Coat of arms of Barcelona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coat of arms ofthe City Barcelona |
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Isotype
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| Armiger | City Council of Barcelona |
| Adopted | 1329 |
| Crest | Spanish Royal Crown |
| Blazon | Quarterly: 1 and 4 the Saint George's Cross, 2 and 3 the Royal Bars of Aragon |
The coat of arms of Barcelona is the official symbol of the City Council of Barcelona. It represents Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, Spain. This important symbol has a long history, going all the way back to the Middle Ages. The first time it was officially written about was in 1329.
In 2004, the Government of Catalonia made the coat of arms and the flag the official symbols for the city. The shield on the coat of arms is shaped like a diamond. This shape is often used for city coats of arms in Catalonia. Today, the City Council of Barcelona also uses a simple picture, called an isotype, which is based on this historic coat of arms.
The official description of the arms is:
It is divided into four parts. The first and fourth parts are silver with a red cross. The second and third parts are gold with four red stripes. On top of the shield is a royal crown with arches, a globe, and a cross.
Contents
History of the Barcelona Coat of Arms
The coat of arms of Barcelona combines two main symbols. One is the Saint George's Cross, which is a red cross on a white background. This cross was a symbol for the House of Barcelona and the Archdiocese of Barcelona. The other symbol is the Royal Arms of Aragon, which shows four red stripes on a gold background.
These two symbols came together after 1137. That's when Aragon and the County of Barcelona joined forces. This happened through the marriage of Raymond Berengar IV of Barcelona and Petronila of Aragon. Many other places that were once part of the Crown of Aragon also use the four red stripes. These include the coats of arms of Catalonia, Aragon, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands.
The Saint George's Cross
The Saint George's Cross first appeared on a seal in 1288. You can also see it in a 13th-century painting in the Tinell Hall. This painting shows soldiers from Barcelona or Catalonia. In 1395, a rule was made that said: "The city councillors must have a long banner with the sign of Saint George. It should have a red cross on a white field, as that is the city's badge."
This shows that the cross was an important symbol for the people of Barcelona. Later, the Aragonese Royal Standard (the four red stripes on yellow) was used alongside the city's banner. Eventually, they were combined into one shield, divided into four sections. This way of combining symbols is called quartering. The city's symbols were placed in the most important sections (the first and fourth). This was because the city's representatives often had to negotiate with the king. In 1359, the Generalitat of Catalonia adopted the Saint George's Cross as its flag and symbol. They did this because it was "the ancient arms of the County of Barcelona".
How Many Bars?
Before 1345, the number of red stripes (called paletts) on the shield sometimes changed. Sometimes there were four, sometimes three, or even two. After 1345, four stripes became the official number. However, a shield with two stripes was often discussed as another version for Barcelona.
In 1996, a simple, single-color logo was chosen as the official emblem. It was a diamond shape with the cross and two stripes combined. This new design caused a lot of debate. Many people felt it didn't follow the old rules of heraldry. So, a group called the Catalan Society of Genealogy, Heraldry, Sigillography, Vexillology and Nobility challenged it. They won their appeal, and a more traditional version was created. This led to the current coat of arms, which has four stripes and is divided into four sections, adopted in 2004.
The Crest on the Coat of Arms
Since the 15th century, an old royal crown was placed on top of the shield. This was common in lands ruled by the Crown. In the 17th century, a new symbol was added: the royal crest of the Aragonese kings, which was a winged dragon. Other cities like Valencia and Palma had already done this.
Sometimes, this winged dragon slowly changed into a bat, known as Rat penat. This bat symbol became very common in local heraldry. Along with the crest, a helmet was sometimes placed above the shield. It had decorative cloths called lambrequins and the old royal crown. By the 19th century, the bat had mostly replaced the dragon. You can see this in official documents from 1810 onwards. The bat and the old royal crown stayed for a long time.
Some people felt that removing the bat from Barcelona's coat of arms was a loss. The bat was an important symbol shared with other major cities of the former Crown of Aragon, like Palma and Valencia.
Royal and County Crowns
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Barcelona's coat of arms was also used for the Principality of Catalonia. This showed that the Principality was connected to the County of Barcelona. The coat of arms of Barcelona has shown different types of crowns. Both royal crowns and county crowns have been used. The county crown referred to the history of the land. The royal crown showed the high rank of the ruler of the county.
The royal crown made the city and the territory seem equal to other kingdoms in the Spanish Monarchy. This is why historians sometimes called these rulers "Count-King" (Comte-rei). From 1800 to 1931, city councils used both types of crowns, sometimes with the bat crest and sometimes without it. After the Spanish Civil War, the coat of arms showed an old royal crown without the bat.
The current version of the coat of arms has the modern Spanish Royal Crown. This crown is gold with precious stones. It has eight leaf-shaped designs, with five of them visible. It also has eight pearls in between. The crown is closed at the top by eight arches, with five visible, also decorated with pearls. On top of the crown is a cross on a globe.
How the Arms Developed Over Time
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Shield
(14th–17th centuries) -
Shield, Lozenge Variant
(14th–17th centuries) -
Two Paletts Variant
(14th–17th centuries) -
Two Pallets and Lozenge Variant
(14th–17th centuries) -
Aragonese Royal Crest Variant
(17th–18th centuries) -
Crest of the Bat Variant
(c.1790 – c.1870) -
Crest of the Bat Variant
(c.1870 – 1931) -
Crest of the Bat and Lozenge Variant
(c.1800 – 1931) -
Version shown at the One Hundred Hall
(1924) -
Common Version
(c.1931 – 1939) -
Eight-Pointed Shaped Variant
(c.1931 – 1939) -
Four Pallets Variant
(1939–1984) -
Two Pallets Variant
(1939–1984) -
1984–1996
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Version of the Seal
(1996–2004) -
Common Version
(1996–2004)
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Arms of the Province of Barcelona
The Province of Barcelona also has its own coat of arms. It was created in 1871. This coat of arms combines the Saint George's Cross and the four red stripes of Aragon. These symbols are placed on a diamond shape. The shield is surrounded by a laurel branch (for victory) and an olive branch (for peace). On top is an old royal crown.
See also
In Spanish: Escudo de Barcelona para niños
- Coat of arms of Catalonia
- Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon
- Flag of Barcelona.
- Saint George's Cross.
- Senyera
