National coat of arms of the Republic of Serbia
Coat of arms of Serbia
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Coat_of_arms_of_Serbia.svg/200px-Coat_of_arms_of_Serbia.svg.png) Greater coat of arms
/
Veliki grb
|
|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Coat_of_arms_of_Serbia_small.svg/83px-Coat_of_arms_of_Serbia_small.svg.png) Lesser coat of arms
/
Mali grb
|
|
---|
Armiger
| Republic of Serbia
|
---|
Adopted
| 1882
2004 (readopted)
2010 (standardized)
|
---|
Shield
| Gules, between two fleurs-de-lys in base Or, a double-headed eagle displayed inverted Argent, armed, beaked and langued Or, surmounted by an escutcheon Gules thereon a cross between four firesteels Argent
|
---|
Other elements
| The shield is ensigned with a crown Or. The whole is within a mantle Gules fringed and tasselled Or, lined ermine and crowned Or
|
---|
Use
| Governmental
|
---|
The
coat of arms
of the Republic of Serbia
(
Serbian Cyrillic
:
грб Републике Срби?е
,
romanized
:
grb Republike Srbije
) consists of two main heraldic symbols which represent the identity of the Serbian state and Serbian people across the centuries: the
Serbian eagle
(a silver double-headed eagle adopted from the
Nemanji? dynasty
) and the
Serbian cross
(or cross with firesteels).
[1]
[2]
The coat of arms also features the Serbian historical crown; while unusual for republics, it is not unprecedented, as can be seen in coat of arms of numerous European countries with republican form of government (Russia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and San Marino). However, Serbia's coat of arms still retains strong monarchist elements absent from the other republics, including the
mantle and pavillon
found in the greater coat of arms of some modern and many historical monarchies.
The coat of arms is used in the form of the
greater coat of arms
(Велики грб /
Veliki grb
) and
lesser coat of arms
(Мали грб /
Mali grb
), as provided by the Article 7 of the
Constitution of Serbia
.
Description
[
edit
]
The coat of arms is a silver stylized
double-headed eagle
on a red shield with a crown above the shield. The eagle's heads are bordered with nine feathers each and face the outer sides of the shield. The beaks of the double-headed bald eagle are golden in color and gape wide. The feathers on the eagle's neck are arranged in four rows of seven feathers. The wings of the eagle are spread out and together with the tail and heads form a cross, and on each wing there are four rows of feathers with the following arrangement: in the first row there are seven feathers, in the second row there are nine feathers (two large and seven smaller ones), in the third row seven feathers, in the fourth row there are seven feathers (four large and three smaller). The eagle's legs are spread diagonally across the shield, and under each claw is a
fleur-de-lis
; the legs and claws of the eagle are golden in color. The feathers on the legs are white and there are seven of them. The eagle's tail is positioned in relation to the vertical axis of the shield, seven feathers are arranged in three rows; the tips of all the feathers on the double-headed white eagle are rounded. On the chest of the double-headed white eagle there is a small red semicircular shield divided by a white cross into four fields with one
firesteels
in each field. The firesteels are white facing the outer sides of the shield. The crown is positioned centrally in relation to the vertical axis of the shield and the heads of the eagles. The crown is golden, decorated with forty white pearls, eight blue sapphires and two red rubies, and on top of the crown there is a cross.
[4]
The
blazon
is as follows:
- the Greater coat of arms is a red shield crowned with a golden crown and surmounted by porphyry embroidered with gold, decorated with gold fringes, tied with gold cord with the same such tassels, set with ermine and crowned with a golden crown.
[5]
- the Lesser coat of arms is a red shield crowned with a golden crown - the inescutcheon used by Serbian states and the Serbian church since the Middle Ages.
[6]
History
[
edit
]
The use of the double-headed eagle dates back to the 11th century. The figure often appears on inscriptions, medieval frescoes and embroidery on the clothes of Byzantine and Serbian royalty.
[8]
Grand Prince
Stefan Nemanja
(r. 1166?1196) was among the first in Serbia who used the symbol of the double-headed eagle and the
Nemanji? dynasty
of which he is a founder, used the symbol as its coat of arms. The surviving golden ring of
Queen Teodora
(1321?1322) has the symbol engraved. During the reign of Emperor
Stefan Du?an
(r. 1331?1345), the double-headed eagle was used on everyday objects and state-related documents, such as tax stamps and proclamations. In 1339, the map-maker
Angelino Dulcert
marked the
Serbian Empire
with a flag with a red double-headed eagle.
Contemporary Serbian noble families (
Mrnjav?evi?
and
Lazarevi?
) also adopted the symbol as a symbolic continuation.
Prince Lazar
(r. 1371?1389), when renovating the
Hilandar
monastery of Mount Athos, engraved the double-headed eagle at the northern wall.
The
Codex Monacensis Slavicus 4
(fl. 1371?1389) has richly attested artwork of the Serbian eagle. The double-headed eagle was officially adopted by
Stefan Lazarevi?
after he received the title of
despot
, the second highest Byzantine title, from
John VII Palaiologos
in 1402 at the imperial court in Constantinople.
