Certain heraldic symbols of cities and regions of Russia raise doubts and disputes. One element or another becomes the reason for the dissatisfaction of some residents; most often it has a religious connotation. The coat of arms of Arkhangelsk, or rather, one of the elements depicted on it, has also recently become the subject of controversy.
Cast out the devil
Part of the city's Orthodox community demanded to remove the image of the devil from the main heraldic symbol of Arkhangelsk. The city was founded in 1584 at the behest of Ivan the Terrible not far from the Archangel Michael Monastery. The new settlement received a corresponding name, and the main official symbol depicts fighting representatives of light and dark forces: in the upper part of the shield - an archangel; at the bottom is the devil.
The authors of the sketch tried to clearly describe both characters, their clothes, poses, characters. The archangel is depicted in azure attire, reminiscent of the military armor of the ancient Romans. This representative of the light forces is armed, in his right hand - a scarlet sword with a black hilt, in his left hand - a round scarlet shield. Silver wings behind his back speak of his divine origin, moreover, he is shown soaring in the air.
The image of a representative of the dark forces looks no less picturesque. The authors of the sketch limited themselves to black and silver paint, but the details are written very clearly, you can see a long tail, strong wings, a goat's beard and horns. The devil is shown defeated, looking back at the archangel.
In general, the main official symbol of the city of Arkhangelsk is best viewed in a color photo or color illustration. This is the only way to appreciate the beauty of the palette, the ratio of colors, different approaches in the image of representatives of light and darkness.
The meaning of colors
Heraldry experts argue that the colors of the main Arkhangelsk symbol can and should be interpreted in their direct meaning. That is, the bad guy is traditionally portrayed in black, with a silver color chosen for contrast so that even small details can be seen.
The positive hero, in this case, the archangel, is depicted in color, and the well-known heraldic colors are chosen - azure, silver, scarlet. The sword, depicted in scarlet color, has the symbolic meaning of a fire weapon with which you can defeat the representatives of hell.
The traditional shape (French) has been chosen for the shield, which has a rounding in the lower part, in the corners, and a sharpening in the center. The color of the field is gorgeous, gold.
