Belarusian heraldry

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The use of heraldry in Belarus is used by government bodies, subdivisions of the national government, organizations, corporations and by families.

History

Until it was absorbed into the Soviet Union, Belarus as the Belarusian Democratic Republic was represented by a coat of arms: a charging knight on a red field, called the Vytis or Pahonia ('the Chase').

Throughout the communist period, coats of arms fell out of favor and were replaced by emblems. The cities still used shields, but these were changed to add socialist realism or to announce the state awards each city earned.

Once the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, the Pahonia was restored as the state coat of arms and the cities reverted to old coat of arms or created new designs. Each of the seven voblasts of Belarus has its own coat of arms. Historical achievements, state awards or state symbols are placed on the coat of arms. For example, the enterprise "October" features the state flag of Belarus on their coat of arms.[1]. By 1995, Belarus had reverted its Coat of Arms to Soviet-era style emblem.

State symbols

Civic heraldry

There have been several waves of Belarusian cities receiving coats of arms. Firstly, many cities received coats of arms under the Magdeburg Law during the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

After the Partitions of Poland, territories in modern-day Belarus were incorporated into the Russian Empire. In the late 18th century and during the 19th century, the authorities of the Russian Empire assigned new coats of arms to most Belarusian cities, often aiming to emphasize the cities' conquest by the Russians.

In the Belarusian SSR era, cities didn't have any official coats of arms. In the late years of the USSR, Russian-Empire-era coats of arms were sporadically used as informal symbols.

After the restoration of the independence of Belarus in 1991, the cities of Belarus have restored the official usage of coats of arms. Most cities have restored the initial medieval coats of arms, fewer have restored the coats of arms granted during the Russian Empire.

City Current coat of arms Historical
coat of arms		 Coat of arms
introduced by the Russian Empire
Miensk File:Coat of arms of Minsk.svg File:Miensk. Менск (1591).gif File:Minsk COA (Minsk Governorate) (1796).gif
Bierascie File:Coat of Arms of Brest, Belarus.svg File:Печать Бреста 1543–1596.png File:Brest-Litovsk COA (Grodno Governorate) (1845).png
Homiel File:Coat of Arms of Homiel, Belarus.svg File:Coat of Arms of Homiel (history).png File:Russian Coat of Arms of Homiel, 1855.gif
Horadnia File:Coat of arms of Hrodna.svg File:Horadnia. Горадня (1840-49).jpg File:Grodno COA (Grodno Governorate) (1845).png
Mahilow File:Coat of Arms of Mahiloŭ.svg File:Mahiloŭ. Магілёў (1577).jpg File:Mahiloŭ, Pahonia. Магілёў, Пагоня (1807).jpg
Viciebsk File:Coat of Arms of Viciebsk, Belarus.svg File:Печать мета Витебтискато 1559.svg File:Coat of arms of Vitebsk 1781.svg

Regional heraldry

Medieval history

During the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Vytis has been the dominating symbol on the coats of arms on the provinces on the territory of today's Belarus.

Under the Russian Empire

After the annexation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (including territories of present-day Belarus) to the Russian Empire, new administrative divisions (gubernyas, or governorates) were introduced. Vitebsk and Vilnius governorates inherited coats of arms of their former voivodeships.

Independent Belarus

After the restoration of the independence of Belarus, the regions received new coats of arms, mostly based on the coats of the Russian-era governorates.

Personal heraldry

See Armorial of Polish nobility

The nobility of the historical regions of modern Belarus, which comprise parts of Lithuania propria and White Ruthenia, were a historical part of the Lithuanian nobility and Ruthenian nobility in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Very early, the nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania adopted the heraldic tradition of the Polish szlachta. The heraldry of the said nobility constitutes a part of the Polish heraldry.

Ecclesiastic heraldry

The Belarusian Roman Catholic senior clergy has personal coats of arms as according to the customs of catholic ecclesiastical heraldry.

See also

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Further reading

References

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External links

Template:Sister project

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