The coat of arms of Irkutsk: description, history. What is the beast on the coat of arms of Irkutsk

The coat of arms of any settlement is a true story about the birth, development and development of each individual community. Typically, such symbols reflected the wealth of people who lived in a certain area, talked about their courage and valiant exploits.

The coat of arms of Irkutsk has its own unique history, whimsically combining in itself unusual twists and turns of the tsarist officials.

Historical aspect

The XVII century was marked by an important event for Russia - during this period a vast region of Siberia was joined to a mighty power. Already at that time, Siberian prints depicted the main property of this land in the form of fur-bearing animals. The coat of arms of the Siberian kingdom was a picture on which two magnificent sables hold a crown in their paws. It was this motive that was later borrowed to create the symbolism of Irkutsk. However, in 1642 the city as such did not exist yet, but the first prototype of the emblem appeared on the stamp of the customs: the image of the leopard, which caught and held a sable in the teeth.

It was this picture that later fell on the coat of arms of Irkutsk and its official seal. In the late 80-ies of the 17th century the city acquired great importance, became the center of the province. But the official coat of arms was received on February 18, 1690, and it represented the following image: "Babru in a silver field, running along the green grass, is directed to the left side of the frame of the shield, and in his jaws is sable."

Marvelous beast

It is clear that by creating the symbolism of a certain region, the author seeks to emphasize his wealth. And what kind of animal is on the coat of arms of Irkutsk? For a long time there were different assumptions: from a fictional mythical character to a quite ordinary leopard.

In fact, this situation will clarify to descendants the characterization of the emblem: "Babr is a very rare beast that is found in Siberia and differs by its superiority over other animals. He is brave, strong, has no natural enemies. On its white-yellowish fur there are blackish stripes. His height is not more than a normal wolf. Beasts do not cross it. Although the leopard is similar to the Babru, but much weaker as a predator. "

Does not it look like anything? But scientists concluded that the description is about tigers who lived in Transbaikalia and met in the Irkutsk region. Then it became clear who is depicted on the coat of arms of Irkutsk. It is not a mythical creature at all, but a dangerous predator, whose fur was considered priceless and very rare in the European part of Russia.

Errors of the artist

Note that the classical heraldry required the observance of certain canons when creating the emblem of the settlement. The Europeans portrayed the so-called recognition marks for knights who participated in tournaments. The picture was placed on a shield, it had to frighten an opponent, while the beast must advance and flee to the right. Otherwise, the symbol lost its frightening role. The beast seemed to run away, gave up. It was these moments that were not taken into account by the artist who in the 18th century created the coat of arms of Irkutsk. The description of this picture gives an idea of the unfortunate idea: the creature holding the sable was difficult to call a formidable grizzler, it was more like a skinny cat that "ran away" (looked to the left).

New symbol of the region

The history of the coat of arms of Irkutsk was not completed on the unsuccessful version of the execution. Already in the second half of the 19th century the artist B.V. Ken, considering the significant defects in the image, introduced a new interpretation of the image. The master who created the new image, at that time, headed the Department of Gerold. He approached this matter very seriously, having studied the prehistory of the appearance of the first seal with the image of a mighty beast. The new coat of arms differed as follows:

• The image of the predator has completely changed: the beast has become mighty and strong, though it did not remind either the leopard or the tiger. The black creature was more like a mystical cat with a fluffy raised tail and webbed hind legs.
• Sable became larger and acquired a bright red color.
• Babr, according to the rules of heraldry, was deployed to the right.
• The background was decided to remain unchanged - green grass.

True, even here the coat of arms of Irkutsk was followed by an unfortunate mistake - in the description of the symbolism Ken made a mistake: instead of the word "Babr", "beaver" was used, which radically changed its meaning. So a mythical image of an incomprehensible animal was born. But the author explained the meaning of this image as follows: the rich Siberian land gives all its precious reserves. It was a sable fur, which was very much appreciated.

A little later, the following elements were added to the image: the frame of the picture was composed of oak leaves intertwined with St. Andrew's ribbon, and at the head of the emblem was the royal crown.

The modern image

The coat of arms in the interpretation of Ken was used for a very long time and fell in love with the inhabitants of both the city and the whole province. It can be seen on postcards from pre-revolutionary Russia. However, during the Soviet era, the image of the corona and the St. Andrew's ribbon was abolished, but the picture itself did not change. And in the 1960-1980's. The coat of arms proudly flaunted the Angara River (between the railway station and the bridge).

Last changes

Most recently, in 1997, the State Heroldia finally approved the coat of arms of Irkutsk. At the same time, the symbol of the region practically does not differ from the provincial prototype, only ribbons, crown and leaves are abolished. But the symbol of Irkutsk has become a real stumbling block between specialists in heraldry and the power of the city Duma. Specialists in the study of ancient symbols insisted on preserving the image in an unchanged form (that is, the babr looks to the right), but the Duma insisted on the "beast escaping" to the left. And so a new paradox was born - the symbols of the region and the city are now looking in different directions.

Afterword

Despite the fact that the coat of arms has undergone changes for many centuries, changing the image of the beast and the direction of movement, people living in this city and region honor and respect their symbol. Thanks to the cunning intertwining of events and even banal mistakes, a real masterpiece was born. Only Irkutskians can boast of a mythical beast, which you will not see in any other image in the world!