The coat of arms of Belgorod is an important historical source

Heraldry as a science helps history to preserve the memory of the facts and events of the past. Thanks to the arms, we can learn about the specifics of the development of various territorial associations and the fate of the famous representatives of the Russian state.

Coat of arms as a historical source

The coat of arms is an important identification iconic and symbolic sign through which the history of the country, city, and family is transmitted. The very word "coat of arms" comes from the Polish word, in the translation meaning "inheritance".

The constituent optional part of the emblem is the image on the mandatory part - the shield. In fact, the image is an emblem, but the emblem itself can not be considered an emblem, since it stores in itself the information transmitted from generation to generation, connected, in particular, with traditions.

Belgorod is a city with a history

The birth of the city is associated with a fortification called the Northern Fortress, which arose near the mouth of the Vyazelitsa River (on the shores of the Northern Donets) in the 10th century. The earth fortified settlement appeared on the Cretaceous mountain for protection from enemies advancing deep into the territories along the waterways.

Stone fortification was erected on the site of an earth fortification under Tsar Fedor Ioannovich in the 16th century. And in the XVII century, to protect against the raids of the Crimean Tatars, a more powerful defense fortification was built - the Belgorod Zasechnaya Line. On the territory of the line the historical part of the city of Belgorod appeared.

In the middle of the XVII century in the territory of Belgorod was founded the Great Belgorod Infantry Regiment. At the head of this regiment was put Grigory Grigoryevich Romodanovsky. The Belgorod Infantry Regiment made an invaluable contribution to the outcome of the military clashes with Poland and Sweden, including the result of military actions of the early 18th century led by Peter I.

In the first half of the XVIII century, namely, in 1727, Belgorod became the center of the province, which also became known as Belgorod. And in the middle of the century (after the fire) the city was almost completely rebuilt and became a major industrial and cultural center of Russia. It was through Belgorod that the land routes to Petersburg and Moscow stretched from the south. Imperial persons also moved along these roads.

In 2007, under the decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the city was awarded the title "City of Military Glory" - for the contribution to the victory of the Russian people over fascism. Being bought in 1942, the city did not just live, but also fought: an underground organization worked in it, and guerrilla detachments were created around the woods.

All these historical facts are reflected in the image of the emblem.

Belgorod's coat of arms: formation

As a reward for services to the Fatherland in the years of the Northern War and for the victory at Poltava, Peter I handed the Belgorod regiment a banner on which the two-headed eagle and lying lion appeared for the first time. These images eventually became a symbol of Belgorod and became part of the city's coat of arms.

However, they had predecessors. As early as 1712, according to the decree of Peter I, a number of regiments, including Belgorodsky, needed to develop their local emblems. These arms were to be depicted on regimental banners. So, for the Belgorod Regiment, then was chosen the image of a flying two-headed eagle and a running lion. Later, we see the lion on the coat of arms lying. The semantic coloration of the coat of arms also changed: first the lion on the regimental coat of arms meant the defeated Sweden, and the eagle - the winner of Russia, later the lying lion symbolized the military power of the Russian army.

The coat of arms of Belgorod was confirmed in 1730. It happened because of the first governor of the city, Prince Yuri Yuryevich Trubetskoi.

The historical coat of arms of Belgorod: description

The coat of arms was a shield of the French form with a depiction of a hovering cock, and later a golden one-headed eagle with a power and a scepter in the paws - a symbol of imperial Russia - and a lying golden lion. The last image can be interpreted in two ways: both as Sweden defeated in the Northern War, and as the Russian army, by its strength, courage and might, the victorious Swedish army.

The shield's field is divided into two parts: the lower one is the green earth, which means vitality, eternal existence, prosperity, development of the city, abundance; Upper - the sky - blue, symbolizing wisdom and tranquility, beauty and greatness. All these meanings are somehow connected with the valorous actions of the Belgorod Regiment in the war years and the historical development of the city itself.

In the 300th anniversary of Belgorod, the city coat of arms gets a new look: on the French shield of blue there is a golden lion standing on its hind legs with a scarlet tongue sticking out of its mouth, a white (silver) single-headed eagle hovering over the lion. In the right (for the coat of arms) the top corner on a white rectangular field is diagonally located the blue ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew, and on it - three flying birds, similar to a dove. The shield is crowned with a three-toothed tower crown, most likely of a silver color, and wrapped in a red ribbon, most likely Alexandrovskaya. In addition, the shield is laid on two crossed golden hammers.

Modern coat of arms of the city

The Belgorod photo, shown below, shows us the heraldic sign in its last stages of formation. The appearance of the modern coat of arms of the city is connected with the events that occurred in Russia in the late 1960s, when it became necessary to again give the regional cities coat of arms, which was accompanied by a new interest in heraldry.

As a result, since 1968 the Belgorod coat of arms (according to the project of AI Grebenyuk) began to look like this: on the blue field of the French shield stands a golden lion with a far outstretched red tongue, and above it hangs a white (silver) single-headed eagle (full face) , Which has the same language as a lion, a golden paw and a beak. But the old image on the shield left itself Belgorod region.

And according to the changes made to the coat of arms of Belgorod in 1994, when it was officially approved (author VV Aksenov), the eagle turned and flies to the right in relation to the shield. The importance of state and urban symbols can not be overestimated. So the value of the coat of arms of Belgorod for us and our descendants is great: it is from the heraldic sign that we can learn about the history of the city and its contribution to the fate of Russia.