[11]
The
Serbian Orthodox Church
also adopted it; the entrance of the
?i?a
monastery, which was the seat of the Archbishop of the Serbs between 1219?1253, and by tradition the coronational church of the Serbian kings, is engraved with the double-headed eagle.
Double-headed eagle of
Nemanji? dynasty
Serbian cross
The Serbian cross, surrounded by four firesteels, possibly also derives from a Byzantine emblem. It strongly resembles the imperial emblem used in
Byzantine flags
during the late (
Palaiologan
) age. As a Byzantine symbol though, it might date back to several centuries earlier. Serbian historian Stanoje Stanojevi? argues that it was officially adopted as a Serbian symbol as early as 1345, with Stefan Du?an's raising to a Serbian Empire.
In contrast, Stojan Novakovi? posits that the recorded use of the Serbian cross, as a national symbol, began in 1397, during the rule of Stefan Lazarevi?.
It was possibly derived from a known candle chandelier at
Visoki De?ani
.
Later, the Serbian cross is found in the
Koreni?-Neori? Armorial
(1595), which shows the coat of arms of Serbia (
Svrbiae
) as a white cross over a red and gold background, also depicting the
Mrnjav?evi?
noble house with the same design, with inverted colours and the Serbian eagle in the center of the cross. According to
Mavro Orbini
(1607), it was used by
Vuka?in Mrnjav?evi?
(r. 1365?1371) and Prince Lazar (r. 1371?1389).
The Palaiologan cross as the Serbian coat of arms first appeared in Pavao Ritter Vitezovi?'s book
Stemmatografia
(1701), and after its publication, the Serbian church began using the symbol, and its popularity grew until Prince
Milo? Obrenovi?
adopted it as official coat of arms of the Principality of Serbia in 1838.
[13]
The Serbian cross then appeared on all modern Serbian coats of arms, except the coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Serbia from 1947, which had the cross removed, leaving only the four stylized firesteels; this was done symbolically by the Yugoslav government to "socially curtail and politically marginalize religious communities and religion in general".
[14]
In modern times, a Serbian folk etymology interpreted the firesteels around the cross as four
Cyrillic
letters "
S
" (
С
), for the motto "
Only Unity Saves the Serbs
" (
Samo sloga Srbina spasava
). In all of the modern coat of arms though (see gallery below), however, the figures retain the straight side of the letter B, or at least a projection in the middle, that is the middle part of "B" between the two semicircles.
The current coat of arms is based on the coat of arms of the
Kingdom of Serbia
as enacted by the
Law on the coat of arms
of 1882. It was formally readopted in 2004 through official recommendation, adopted by law in 2009 and standardized in 2010.
[15]
[16]
[17]
Usage
[
edit
]
The greater coat of arms is used on the buildings and premises of the
President of the Republic
, the
Government
, the
National Assembly
, the
Supreme Court
, the
Constitutional Court
, the Supreme Public Prosecutor, the
Ombudsman
, the State Audit Institution, and the
National Bank of Serbia
, as well as in their seals and stamps (banknotes and coins issued by the National Bank of Serbia). It is also used on the buildings and premises of
embassies
and consulates abroad.
The lesser coat of arms is used far more frequently, appearing on national flag, on most of the public documents (
passports
,
identity cards
,
driver's licences
, firearms licenses, birth certificates, etc.), uniforms of the uniformed services such as
police
and customs; on the buildings of other state bodies, provincial and local, as well as public services and in their seals and stamps. It can also be used during celebrations, ceremonies, cultural or sports events that are significant for the state.
Historical coat of arms
[
edit
]
Coat of arms
|
Date
|
Use
|
Description
|
|
1217?1346
|
Kingdom of Serbia
|
Silver double-headed eagle on a red shield
|
|
1346?1371
|
Serbian Empire
|
Red double-headed eagle on a yellow shield
|
|
1402?1459
|
Serbian Despotate
|
Golden double-headed eagle with a silver trumpet horn (symbols of
Hrebeljanovi?
and
Brankovi?
dynasties that subsequently ruled the Despotate) in both beaks on a red field and a despotic cap on the shield
|
|
1804?1813
|
Revolutionary Serbia
|
Serbian cross and severed wild boar's head with an arrow through it
|
|
1835?1882
|
Principality of Serbia
|
White cross on a red field with four points surrounded with a wreath of olive, and oak leaves and a red princely cloak with an ermine lining behind, bordered with gold tassels, over which princely crown is placed
|
|
1882?1918
|
Kingdom of Serbia
|
Double-headed white eagle on a red semicircular shield divided by a white cross into four fields with one firesteels in each field and crowned with a golden crown; shield surmounted by porphyry embroidered with gold, decorated with gold fringes, tied with gold cord with the same such tassels, set with ermine and crowned with a golden crown.
|
|
1947?2004
|
Socialist Republic of Serbia
and
Republic of Serbia
(
SFR Yugoslavia
and
FR Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro
)
|
Shield with four firesteels but without the cross (removed for ideological reasons of
Marxist-Leninist atheism
) placed above a rising sun with a cog wheel symbolizing the workers and surrounded with a golden wreath of wheat and oak leaves; red ribbon with dates 1804 and 1941 which refer to the dates of the
First Serbian Uprising
against the Ottomans and the communist uprising against the Axis powers in the
World War II
.
|
|
2004?2010
|
Republic of Serbia
(Serbia and Montenegro until 2006)
|
Greater coat of arms (top)
: double-headed white eagle on a red semicircular shield divided by a white cross into four fields with one firesteels in each field and crowned with a golden crown; shield surmounted by porphyry embroidered with gold, decorated with gold fringes, tied with gold cord with the same such tassels, set with ermine and crowned with a golden crown.
