Coat of arms of the Autonomous Region of Madeira | |
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Versions | |
Armiger | Autonomous Region of Madeira |
Adopted | 1978 |
Crest | An Armillary sphere Or |
Torse | Azure and Or |
Shield | Azure a pale Or charged with the Cross of Christ |
Supporters | Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) |
Motto | Portuguese: Das Ilhas as Mais Belas e Livres |
Other elements | Royal Helm Or |
Earlier version(s) | The same as the current lesser arms of the Autonomous Region of Madeira |
Use | Legislative Assembly of Madeira and Regional Government of Madeira |
The coat of arms of the Portuguese Autonomous Region of Madeira consists of a shield azure a pale or charged with a Cross of Christ, with external elements. The shield was established by the Regional Decree 30/78/M of 12 September 1978. The external elements (supporters, crest and motto) were established by Regional Legislative Decree 11/91/M of 24 April 1991. [1] [2]
The central shield is blazoned, azure a pale or charged with a Cross of Christ.
The Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) supporting the shield in the coat of arms are an homage to the only large mammals found by the first inhabitants of the island, and allude to the need to preserve this endangered species.
The gold armillary sphere represents the Age of Discovery, initiated by the Portuguese, and King Manuel I of Portugal who ordered the settling of the archipelago.
The Autonomous Region of Madeira motto, Das Ilhas as Mais Belas e Livres, is Portuguese for "Of all islands, the most beautiful and free".
The use of the “toad-mouth” helmet, generally attributed to King João I, of which one exists in the Military Museum of Lisbon, was chosen given the fact that this King determined the settlement of the archipelago.
An armillary sphere, as crest, was chosen, due to its connection to the Discoveries and King Manuel I and given the fact that it is an architectural and sculptural element found in many public buildings in Funchal.
The two monk seal supports, symbolize the Region's homage to the only large mammals found when the first settlers arrived.
Initially, in 1990, the proposed motto was a fragment from Os Lusíadas, allusive to Madeira, “Of which we populated the first”. However, at the beginning of the following year, at a Government meeting, the chosen verse was “Of all islands, the most beautiful and free". [1] [2]
The coat of arms of the Philippines features the eight-rayed sun of the Philippines with each ray representing the eight provinces which were placed under martial law by Governor-General Ramón Blanco Sr. during the Philippine Revolution, and the three five-pointed stars representing the three major island groups of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
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The coat of arms of the Bahamas contains a shield with the national symbols as its focal point.
The coat of arms of Toronto is a heraldic symbol used to represent the city Toronto. Designed by Robert Watt, the Chief Herald of Canada at the time, for the City of Toronto after its amalgamation in 1998. The arms were granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority on 11 January 1999.
Monk seals are earless seals of the tribe Monachini. They are the only earless seals found in tropical climates. The two genera of monk seals, Monachus and Neomonachus, comprise three species: the Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus; the Hawaiian monk seal, Neomonachus schauinslandi; and the Caribbean monk seal, Neomonachus tropicalis, which became extinct in the 20th century. The two surviving species are now rare and in imminent danger of extinction. All three monk seal species were classified in genus Monachus until 2014, when the Caribbean and Hawaiian species were placed into a new genus, Neomonachus.
The Mediterranean monk seal is a monk seal belonging to the family Phocidae. As of 2015, it is estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean, (especially) in the Aegean Sea, the archipelago of Madeira and the Cabo Blanco area in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is believed to be the world's rarest pinniped species. It is the only extant species in the genus Monachus.
The Manueline, occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century, during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries. Manueline architecture incorporates maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral. This innovative style synthesizes aspects of Late Gothic Flamboyant architecture with original motifs and influences of the Plateresque, Mudéjar, Italian, and Flemish architecture. It marks the transition from Late Gothic to Renaissance. The construction of churches and monasteries in Manueline was largely financed by proceeds of the lucrative spice trade with Africa and India.
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was originally adopted in 1815 and later modified in 1907. The arms are a composite of the arms of the former Dutch Republic and the arms of the House of Nassau, it features a checkered shield with a lion grasping a sword in one hand and a bundle of arrows in the other and is the heraldic symbol of the monarch and the country. The monarch uses a version of the arms with a mantle while the government of the Netherlands uses a smaller version without the mantle (cloak) or the pavilion, sometimes only the shield and crown are used. The components of the coats of arms were regulated by Queen Wilhelmina in a royal decree of 10 July 1907, affirmed by Queen Juliana in a royal decree of 23 April 1980.
