Coat of arms of René Lepage de Sainte-Claire
Encyclopedia
René Lepage de Ste-Claire
Rene Lepage de Sainte-Claire is the lord-founder of the town of Rimouski, province of Quebec, in Canada.-Origin:...
, Lord-founder of the city of Rimouski, province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, from 1696 to 1718, was first used to identify the family in the seventeenth century, when this Lepage's ancestor took possession of the Seigneurie de Rimouski. This domain was conceded to Lepage de Ste-Claire by the Governor of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
, Louis de Buade, comte de Frontenac.
The Lepage shield features a sable (black) eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
and spurred Gules (red). The choice of an eagle, a strong imperial symbol, is extraordinary for a French Lord of a young colony as New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
.
The design is similar to the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Germany
Coat of arms of Germany
The coat of arms of Germany displays a black eagle on a yellow shield ....
, possibly to denote that René Lepage came from Burgundy, a region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
near the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, the historical territory of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It may also indicate descent from the Le Pages in ancient Bretagne, who used as their blazon a two-headed black eagle on a silver shield.
The simple blazon is:
"Argent an eagle sable, armed, beaked, langued and spurred Gules."