The city of Arkhangelsk is located in the northern part of Russia. It was founded thanks to Ivan the Terrible in 1584. It was at this time that the governors immediately set their ships on the Dvina. In modern Arkhangelsk, more than 350 thousand people live. The city has developed infrastructure and there are many attractions. The main ones: the temples of Arkhangelsk, the house of Sutyagin, Trinity Cathedral. The climate in this area is temperate, in summer the temperature reaches +30 ° C, in winter it drops to -15 ° C.
Briefly about modern Arkhangelsk
The city of Arkhangelsk is the cultural and historical capital of Primorye. The city has many museums, sports and entertainment centers. Beautiful promenades and parks, cinemas, theaters and palaces of culture. In Arkhangelsk there are several higher educational institutions. Sports sections are developed, especially skiing, volleyball, and hockey. The city government pays a lot of attention to a healthy lifestyle. For local residents there are many swimming pools where you can go swimming with the whole family. A large number of tourists come to these places daily for excursions. Arkhangelsk is an ideal place for business development and creating a family. It is worth noting that here the locals greatly honor their history.
Coat of arms of the city of Arkhangelsk
In fact, the history of his coat of arms may seem more interesting than the history of Arkhangelsk itself. This symbol is a unique phenomenon. None of the emblems of Russia can boast of the image of a prince of darkness. It is quite interesting and ambiguous.
The appearance of the coat of arms is directly related to Peter I. Previously, in order to provide the army with everything necessary, the troops were distributed among the provinces. The divided shelves were endowed with the names of those cities in which they lived. It was during this period that there was a need to endow each city with a separate emblem.
The coat of arms of Arkhangelsk, drawn in pencil, was found in the personal records of Peter I. But at the moment there are doubts about its origin, historians are not completely sure that this is the idea of the king. However, they still officially attribute the creation of the coat of arms to him.
Image and Meaning
If we briefly describe the coat of arms of Arkhangelsk, we can say this: "Archangel Michael conquers darkness." What does this picture mean? Naturally, it symbolizes the fact that good always conquers evil. The protagonist is Archangel Michael. He is the personification of the mighty military power of Russia. An equally important role is played by the image of the prince of darkness. This symbol unites all enemies and ill-wishers who can threaten the city and its population. The final fight between Michael and the forces of darkness leads to the victory of good over evil.
The image of the Archangel Michael
The coat of arms of the city of Arkhangelsk depicts Archangel Michael. And what does the prince of darkness have to do with it? While Michael strikes with the sword of the devil. First, the Archangel was painted on a horse, and in 1730 it was removed.
Many people still wonder why Archangel Michael is depicted on the coat of arms? The theory of explanation is as follows: Michael from the Hebrew language means - "God." That is, literally, you can say this: "God conquers the dark forces." After this explanation, it is easy to understand what the coat of arms of Arkhangelsk means.
The Archangel himself is the protector of warriors and for many hundreds of years has been the patron saint of Russia. Arkhangelsk received its name not because of the image on the coat of arms, but in the name of the monastery of Arkhangelsk. For the first time in the annals, the monastery was mentioned in 1419, when the Swedes devastated it. Alas, in the middle of the twentieth century it was completely destroyed.
Interesting facts from history
The empress in 1782 completed the work of the previous king and ordered that each city has its own coat of arms. She wrote a decree: "All cities use the emblem in everything and always." Thus, in 1780, the coat of arms of Arkhangelsk became a full-fledged symbol of power in the form in which we still know it. A golden canvas, with Archangel Michael on it, with wings behind him in a heavenly robe with a sword and a shield in his hand, stands on top of the forces of darkness. The shield is decorated with a crown, and behind it are two gold anchors connected by a ribbon.
During the reign of Stalin, there were attempts to make some changes. In Soviet times, the church could not be extolled. That is why it was forbidden to use church saints on a symbol of power. Based on such considerations, the image of the Archangel was replaced with a drawing of the ship. However, in 1989, at the eleventh congress, the coat of arms of Arkhangelsk was restored. They entered it into the state register of the Russian Federation under the number 5714.
To summarize
The church and the faithful community are indignant at the prince of darkness. A rally was even held to remove the devil from the coat of arms. In 2009, the city was awarded the title “Military Glory”. The central bank in honor of this created a unique coin.
We can say that during the foundation of the coat of arms, he underwent four changes. In 1730, in 1781, 1859 and the last time - in 1989. The history of the coat of arms of Arkhangelsk is interesting and has unsolved secrets and mysteries.