The flag of Vatican City was adopted on 7 June 1929, the year Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty with Italy, creating a new independent state governed by the Holy See. The Vatican City flag is modeled on the 1808 yellow and white flag of the earlier Papal States. The yellow and white stripes of the flag date from the early 19th century. Earlier papal flags were red and gold, associated with the coats of arms of the pope and of the city of Rome. The flag assigned to the pope’s fishing vessels was the first to display the vertical stripes at a time when his navy still hoisted a flag of white with representations of Saints Peter and Paul.