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Sardinia Guide

The Flag of Sardinia

The symbol of the Quattro Mori (Four Moors) dates back to an ancient Spanish legend of 1096, when the Aragonese defeated the Moor invaders with the help of St. George, patron saint of Christian Chivalry, who beheaded the four commanders of the Saracen army.

Among myth and reality, the symbol was adopted by the Aragonese royal house and the first depictions were lead seals dated 1281 showing the Quattro Mori without bandages. In 1297 the island fell under Spanish rule and the Four Moors became the official banner of the Kingdom of Sardinia. We find the first news of the Four Moors representing the official flag of the Kingdom of Sardinia around 1380 and in 1571 the military arm of the Sardinian Parliament finally adopted the emblem, with the faces turned right and the blindfolds, a symbol of royalty, on their foreheads.

In 1720 the Savoy arrived in Sardinia and during the nineteenth century, no one knows how, the bandages were lowered over the eyes, perhaps due to a mistake of Piedmontese scribes or perhaps to keep the eyes of the Sardinian people closed in front of the rulers' misdeeds.

During the First World War, the glorious Sassari Brigade adopted the banner carying it in the battlefields and in 1952 a decree of the Italian President formalized the Quattro Mori as a symbol of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia.

In 1999, a regional law brought the emblem back to its origins, with the Quattro Mori wearing bandages on their foreheads, with their faces looking to the right of viewers and placed on a white background with the cross of St. George on it.

Today the Four Moors are a distinguishing mark, the flag of all Sardinian people. The flag has no political meaning, despite the attempts of exploitation. Banner of a proud and hospitable population that is displayed everywhere to welcome tourists and visitors.