Quebec Flower
On January 21, 1948, the fleurdelisé took the place of the Union Jack British flag at the top of the central tower of the Parliament Building. By decree, the Quebec government had given him that morning, the status of "official flag of Quebec."
Officially, therefore, the flag of Quebec has a half-century. This youth, however, is apparent. In fact, the elements and colors of the flag are present in America for hundreds of years.
From the time when Jacques Cartier used the lily as an emblem in America until the surrender of New France to Great Britain, number of banners or flags have succeeded in the territory of Quebec .
The representatives of the king and the militia raised flags that included one, two or even three elements that would eventually end up, some three hundred years later, in the composition of the Quebec flag.
The central tower of the Parliament Building in Quebec City.
Photo: Daniel Lessard, National Assembly
The lily, one of the oldest symbols
The lily that appears on the flag of Quebec is one of the oldest symbols of the world. Three thousand years ago, it was used already among the Assyrians as a symbol or decorative pattern. We see later in India and Egypt, Greece, Rome and Gaul. Some did derive from the iris, yellow flower that grew on the banks of the Lys river in Belgium. Others recognize a trident or an arrowhead.
At his coronation in 1179, Philippe Auguste, King of France, received the banner that will accompany flory in all his military campaigns.
The lily has occupied a large part of the ornamentation in Europe, especially France. She also served as a heraldic symbol in England and Scotland.