A new display case for the Saint George banner

Rome mayor Ignazio Marino will make a presentation to the press on July 1 to present the new display for the Saint George banner at the Musei Capitolini.

The banner goes back to the late 1200s and was kept in a reliquary in the Basilica di San Giorgio al Velabro. Realized in red silk and embroidered with appliques in painted leather, it shows the saint as he impales the dragon that threatened the princess (at right) while the king and queen watch the scene from up in the castle.

A symbol of the battle of the people against the tyranny of the noble classes, the Saint George banner is identified as the flag of the Roman people. It has been an object of devotion since the times of Cola di Rienzo. It was chronicled back in the 17th and 18th centuries that each year on the saint’s day, a solemn procession made its way to the Basilica di San Giorgio in Velabro carrying the banner to then bless it.

Donated by Pope Paul VI to the city of Rome in 1966 for its historic and symbolic significance to the city, the banner, which is on display in the Musei Capitolini at the Palazzo dei Conservatori in the Sala del Medioevo is housed in a Goppion display case.

The display case is placed against the wall and has a slide opening system that allows for the work to be easily taken out and checked and maintained via a special carriage. It has a special LED lighting system on top of the piece.