The flag of Vatican City, also referred to as the flag of the Holy See, consists of vertical bicolour of yellow and white, with the white half charged with the emblem of the Holy See (a papal tiara and the crossed keys of Saint Peter). It was adopted in 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, creating the new independent state of Vatican City. == History == Before 1808, the Papal States commonly used a bicolor, yellow-red flag, which was derived from the colours of the Holy See's coat of arms, as well as being the two traditional colours of the Senate and the Roman people.