The main ship’s feed flag of the Russian fleet is considered the St. Andrew’s flag. It represents the intersection of two blue stripes on a white background. The intersection of these two stripes is called the St. Andrew's Cross, hence the name of the flag.
The history of St. Andrew’s flag, as the main flag of the Russian fleet, and the history of the creation of this symbolism are very long: since the reign of Tsar Peter I. According to a long biblical legend, Tsar Peter had his own divine patrons - the brothers Apostle Andrew and the Apostle Paul. The apostles patronized the sea trade, because they were engaged in fishing in the Sea of ​​Galilee. Once the brothers were called by Christ to themselves. The first of them was Andrew, so he was called Andrew the First-Called. Also, the Apostle Andrew, according to ancient legends, is considered the patron saint of Slavic lands and people inhabiting these lands. Nowadays, in the village called Gruzino there is a church named after St. Andrew the First-Called (earlier it was the city of Volkhovo). The church was erected in honor of the fact that St. Andrew visited the city and left his pectoral cross as a sign of this. Also, according to legend, the Apostle visited the lands of the cities of Novgorod and Kiev and also left a pectoral cross there. In his journey, the Apostle tirelessly preached Christianity and a humble way of life, he also received martyrdom - the crucifixion on the cross.
For the first time in Russia in 1698, Tsar Peter I adopted the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. They were awarded for good public service and various military exploits. Such an order is a golden cross with a blue ribbon. All this was mounted on a golden chain. On the cross is a five-pointed star made of silver, in the center of the star is a small eagle, and on the chest of the eagle is a ribbon in the form of the St. Andrew's Cross.
For the first time, the symbolism of the St. Andrew’s flag was not used by Peter I, but by his father, Alexei Mikhailovich. He invented a flag designed specifically for the first military ship in Russia. This ship was called the Eagle.
Tsar Peter paid a lot of attention to flags. He personally designed and designed flags for the fleet. Almost all the flags used the theme of St. Andrew's Cross. The king most often used blue, white and red colors when designing flags. All flags created by him were accepted by the fleet. And one of them, which consisted of vertical stripes of white, blue and red colors, began to be considered the flag of Moscow and was even drawn in atlases of that time.
Well, the St. Andrew’s flag (blue St. Andrew’s cross on a white background) is considered to be the most final version of the flag. He became the main ship symbol of the Russian fleet. This flag in this form in the Russian fleet lasted until November 1917.
And in January 17, 1992, the Russian government decided to return the St. Andrew flag and make it again the Russian Navy flag . The return of the old naval comrade was received by the fleet with great joy. St. Andrew's flag was lit in St. Petersburg in the St. Nicholas Epiphany Cathedral. We can see him on Russian ships, both military and civilian.
A very common, significant, recognizable symbolism can be considered the St. Andrew's Cross and the St. Andrew's flag, the photo of which you saw in the presented article.