Armiger City of Paris | Adopted 1358 | |
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Escutcheon Gules, on waves of the sea in base a ship in full sail Argent, a chief Azure semé-de-lys Or Motto Fluctuat nec mergitur (She is tossed by the waves, but does not sink) Orders Legion of Honor
Ordre de la Libération
Croix de Guerre Other elements Above the shield a mural crown Or | ||
The coat of arms of the city of Paris, in its current form, dates back to 1358. On the coat of arms, the represented vessel is the symbol of the powerful corporate body of the Marchands de l'eau, dating back to the Middle Ages. The city motto, Fluctuat nec mergitur ("She is tossed by the waves, but does not sink") is equally a reference to this boat.
Contents
Design
In its full representation, it also includes decorations that the city was authorized to include:
History
The first mention of coat of arms of Paris appears as early as 1190 when Philippe Augustus gave the design to the city, shortly before embarking to the Holy Land. When the French Revolution abolished the nobility by the decree of 20 June 1790, it simultaneously disallowed all emblems or coats of arms. The municipality of Paris quickly complied, and abolished its own arms in November of that same year. It was not until the First French Empire that new cities were officially allowed to have arms. For Paris, this resulted in the Letters Patent granted to the city of Paris by Napoleon on 29 January 1811. In the Letters Patent of Louis XVIII in 1817, the coat of arms of Paris was restored in its traditional form. The motto "Fluctuat nec mergitur" first appeared from the end of the sixteenth century, but it was made official by a decree of Baron Haussmann, then prefect of the Seine, dated 24 November 1853.
Modern usage
The coat of arms is to be found on many Parisian public buildings, including the Hôtel de Ville, the mairies of the 20 arrondissements, the train stations, the bridges, and primary and secondary schools, and la Sorbonne . Today, the police headquarters of Paris uses a logo inspired by the coat of arms of the city of Paris. It was also represented on a postage stamp issued in 1965, the 0.30 franc "Blason de Paris". It's also used as the Garde républicaine's insignia.
City colors
The traditional colors of the city of Paris are red and blue. Their official usage dates back to the year 1358, when Étienne Marcel first made use of them. The French tricolor flag is derived from the combined cockade of the king (white) and the Paris Commune (red and blue).