The Virgo Islands and Monserrat

Flag of the UK Virgin Islands
In the Eastern Caribbean

September is Virgo month, so in honor of the cosmic Virgin of the night sky, who is ironically not visible during September, here are two Virgo like flags. The first flag belongs to the UK Virgin Islands. They are right next to the US Virgin Islands but with a British flare.

Amazingly there is another British Island in the Caribbean next to the Virgin Islands that also has a woman on the badge, Montserrat. These astoudingly beautiful tropical islands are similar yet different. It's like the difference between Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The Women of the Caribbean Looking Eye to Eye

The woman on the British Virgin "Virgo" Islands is wearing a white dress on a green background and coincidentally the woman of Montserrat is wearing a green dress. The girls are holding several items: a cross, harp, and lamp. The cross and lamps are Christian symbols. The Cross is an obvious symbol but the lamp is a wee bit obscure. Back in the late 1400s Cristofolo Colon gave the Virgin Islands its name, since there were so many, in honor of St. Ursula.

The story of St. Ursula is rather interesting. St. Ursula was a Roman-British Princess, who lived long before the creation of England proper. One version of her story is that after surviving a deadly sea storm and visiting the Pope she went on a pilgrimage with 300 to 11,000 other virgins. While crossing by Cologne her mass of virgins were attacked and killed by the Pagan Huns. This all took place sometime between the 3rd and 4th century. There is a deep grain of truth to this story, but as this story was retold it may have been embellished.

Flag of Montserrat
in the Western Caribbean

The British used to love this story when they were still tied to the Catholic Church, since a Roman-British Princess was involved. Coincidentally the harp on Montserrat is reflective of Ireland where the last bastion of 'British Catholics' still celebrate St. Ursula's day at mass on October 21.


10 Sec Clip of Video I made last year about UK Islands