Lesser coat of arms (bottom)
: double-headed white eagle on a red semicircular shield divided by a white cross into four fields with one firesteels in each field and crowned with a golden crown.
|
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Закон о изгледу и употреби грба, заставе и химне Републике Срби?е: 36/2009-3"
[Law on the appearance and use of the coat of arms, flag and anthem of the Republic of Serbia: 36 / 2009-3] (in Serbian). Pravno informacioni sistem Republike Srbije. 15 May 2009
. Retrieved
13 June
2021
.
- ^
"National Symbols and Anthem of the Republic of Serbia"
. Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Great Britain
. Retrieved
26 July
2018
.
- ^
"Zakon o izgledu i upotrebi grba, zastave i himne Republike Srbije: 36/2009-3"
.
- ^
"Zakon o izgledu i upotrebi grba, zastave i himne | RS"
.
- ^
"Zakon o izgledu i upotrebi grba, zastave i himne | RS"
.
- ^
J. Kovacevic (1953).
Medieval Clothes of the Slavs in the Balkans
. pp. 19?97, 183?210.
- ^
Jahrbucher fur Geschichte Osteuropas, vol. 8, Osteuropa-Institut Munchen, F. Steiner Verlag, 1960, p. 511
- ^
Posebna izdanja 295
. Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti. 1957. p. 133.
- ^
Mitja Velikonja (2003).
Religious Separation and Political Intolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina
. Texas A&M University Press. p. 187.
ISBN
9781603447249
.
nations (in a symbolical sense as well, for example, by removing the cross from the Serbian coat of arms but keeping the four stylized esses), and to socially curtail and politically marginalize religious communities and religion in general.
- ^
"Law on the appearance and use of the coat of arms, flag and anthem of the Republic of Serbia"
(in Serbian). Pravno informacioni sistem.
- ^
"Grb Srbije: Dvoglavi orao menja perje"
[Coat of arms of Serbia: Double-headed eagle changes feathers] (in Serbian). Ve?ernje novosti. 20 November 2010
. Retrieved
13 June
2013
.
- ^
"National Symbols"
.
Sources
[
edit
]
- Atlagi?, Marko (1997).
"The cross with symbols S as heraldic symbols"
(PDF)
.
Ba?tina
.
8
: 149?158. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on May 21, 2013.
- Atlagi?, Marko (2009).
"Određivanje nacionalnih heraldi?kih simbola na primjeru Srba i Hrvata"
[Etude des symboles nationaux heraldiques a l' exemple des Serbes et des Croates]
(PDF)
.
Zbornik radova Filozofskog fakulteta u Pri?tini
.
39
: 179?188.
- Mili?evi?, Mili? (1995).
Grb Srbije: razvoj kroz istoriju
. Slu?beni glasnik.
ISBN
9788675490470
.
- Ivi?, Aleksa
(1910).
Stari srpski pe?ati i grbovi: prilog srpskoj sfragistici i heraldici
. Nato?evi?.
- Ivi?, Aleksa; Mrđenovi?, Du?an; Spasi?, Du?an; Palavestra, Aleksandar (1987).
Rodoslovne tablice i grbovi srpskih dinastija i vlastele
. Belgrade: Nova knjiga.
ISBN
9788673350509
.
- Novakovi?, Stojan
(1884).
"Хералдички обича?и у Срба: у примени и к?ижевности"
. Београд: Кра?евско-српска државна штампари?а.
- Palavestra, Aleksandar (2010).
Илирски грбовници и други хералдички радови
. Belgrade: Dosije studio.
- Palavestra, Aleksandar (June 1998).
"O ocilima"
(PDF)
.
Glasnik SHD
(in Serbian). Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2013-10-29.
- Solovjev, Aleksandar Vasiljevi? (1958).
Istorija srpskog grba
. Srpska misao.
- Stanojevi?, Stanoje (1934). "O srpskom grbu".
Iz na?e pro?losti
. Belgrade: Geca Kon A. D. pp. 85?90.
- Pavlovi?, Milijvoje (2007). "Grbovi starog i novog doba".
Srpska znanja: zvuci, boje, oblici
. Belgrade: ?igoja. pp. 15?23.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Official symbols
| | |
---|
Names and codes
| |
---|
Cultural icons
| |
---|
UNESCO
| |
---|
Monuments and locations
| |
---|
People
| |
---|
Fauna
and
flora
| |
---|
|
|
---|
Sovereign states
| |
---|
States with limited
recognition
| |
---|
Dependencies and
other entities
| |
---|
Other entities
| |
---|