Any former citizen of the USSR and connoisseur of history will have no doubt about what the main heraldic symbol of this Black Sea city should be. The coat of arms of Sevastopol, its modern version, reflects the heroic past of the city, the courage shown by the defenders during the Great Patriotic War.
Description of the coat of arms of Sevastopol
The modern heraldic symbol appeared in the city in 1969, the authors of the sketch were N. Krylova and S. Shakhunov. They proposed the following images as the main elements: the award received by Sevastopol, the Gold Star medal; stylized image of the most famous monument of the city.
These elements are located on a shield, which has a traditional French shape, that is, with rounded lower ends and a sharp point at the bottom, in the center. For the field of the shield, noble colors, often used in world heraldry, were chosen - these are silver, depicted in white, and azure.
The shield is divided diagonally into two equal fields, the silver one contains the image of the medal, the azure one - the Monument to the Scuttled Ships. Both fields and both elements of the coat of arms are symbolically connected by a golden laurel branch associated with victory. Any color photo conveys the laconicism and restraint of the palette of the coat of arms. But each of the elements depicted on the official symbol of Sevastopol has a deep meaning.
There is an official and unofficial version of the coat of arms of this Black Sea city. The main difference is that in the unofficial version, in addition to the shield itself, there is the St. George ribbon, another symbol of victory. She frames the shield, draping with beautiful folds. The name of the city is written in black letters on top of a gold ribbon.
Royal coat of arms
The first coat of arms of Sevastopol appeared in 1893. It had a very complex compositional structure, consisted of a shield with symbolic elements, a crown above the shield, the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, flags, and a complex decorative frame.
On the shield, the main elements were a silver griffin standing on its hind legs. In the upper left corner - the coat of arms of the Tauride province, to which Sevastopol belonged. In the frame one could see two golden anchors, symbolizing the geographical position of the city and its role as a major seaport.
