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Vendée (Department, France)

Flags of Vendée - Images by Pascal Gross & Ivan Sache, 13 July 2015

Administrative data
Flags in current use
Older reported flags
- Plain flags
- Flags with writing
Logo of Vendée
The Sacred Heart of Vendée
Municipalities
- Les Sables-d'Olonne
- Treize-Septiers
Yacht clubs

See also:

Administrative data

Code: 85
Region: Pays de la Loire
Traditional province: Poitou
Bordering departments: Charente-Maritime, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Deux-Sèvres

Area: 7,016 km²
Population (2013): 655,506 inhabitants

Préfecture: La Roche-sur-Yon
Sous-préfectures: Fontenay-le-Comte, Les Sables-d'Olonne
Subdivisions: 3 arrondissements, 17 cantons, 29 intermunicipal authorities, 269 communes.

The department is named after river Vendée (82 km), a tributary of the Sèvre Niortaise.

Ivan Sache, 14 November 2009

Flags in current use

The flag of Vendée most commonly over the last years (photo, official website; photo; photo, Tour de France 2011; photo; photo) is vertically divided red-white, with the logo of Vendée in the centre and "VENDEE / CONSEIL GENERAL" written in white letters at lower hoist.
Another version of the flag (photo), seemingly much less common, bears only "VENDÉE", countercoloured, at the top of the flag.

Ivan Sache, 13 July 2015

Older reported flags

Plain flags

Former flags of Vendée, two wersions - Images by Pascal Gross, 26 October 2009

Flags with the logo of Vendée in the centre but no additional writing were reported, either vertically divided red-white or plain white (photo).

Ivan Sache, Jaume Ollé & Pascal Vagnat, 26 October 2009

Flags with writing

Former flags of Vendée, two wersions - Images by Jaume Ollé & Ivan Sache, 26 October 2009

The original flag of the General Council of Vendée (Société Vexillologique de l'Ouest) is white with two vertical thin red and white stripes in the centre, charged with the with the logo of Vendée. The writing "VENDEE CONSEIL GENERAL" appears below the logo.
The original flag appears to have been soon superseded by a more popular flag, hoisted for instance on the sailboats that compete in the Vendée Globe 2008-2009 race (photo). The flag is vertically divided red-white, with the logo of Vendée in the center and the writing "VENDÉE / CONSEIL GÉNÉRAL" placed in the bottom of the flag, countercoloured.

Ivan Sache, 26 October 2009

Logo of Vendée

The logo of Vendée was designed by the Carré Noir agency. The first logo was adopted on 15 January 1980 by the General Council. The double heart is a stylization of the Sacred Heart, the emblem of the Catholic insurgents during the French Revolution, featured on the coat of arms of the Department of Vendée registered on 20 October 1943 by the Commission of the State Seals and Arms.
On 22 June 988, the General Council proposed to modernize the logo; the double heart was redesigned; the new design kept its heraldic definition but better matched the modern values of Vendée. After a consultation of all the Mayors and General Councillors of the department, the General Council adopted the new logo on 18 September 1989.
[Société Vexillologique de l'Ouest]

In March 1999, the association Une Vendée pour tous les Vendéens sued the General Council, arguing that the cross surmounting the double heart made of the logo as a religious symbol, in contradiction with State secularity, which has been established in France in 1905. The Court of Nantes, however, rejected the claim, stating that "the logo does not refer to religion but to history [...]".

Ivan Sache, 5 September 2003

The Sacred Heart of Vendée

The Sacred Heart of Vendée is a plain red heart topped with a plain red Christian cross. The Sacred Heart was used during the Vendée insurrection between 1793 and 1796.
After the execution of Louis XVI, the Republican government of the Convention ordered the conscription of 300,000 new soldiers. In the region of Vendée, a general insurrection, led by noble and peasant leaders, bursted out. The "Catholic and Royal Army" (the "Whites", as opposed to the "Blues", the Army of the Republic) used a white flag seme with fleurs-de-lis, often charged with the words "Vive Louis XVII", referring to the young son of Louis XVI. The leaders wore on the chest a woolen badge with the Sacred Heart.

Ivan Sache, 20 November 1997