannot be easily classified within the ethnic divisions of Europe and Asia. The Georgian language, the most widely spoken of the South Caucasian languages, is not Indo-European, Turkic, or Semitic. Today, the Georgians or Kartvelians result from interactions between indigenous peoples and ancient Anatolian groups in the Caucasus. According to Josephus in ancient Jewish traditions, Georgians/Tubal were identified as Iberians.

The names “Georgia” and “Georgians” first appeared in Western European sources during the early Middle Ages. It has been recorded that the French historian Jacques de Vitry and the English traveler Sir John Mandeville claimed that Georgians were named after Saint George. Specifically, Georgia adopted the Georgian flag in January 2004, symbolizing Saint George.

This symbolic and historical Georgian flag remains a source of pride for the people of Georgia to this day.