The anchor, popularly called "cat", adorns the coat of arms of Odessa, one of the most beautiful and famous cities on the Black Sea coast. Why this particular element was chosen for the heraldic symbol of the city, there is no need to explain to anyone - here both the geographical position of the “pearl by the sea” and the main direction of the economy of the settlement. Many beautiful songs that have gone to the people also emphasize that these two concepts are inextricably linked.
Description of the coat of arms of Odessa
The modern heraldic symbol of the hero city was approved in June 1999. Any color photo demonstrates its beauty and conciseness. The coat of arms is distinguished by the restraint of the color palette, only four colors are used, and the deep symbolism of the elements. In fact, the image can be decomposed into several parts:
- a very beautiful shield in a cartouche of precious (gold) color;
- the anchor-cat is the only element in the scarlet field of the shield;
- a five-pointed star at the top, symbolizing a state award;
- city crown in the form of a tower with three teeth.
Each of the elements has its own symbolic meaning, from the point of view of aesthetics, the main official symbol of Odessa looks flawless.
From the history of the symbol
Historians of heraldry call the exact date when the first coat of arms of this seaside resort and port appeared - 1798, April 22. The first heraldic symbol had the same element as its modern counterpart, the anchor. The compositional structure was a little more complex, the shield was divided into two parts, the silver anchor was placed in the lower field and symbolized the geographical position of the city, the role of Odessa in the maritime business.
In the upper field of the shield there was a two-headed eagle, the position of the feathered predator is called "emerging". Moreover, there is one more feature - since at the time when the first city symbol was approved, Emperor Paul I ruled, then the bird also had a Maltese cross on its chest, the image of the so-called "Pavlovian type".
The second interesting fact is that four crowns were depicted on this heraldic sign, two were crowned with the heads of an eagle, the third was placed between the small ones. The fourth headdress of the monarchs was located above the heads of the eagle. The Maltese cross left the coat of arms of Odessa after the emperor was killed. Today, in the modern city, you can see the pre-revolutionary heraldic symbol of Odessa.
