For many centuries, the rules of heraldry were formed, according to which each part of the coat of arms (from the background color to the image) carries a certain symbolic content.
Knights, crusaders, feudal lords, nobles sought to capture individual differences in the emblem.
For this purpose, a symbolic image of plants or animals (mythical or real) was often used. Coats of arms appeared with lions, eagles, tigers, bears, deer, leopards and other animals and birds.
Heraldry in the modern world
Heraldry for each country has an important semantic meaning. It, as in a mirror, reflects the ideology of the state and national culture.
In Russia, heraldry, the beginning of the active development of which was laid by Peter I , reached its greatest prosperity under Catherine II . At this time, almost every city acquired an individual emblem, which reflected the characteristics of the settlement: natural or administrative.
One of the very first Russian emblems dates back to the 12th century. It was then that the coat of arms depicting a lion, as a symbol of strength, courage and generosity, became the patrimonial sign of the Vladimir-Suzdal princes. The lion image was used on their seals by Vladimir Monomakh and Alexander Nevsky .
Coats of arms with lions have become a hallmark of other cities of Russia. These include Murom, Alexandrov, Pereslavl-Zalessky, Krasnoyarsk, Belgorod.
The king of beasts in the crown is a symbol of Vladimir, Murom and Alexandrov
The cities of the Vladimir province from their youth were familiar to Peter the Great:
- Peter the Great visited the Bogolyubsky Monastery near Vladimir in 1690 .
- In the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda (now the city of Aleksandrov), the young commander arranged exercises for his "amusing troops."
- In the ancient Russian city of Murom, Peter the Great stopped when he went to Astrakhan and the Azov campaign.
So three cities: Vladimir, Alexandrov and Murom - were connected together thanks to the activities of the great ruler of Russia.
A distinctive city sign of the old Russian city of Vladimir is the coat of arms with a lion in the crown and with a long silver cross in the right paw in the scarlet field. Thanks to the activities of Peter I, the exact image of the Vladimir crowned lion-crusader on a red background turned to the coats of arms of two cities: Murom and Aleksandrov.
The red coat of arms with the lion of each of these cities was supplemented with individual details:
- On the coat of arms of the city of Aleksandrov, a lion is located above a bench vise and two anvils (a symbol of the fact that locksmith work is being carried out here).
- On the coat of arms of the city of Murom, a lion rises above three kalachas (a symbol of the fact that the city is famous for kalacha baked from grains).
Subsequently, the symbol of the Vladimir lion appeared on the arms and other cities of the Vladimir province.
Golden lion with a scarlet tongue - a symbol of Belgorod
In the palette of the city coat of arms of Belgorod, gold and silver on a azure background merged together. The golden lion stood up to its full height, and hell spread its silver wings an eagle with a golden beak, tongue and claws ... This color combination is laconic, noble and symbolizes the purity of thoughts.
Coats of arms with lions always look solemn and majestic. And on the coat of arms of Belgorod, the lion also looks very realistic. This is achieved due to such a detail as a scarlet tongue protruding menacingly from the mouth of a predator.
The basis of this image was the distinctive sign, which in 1712 was placed on the banners of the Belgorod Infantry Regiment. There is only one difference: a rooster took the place of an eagle. Replacing it with a freedom-loving eagle is explained simply: he acts as a symbol of Russia.
Golden lion with a shovel and sickle - a symbol of Krasnoyarsk
Coats of arms with lions were granted to not many cities. Among them is Krasnoyarsk. For almost two centuries, the history of the appearance of this urban symbol has been counting.
The scarlet color of the shield, on its hind legs is a golden lion - a sign of strength, courage, greatness. In his right paw he carries a spade (shovel) of golden color, in his left - a golden sickle - this is a reflection of the historically established occupations of the Krasnoyarsk people. Sickle indicates fertile land , spade - mining, among which gold comes first. In the Yenisei province, almost 90 percent of Russia's gold was mined in gold mines.
A toothed crown crown entwined with a gold laurel wreath crowns a shield . This reflects the high status of Krasnoyarsk since the time of the Russian Empire . The crown is a sign of greatness, the special role of the city for the state.
Coats of arms of Russian cities with a lion is a special distinguishing sign of urban heraldry, because the image of a lion in heraldry always symbolizes nobility and generosity, power and strength, pride.