The Caribbean monk seal, also known as the West Indian seal or sea wolf, was a species of seal native to the Caribbean. The main natural predators of Caribbean monk seals were large sharks, such as great whites and tiger sharks, and possibly transient orcas ; however, humans would become their most lethal enemy. Overhunting of the monk seals for oil and meat, as well as overfishing of their natural prey, are the likely reasons for the seals' extinction.
The Cross of the Order of Christ, also known as the Cross of Christ or the Portuguese Cross, is a cross symbol of Portugal, originating in the Portuguese Order of Christ, founded in 1319. During the time of Prince Henry the Navigator, the cross came to be associated with the Portuguese discoveries and the Portuguese Empire. The cross can be considered a variant of the cross pattée or the cross potent.
The coat of arms of Portugal is the main heraldic insignia of Portugal. The present model was officially adopted on 30 June 1911, along with the present model of the Flag of Portugal. It is based on the coat of arms used by the Kingdom of Portugal since the Middle Ages. The coat of arms of Portugal is popularly referred as the Quinas.
Portuguese heraldry encompasses the modern and historic traditions of heraldry in Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. Portuguese heraldry is part of the larger Iberian tradition of heraldry, one of the major schools of heraldic tradition, and grants coats of arms to individuals, cities, Portuguese colonies, and other institutions. Heraldry has been practiced in Portugal at least since the 12th century, however it only became standardized and popularized in the 16th century, during the reign of King Manuel I of Portugal, who created the first heraldic ordinances in the country. Like in other Iberian heraldic traditions, the use of quartering and augmentations of honor is highly representative of Portuguese heraldry, but unlike in any other Iberian traditions, the use of heraldic crests is highly popular.
The flag of Autonomous Region of Madeira consists of a blue-gold-blue vertical triband with a Cross of Christ in the center.
The coat of arms of the Azores is nine gold stars superimposed on a red bordure, representing the nine islands of the archipelago. The bordure surrounds a silver shield on which a blue goshawk is displayed with wings elevated and with red feet, beak, and tongue. The crest is a closed helm in gold lined with red, surmounted by a wreath and mantling of silver and blue, topped by another blue eagle on which are superimposed the same nine gold stars.
The Sceptre of the Armillary, also known as the Sceptre of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, is a piece of the Portuguese Crown Jewels, originally created for the acclamation of King João VI, alongside the Crown of João VI and the Mantle of João VI.
The Mantle of João VI, also known as the Mantle of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves, is the royal robe, a part of the Portuguese Crown Jewels, that was fashioned for the acclamation of King João VI, alongside the Crown of João VI and the Sceptre of the Armillary.
The coat of arms of the London Borough of Hillingdon is the official symbol of the London Borough of Hillingdon. They use elements from the coats of arms of the four previous districts. It is described as:
Arms: Per pale Gules and Vert an Eagle displayed per pale Or and Argent in the dexter claw a Fleur-de-lis Or and in the sinister claw a Cog-Wheel Argent on a Chief Or four Civic Crowns Vert.
Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours issuant from a Circlet of Brushwood Sable a demi-Lion Gules with wings Argent the underside of each wing charged with a Cross Gules and holding between the paws a Bezant thereon a Mullet Azure.
Supporters: On the dexter side an Heraldic Tiger Or gorged with an Astral Crown Azure and charged on the shoulder with a Rose Gules charged with another Argent barbed and seeded proper and on the sinister side a Stag proper attired and gorged with a Circlet of Brushwood and charged on the shoulder with two Ears of Rye slipped in saltire Or.
Motto: Forward.
The coat of arms of Castile was the heraldic emblem of its monarchs. Historian Michel Pastoureau says that the original purpose of heraldic emblems and seals was to facilitate the exercise of power and the identification of the ruler, due to what they offered for achieving these aims. These symbols were associated with the kingdom, and eventually also represented the intangible nature of the national sentiment or sense of belonging to a territory.