Coat of arms of Asturias
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms of Asturias
is the official coat of arms
of the principality
of Asturias, an autonomous community
within the kingdom of Spain
. It was adopted as such on 27 April 1984.
The oldest attributed arms of the Principality of Asturias date from the 16th century, and show a quartered
shield with the castle of the Kingdom of Castile
, the lion of León
and a goblet. But this Coat of Arms is wrongly attributed to the Prince and the Principality of Asturias, as proved Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
, author, philosopher and main figure of the Age of Enlightenment in Spain.
This Coat of Arms appeared in printed books and maps, even It was included in the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot.
The arms consist of a field
of azure
with the Victory Cross
of Or
adorned by gemstone
s. The cross is the symbol of the re-conquest of Spain
from the Moors by the Catholic Monarchs
, which ended in 1492. The cross was used by the local governor, Pelagius of Asturias, in the initial battles against the Moors. It was assumed that the cross had brought victory, and it was later gold-plated.
The Greek letters
of alpha
and omega
are suspended from the left and right bars, respectively. The arms comprise a legend: "HOC SIGNO TVETVR PIVS - HOC SIGNO VINCITVR INIMICVS" (Lat. "This symbol brought victory over the enemy. This symbol protects the pious."), the former on the dexter and the latter on the sinister.
The arms are "ensigned of a Spanish Royal Crown
".
The arms must appear de jure in:
One stays the existing shields in those declared buildings historical-artistic monuments. Also those that appear in those others that they form substantial part of the ornato and decoration.
The Shield of the Principality enjoys the same degree of protection as that of the other symbols of Spain.
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
is the official coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of Asturias, an autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
within the kingdom of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It was adopted as such on 27 April 1984.
The oldest attributed arms of the Principality of Asturias date from the 16th century, and show a quartered
Quartering (heraldry)
Quartering in heraldry is a method of joining several different coats of arms together in one shield by dividing the shield into equal parts and placing different coats of arms in each division....
shield with the castle of the Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
, the lion of León
León, Spain
León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population...
and a goblet. But this Coat of Arms is wrongly attributed to the Prince and the Principality of Asturias, as proved Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos was an Asturian-born Spanish neoclassical statesman, author, philosopher and a major figure of the Age of Enlightenment in Spain.-Life:...
, author, philosopher and main figure of the Age of Enlightenment in Spain.
This Coat of Arms appeared in printed books and maps, even It was included in the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot.
Description
Field (heraldry)
In heraldry, the background of the shield is called the field. The field is usually composed of one or more tinctures or furs. The field may be divided or may consist of a variegated pattern....
of azure
Azure
In heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....
with the Victory Cross
Victory Cross
The Victory Cross is an early 10th century Asturian Christian ornamented processional cross, which was, as an inscription says, made in 908 in the Castle of Gauzón . It is a crux gemmata or jewelled cross, given by King Alfonso III of Asturias, who reigned from 848 to 910, to Cathedral of San...
of Or
Or (heraldry)
In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...
adorned by gemstone
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s. The cross is the symbol of the re-conquest of Spain
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
from the Moors by the Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
, which ended in 1492. The cross was used by the local governor, Pelagius of Asturias, in the initial battles against the Moors. It was assumed that the cross had brought victory, and it was later gold-plated.
The Greek letters
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
of alpha
Alpha (letter)
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Aleph...
and omega
Omega
Omega is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system, it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" , as opposed to omicron, which means "little O"...
are suspended from the left and right bars, respectively. The arms comprise a legend: "HOC SIGNO TVETVR PIVS - HOC SIGNO VINCITVR INIMICVS" (Lat. "This symbol brought victory over the enemy. This symbol protects the pious."), the former on the dexter and the latter on the sinister.
The arms are "ensigned of a Spanish Royal Crown
Spanish Royal Crown
The Spanish royal crown, known as crown of Alfonso of Spain, is the symbol of the Spanish monarchy and has been used in proclamation ceremonies since the 18th century....
".
Usage
In 1985 a simplified version of the shield was legislated for exclusive use in the Administration of the Principality.The arms must appear de jure in:
- Documents that contain the Laws of the General Meeting that the President of the Principality of Asturias in name of the King of Spain promulgates.
- Documents, forms, seals and letterheads of official use of the autonomous community.
- Official publications by the Principality of Asturias.
- Official symbols used by the authorities of the autonomous community.
- Diplomas or titles of any class sent by authorities of the autonomous community.
- Buildings and establishments of the Asturian autonomous community according to the law that regulates it, the shield cannot be used as a symbol of identification by any other public or deprived institution that is not the Principality of Asturias. Any use is not admitted that goes in reduction of its high meaning.
One stays the existing shields in those declared buildings historical-artistic monuments. Also those that appear in those others that they form substantial part of the ornato and decoration.
The Shield of the Principality enjoys the same degree of protection as that of the other symbols of Spain.