Coat of arms of Quebec

The coat of arms 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]

Coat of arms of Quebec
Versions
1868 version
ArmigerElizabeth II in Right of Quebec
Adopted1939
CrestTudor Crown
BlazonTierced in fess, first azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or; second gules, a lion passant guardant of the second, armed and langued of the first; third, of the second, a sprig of three sugar maple leaves vert, nerved of the field.
MottoJe me souviens
(French for '"I remember"')
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.

Symbolism

The shield is divided into three horizontal fields:

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 into three parts) in fess, first azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or; second gules, a golden lion passant guardant of the second, armed and langued of the first; third, of the second, a sprig of three sugar maple leaves vert, nerved of the field. Ensigned with the royal crown. Under the shield, a scroll argent bordered azure bearing the motto Je me souviens of the same.)

History
1868 arms of Quebec on the Wilfrid Laurier Memorial in Montreal

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 Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill and the badge of the Royal 22e Régiment, it uses the 1868 variant.

Notes
  1. Justice Québec. Les armoiries du Québec Archived 14 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Royal Heraldry Society of Canada: The Four Founding Provinces". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2008.

References



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