It is not for nothing that the Volga was called the mother of Russian cities. This great Russian waterway contributed to the growth of cities and villages, provided water and food, served as a formidable obstacle to enemies, and facilitated the expansion of trade. It is her wealth that now adorn the coat of arms of Saratov, and the color of the shield is associated with the endless water surface.
Description of the heraldic symbol
Three sterlets are represented on the main official symbol of Saratov, which is a five-pointed French shield. The modern image is a copy of the city's historical coat of arms, which was approved in August 1781.
Sterlet - it was this type of fish that was most widespread in those days in the Volga off the coast of Saratov, was considered the most valuable and was supplied to the imperial court. Historical documents contain information revealing the significance of the appearance of these representatives of the aquatic kingdom of the Volga fauna on the heraldic symbol of the city - “great abundance”.
It is interesting that the fish are placed on the shield not horizontally, as can be seen in their natural habitat, but with their heads facing each other. In modern descriptions, you can read that the fish are oriented from the middle of the lower edge and the upper corners of the shield to the center of the composition.
Some scholars associate this location with the Greek letter "upsilon", which symbolizes the choice of one's own path of development at a crossroads. Others associate the arrangement of the fish as a pitchfork cross, associating it with cult symbolism.
History of the coat of arms
In 1781, this image first appeared as the main heraldic symbol of the city. Simultaneously with the coat of arms of Saratov, eight more heraldic symbols were approved for the cities that were part of the Saratov governorship.
Moreover, on the heraldic symbol of the center of the governorship, fish occupied the entire field of the shield, on the coats of arms of other cities they were assigned a place in the upper half of the shield, the lower one was individual for each settlement.
The main Saratov symbol of that time had a more complex composition, which included the following details:
- azure French shield with images of sterlets;
- the imperial crown over the shield;
- a wreath of oak leaves, connected by the Andreevskaya ribbon, framed.
In this form, the image looked very solemn and pompous, since, in addition to, in fact, the azure shield with fish, symbols of imperial power appeared. The color palette also looked richer, along with the azure tint, the color of the precious metal, gold, was on an equal footing.
