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Coat of arms of Greece

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Coat of arms of Greece
Versions
Military version, used by theGreek militaryand security services and on thepresidentialstandard
ArmigerHellenic Republic
Adopted7 June 1975
ShieldAzure, a Greek Cross throughout Argent
Other elementsTwolaurelbranches

Thecoat of arms of Greece(Greek:Εθνόσημο,lit.'national emblem',[eθˈnosimo]) ornational seal of Greececomprises a whiteGreek crosson a blueescutcheon,surrounded by twolaurelbranches.It has been in use in its current form since 1975. Prior to the adoption of the current coat of arms, Greece used a number of different designs, some of which were notheraldic;the first heraldic design was introduced in 1832 and its main element, the blue shield with the white cross, has been the base for all other national coats of arms since then. The design is a heraldic representation of theGreek national flag adopted in 1822,which featured a white cross on a blue field.

The proper heraldic description of the coat of arms is:Azure,a crossArgent.The Law regulating the coat of arms does not specify atincturefor the laurel branches, implyingproper(orvert,i.e. green). Official usage portrays the laurel branches as monochrome blue, while a version with the branches in gold is used by themilitaryand on thepresidentialstandard. Since standardisation in 2010, theGovernment of Greecehas used a stylised version of the coat of arms as a government logo, again in monochrome.

Inperiods of monarchy,the shield was topped by a royal crown and surrounded by elaborate ornamentation expressive of royal authority, including male figures assupporters,theOrder of the Redeemer,amantle and pavilion,and the royal motto. The shield was also sometimeschargedwith the dynastic arms ofHouse of WittelsbachunderOtto of Greece,and by those of theHouse of Glücksburgafter his exile. Other designs adopted prior to 1832 made heavy use ofancient Greek imagery,such asAthenaandher owl,as well as other popular revolutionary symbols such as thePhoenixrising from its ashes, symbolising the rebirth of Greece as an independent state.

History[edit]

Non-heraldic designs[edit]

The political thinker and revolutionaryRigas Feraioswas the first to propose a national emblem for Greece,[1]including a hand-drawing rendition of it in his hand-writtenNew Political Constitutionof 1797.[2]Rigas' proposal was composed of aclubofHeracles,with the wordsLiberty – Equality – Fraternitysuperimposed on it, and threecrossestopping it.[1]In hisMap of Greeceof 1796–1797, Rigas explains that the club stands for the power of Greece, but its use was not limited toethnic Greeksand could also be used by any of the otherBalkanpeoples he envisaged would make up his multi-ethnicHellenic Republic.[1]In his selection of this device, however, he was directly influenced by theJacobin radicalismof theFrench Revolution,which utilised the device of the club of Heracles as a symbol of democratic power.[1]The national colours he proposed were red, white, and black, symbolising self-determination, purity, and sacrifice respectively.[2]The club, sewn onto a whitecockade,would be the identifying mark by which "free democrats and equal brothers" would recognise each other.[2]This design was never officially adopted.

The first official Greek national emblem was described in the Provisional Constitution adopted by theFirst National Assembly at Epidauruson 1 January 1822[3]and was established by decree on 15 March of the same year.[4]The national emblem was described as a simple cockade of white and blue.[5]These colours were chosen as the national colours over more "revolutionary" choices such as black and red, popular in Greece ever since Rigas had proposed them, so as to disassociate the government and the revolution from any perceived links toradical movementsin the eyes of theconservativeEuropeanroyal courts.[5][6]

Since its establishment, the emblem has undergone many changes in shape and in design, mainly due to changes ofregime.Apart from the cockade, theProvisional Administration of Greeceused a seal depicting the goddessAthenaand her symbol, theOwl of Athena,encircled by the words "Provisional Administration of Greece".[5]During the governorate ofIoannis Kapodistrias(1827–1831), a new seal based on thephoenix,the symbol of rebirth, was created.[7]The words "Hellenic State", accompanied with the date "1821" (the year theGreek War of Independencebegan) inGreek numerals,surrounded it.

