Coat of arms of Quebec
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Coat of arms of Québec
)
Coat of arms of Quebec | |
---|---|
Versions | |
Shield | Tierced in fess, Azure three fleurs-de-lis Or, Gules a lion passant guardant, and Or a sprig of three maple leaves Vert |
Motto | Je me souviens (French for 'I remember') |
Other elements | Tudor Crown |
Earlier version(s) | Or on a Fess Gules between two Fleurs de Lis in chief Azure, and a sprig of three Leaves of Maple slipped Vert in base, a Lion passant guardant Or |
The coat of arms of the province of Quebec (French: armoiries du Québec) was adopted by order-in-council of the Government of Quebec on 9 December 1939,[1] replacing the arms assigned by royal warrant of Queen Victoria on 26 May 1868.[2]
Symbolism
The shield is divided into three horizontal fields:
- Top – three gold royal France;
- Middle – a gold lion passant guardant on a red background, symbolizing the Kingdom of England;
- Bottom – three green .
The shield is surmounted by the Tudor Crown and accompanied by a silver scroll bearing the province's motto, Je me souviens (French for 'I remember').
Blazon
The blazon is:
- Tiercé en fasce; d'azur, à trois fleurs-de-lis d'or; de gueules, à un léopard d'or, armé et lampassé d'azur; d'or, à une branche d'érable à sucre à triple feuille de sinople, aux nervures du champ. Timbré de la couronne royale. Sous l'écu, un listel d'argent bordé d'azur portant la devise JE ME SOUVIENS du même.
- Tierced (divided in three parts, horizontally) in fess, Azure three fleurs-de-lis Or, Gules a lion passant guardant, and Or a sprig of three maple leaves Vert; Motto: JE ME SOUVIENS.[3]
History
Arms were first granted to the province in 1868 by Queen Victoria. They were blazoned as follows:
- Or on a Fess Gules between two Fleurs de Lis in chief Azure, and a sprig of three Leaves of Maple slipped Vert in base, a Lion passant guardant Or.
However, in 1939, the Quebec government adopted arms by
order-in-council, replacing the two blue fleurs-de-lis on the golden field with the royal arms of France Modern in chief. Quebec is the only Canadian province to have adopted arms by its own authority.[1]
The federal government is inconsistent in the use of the two variants: it often uses the 1939 variant, but in some cases, such as on the
Royal 22e Régiment
, it uses the 1868 variant.
Notes
- ^ a b Justice Québec. Les armoiries du Québec Archived 14 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Royal Heraldry Society of Canada: The Four Founding Provinces". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
- ^ "Province of Quebec". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada. Official website of the Governor General. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
References
- Gouvernement du Québec. "Les armoiries du Québec", in the site Drapeau et symboles nationaux of the Government of Quebec, updated on 14 January 2008
- Luc Bouvier. "Les armoiries du Québec d’hier à aujourd’hui", in L'Action nationale, February 1999.
- ISBN 2-551-14189-3
External links
- Media related to Coats of arms of Quebec at Wikimedia Commons
- Ministère de la Justice – Armoiries du Québec (in French)