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The flag of Catalonia, known as the Senyera, consists of four horizontal red stripes on a gold field — nine equal stripes total, five yellow and four red. It is one of the oldest documented flags in Europe, derived directly from the heraldic arms of the medieval Counts of Barcelona and the Crown of Aragón. The Senyera was officially adopted as the flag of Catalonia by the Statute of Autonomy of 1979 and codified by Law 1/1981.
The coat of arms of Catalonia features the Senyera as its central element: a gold shield charged with four red pales — the so-called 'four bars' or barres de Catalunya, the historical arms of the Crown of Aragón. The shield is ensigned with a closed royal crown. Tradition links the four bars to Count Wilfred the Hairy of Barcelona (9th century), according to a legend recounting how the Frankish king Charles the Bald drew four bloody fingers across Wilfred's golden shield. While romantic, this origin is not historically confirmed; the bars are documented from the 12th century on the seal of Ramon Berenguer IV. The current arms were officialized by Law 1/1981.