This seal gave Greece's first currency, thePhoenix,its name.[7]The phoenix was also used as a symbol by later Greek non-monarchical governments, including theSecond Hellenic Republic(1924–1935) and thejunta-proclaimed republic of 1973–1974.[7][8]

Heraldic designs[edit]

Banner of thePalaiologoi
Middle arms ofKing Otto
Cockadeestablished as anational emblemin 1833

The current coat of arms of Greece derives from theGreek national flag,which was adopted in March 1822.[9]Theories published retrospectively in Greece try to justify this use by making a connection toByzantine flags and insignia.The 1934 edition of theGreat Greek Encyclopediaexplains that "the current national emblem of Greece shares this with the last emblem of Medieval [Greece], that it is made up of a cross dividing the emblem into four quarters. The difference is that the emblem of the Imperial house of thePalaiologoialso had a capitalBin each of the quarters ".[10]This design is well attested in Byzantine and Western sources during the 14th and 15th centuries,[11][12]but as the Byzantines entirely lacked the Western tradition of "national" or family heraldic designs as coats of arms, this design was only used in flags.[12]

Wittelsbach dynasty[edit]

The introduction of the blue shield with the white cross as the heraldic device to represent Greece occurred on 26 February [O.S.7 January] 1833,[13]when theregency councilwhich was governing Greece on behalf of its firstking,Otto,announced the official design for the coat of arms. Approved by Prime MinisterJosef Ludwig von Armansperg,it detailed the entireheraldic achievementand described, inGreekandGerman,its constituent parts. The lesser arms are described as an "equidistantazureescutcheon,pointed towards the middle of its lower side, and containing the Greek cross,argent,bearing at its centre an inescutcheon with thelozengesof theRoyal House of Bavaria."[13]The shade of blue is specified aslight blue(German:hellblau).[13]The escutcheon itself was supported by two crownedlionsrampantand surmounted by the royal crown.[13]The entire composition was contained within amantle and pavilion,purple[14]on the outside andermineon the inside, topped again with the royal crown.[13]This emblem was discarded following the23 October 1862 Revolutionand Otto's subsequent exile. Despite this fact, however, the blue shield with the white cross remained the basis upon which all subsequent coats of arms were based, including the current arms of theThird Hellenic Republic.The white and blue cockade of the revolutionary period was reinstated in March 1833, this time blue on the outside and white on the inside, so that the blue centre was equal to two thirds of the diameter of the cockade.[15]This design, described both as a 'national emblem' (ἐθνόσημον) and a 'cockade' (κοκάρδα) in Greek and as the 'national cockade' (National-Kokarde) in German, was to be worn on caps by uniformed military and civilian personnel as well as on the hats of private citizens that wished to display their national pride.[15]

Glücksburg dynasty and Second Republic[edit]

Following Otto's deposition in 1862, the 17-year oldPrince WilliamofDenmarkwas chosen in 1863 as Greece's new king. The coat of arms was suitably altered by the Royal Decree of 9 November 1863.[16]The text of the decree was almost identical to that of 1833, with minor additions and removals to accommodate Greece's new royal house, theHouse of Glücksburg.[16]The escutcheon remained the same, but the dynastic arms of the Glücksburg family, including the three lions of the arms ofDenmarkproper, the two lions ofSchleswig,the nettle leaf ofHolstein,the horse head ofLauenburg,the two red bars of theHouse of Oldenburgand the yellow cross ofDelmenhorst,were added in an inescutcheon at the centre of the cross when the coat of arms was used to represent members of theGreek royal family.[16]The shield remained surmounted by the royal crown but the supporters were changed to figures ofHeracles,[16]similar to the 'wild men' of thecoat of arms of Denmark.[7]This gave rise to the use of the term "Ἡρακλεῖς τοῦ Στέμματος"(" Heracleses of the Crown ") as aderogatory termfor Greek monarchists.[17][18]TheOrder of the Redeemerwas also added, while the new royal motto, "Ἰσχύς μου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ"(" The people's love is my strength "), was also introduced in gold lettering on an azure band.[16]

