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Banner of Peace


The banner of peace is a symbol of the Roerich Pact. This pact is the first international treaty dedicated to the protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historical monuments. It was signed on April 15, 1935. The banner of peace was proposed by Nicholas Roerich for an international pact for the protection of culture values.

Roerich described the sign thus:

"[the] proposed banner is the symbol of whole world, not a country, but the whole civilized world. The Banner proposed has on the white background three united amaranth spheres as a symbol of Eternity and Unity. Although we don't know when this Banner will fly over all cultural monuments but undoubtedly the seed has been sprouted. Already it attracts the attention of great intellects and is directed from one heart to another, awaking the idea of Peace and Benevolence among peoples."

"We are asked to collect where the signs of our Banner of Peace are. The sign of trinity is found scattered around the whole world. Now anybody can explain it by various ways. One says that it is the past, present and future united by the circle of eternity. Others explain it as a religion, knowledge and art in the circle of culture."

The following description of the sign appears in the official text of the pact:

"In order to identify the monuments and institutions mentioned in article I, use may be made of a distinctive flag (red circle with a triple red sphere in the circle on a white background) in accordance with the model attached to this treaty."

In the text of the pact, Roerich wrote:

"The Banner of Peace, as is now well-known, is the symbol of the Roerich Pact. This great humanitarian ideal provides in the field of mankind's cultural achievements the same guardianship as the Red Cross provides in alleviating the physical sufferings of man."

The origin of Roerich's idea for the creation of the Banner of Peace sign was an ancient Russian icon by Andrei Rublev. Roerich wrote about this in his letter to Baron M.A. Taube:

"At last I can send you a home photo of my last picture dedicated to meaning sense of the banner sign. You can show this photo to some committee members and also to anybody whom, as you believe, it may be useful. Say to all ignoramuses which try to substitute their self-interested and ill-intentioned explanations of the sense of this picture. What may be more ancient and more genuine than Byzantine conception which stretches in the depth of centuries to the origin united Christianity and so beautifully implemented in Rublev's icon "Saint life-giving Trinity" from the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra? Just this symbol – the symbol of ancient Christianity, consecrated for us by name of St. Sergius, gives me a hint to our sign. Its sense is expressed on the proposed photo with conservation of all elements and their positions according to the Rublev's icon. Let this photo will be with You at Paris in the case of any new attempts to destroy already existing. In addition, I send You a photo of St. Queen of the Banner – Madonna Oriflamma." (Letter from N.K. Roerich to Baron M. Taube, 13.02.1932.)


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