When Greecebecame a republicin 1924, all ornamentation was discarded and a simple escutcheon adopted as the coat of arms.[7]During the short-lived dictatorship ofTheodoros Pangalosin 1925–26, four symbols were added to the national emblem in the four quarters created by the cross: the head ofAthena,symbolising theancient Greek period;a helmet andspear,symbolising theMacedonian period;adouble-headed eagle,symbolising theByzantine period;and a phoenix rising from its ashes, symbolising the modern Greek period.[7]Awreathofoakleaves on the right, and oflaurelleaves on the left, surrounded the emblem, symbolising power and glory, respectively.[7]This particular emblem was criticised for being inappropriate and violatingheraldicrules, before being again replaced by the simple shield following the fall of Pangalos and his dictatorship.[7]Until the abolition of the republic in 1935, a phoenix was often added in the centre of the cross as a symbol of Greek republicanism.[7]

Coat of arms of the
Kingdom of Greece
ArmigerPavlos, Head of the Royal House of Greece
Adopted1936
ShieldAzure, a Greek Cross throughout Argent. The Inescutcheon features the Arms of the Greek line of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. (Greater coat of arms of Denmark used from 1819 to 1903, arms of KingChristian IXof Denmark). The shield is then topped with a golden Royal Crown.
SupportersTwo human figures representing the Greek mythological hero Herakles (Hercules), holding a wooden club and wearing the skin of the Nemean lion.
Motto"Ἰσχύς μου ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ λαοῦ" translated: "The people's love is my strength"
Order(s)Order of the Redeemer
Other elementsA dark blue mantle and topped with another royal crown.

Following thereturn of the monarchyin 1935, the original smaller version of the coat of arms of Denmark representing the royal family was supplanted by the greater coat of arms of Denmark of 1819–1903, and consequently also in 1863 when the Danish prince William accepted the Greek throne asKing George I.This greater arms included all the former elements, as well as the three crowns of the formerKalmar Union,thestockfishofIceland,the ram ofFaroe Islands,thepolar bearofGreenland,the lion and hearts of theKing of the Goths,thewyvernof theKing of the Wends,the swan with a crown ofStormarn,and the knight on horseback ofDithmarschen.

During the 1941–1944Axis occupation of Greece,theGreek puppet governmentused the republican escutcheon, "crowned with the depiction of the mythological Phoenix bird rising from its ashes, surrounded in between its wings by a contour of rays".[19]

Junta-proclaimed republic (1973–1974)[edit]

In 1973, the then-ruling military juntaabolished the monarchy,which was confirmed by asubsequent referendum.The constituent act that abolished the monarchy bore just the inscription "Government Gazette of the Hellenic Republic" (June 1, GG Issue 118 A). The following two issues (119 and 120, June 1 and 2 respectively), featured a phoenix rising from its ashes, with the soldier's silhouette clearly erased, in contrast with the "Phoenix and Soldier" design used widely before in coins, stamps, books, matchboxes and propaganda posters. Between June 5 and July 5 a new, rounded version of the phoenix appeared on Government Gazette issues, which was subsequently featured on ID cards, passports and other miscellaneous documents, such as lottery tickets, even after the finalization of the form of the phoenix.[20]A rounded version was also adopted in new coinage. On July 5, the design of the phoenix was finalised. It was subsequently used on military uniforms, passports and other official uses, while seals and material adhering to previous designs were also considered valid.

Ioannides' regime did not abolish it; as such it was used till August 1, 1974, when the Karamanlis administration issued a GGI without it. No coat of arms was used whereas possible till June 7, 1975, when the current coat of arms was introduced; however, coins bearing the phoenix continued being legal tender for a period.

After the collapse of the military regime in 1974, the new government decided to hold another referendum regarding the form of government as acts of the junta were considered to be illegal. The1974 referendumresulted in the republican form of government being maintained. This confirmed the abolition of the royal coats of arms, but the achievement remains in use by the currentpretendersof the Greek royal family.

Current design[edit]

The current Great Seal (shown here in actual size), containing the coat of arms

The current emblem is defined by Law 48/1975.[21]The blue shield with the white cross was restored, and the proportions of the escutcheon specified as18longer than its width.[21]The shield is surrounded entirely by two branches of laurel;[21]their colour is not specified but in practice they are almost universally shown as monochromatic. The coat of arms was designed in 1974 by Greek artistKostas Grammatopoulos[el].[22]The government uses a stylised version of the coat of arms as a government logo.[23]The design was implemented beginning in 2010 as a means of standardising thebrandingof the various Greek government ministries.[23]It specified the design and colour of the national emblem when used as a logo, and designatedFF Metaas the officialtypefacefor use across all media to represent theGovernment of Greece.[23]Instead of showing the blue parts of the shield as solid colour, the government logo utilisesheraldic hatching,with horizontal lines signifying azure (blue).

The Great Seal of the State (Μεγάλη του Κράτους Σφραγίς) is Greece's officialGreat Seal,used to confirm official documents. The current design was set out in the same law that specified the coat of arms in 1975; it is made up of the coat of arms, surrounded by the wordsHellenic Republic(Ελληνική Δημοκρατία) in capital letters, contained within a circle 60 millimetres (2.4 in) in diameter.[21]Previous Great Seals were also specified by previous decrees specifying the older coats of arms in 1833 and 1863.[13][16]

Colour[edit]

A Greek coat of arms with coloured laurel branches, used at an embassy
Common but unofficial rendering inproper tincture

The colours used to render the coat of arms are inconsistent. The original regulation does not specify a colour for the branches of laurel surrounding the escutcheon, implying that they should be green, orproper tincture.In effect, however, usage varies greatly. The 2003 version of theCivil Service Communications Regulationsprovide ascalable vector graphicfile of the coat of arms in black, without specifying any colours.[24]Other government guidelines, such as that used in the Publicity Guidelines forpublic works(as part of theEuropean Globalisation Adjustment Fund), are heraldically inconsistent and require the laurel branches to be green (if not black-and-white), but the blue of the escutcheon is shown as horizontal hatching instead of solid colour.[25]Similar guidelines were issued by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue as late as 2017.[26]The most common usage is that of the laurel branches in monochrome. The general government guidelines which regulate the government logo are monochromatic, and so the laurel branches are not coloured.[23]

The official shade of blue that the coat of arms should be rendered in is also not specified. Historically, the shade has varied from light blue under King Otto to darker shades in later years. Differing shades of blue were also used by different departments of the Government of Greece, until the guidelines regulating the government logo were implemented in 2010.[23]These specified the various colour codes to be used:[23]

  • HEX#004588 as displayed digitally
  • Pantone280 U/C/M orCMYK100/70/0/20

Themilitary of Greeceuses a version of the coat of arms which has the laurel branches in gold. The standard of thepresident of Greecealso uses this design, in his capacity as nominalcommander-in-chiefof the armed forces.[27]The various branches of the military have their own specifications for different types of usage. For example, the 2009 specifications for the colours of threads to be used on service caps, specified inCIELAB color spacecoordinates, were:[28]

  • 86.20/–2.66/49.65 for caps of type I (yellow thread)
  • 73.49/4.58/42.12 for caps of type II (goldwork)
  • 92.86/2.70/–9.50 for all caps
  • 28.58/10.69/–39.83 for all caps

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdDroulia, Loukia (10–11 May 1995)."Η Πολυσημία των Συμβόλων και το" Ρόπαλον του Ηρακλέους "του Ρήγα Βαλεστινλή"[The Multiple Meaning of Symbols and the "Club of Heracles" of Rigas Valestinlis](PDF).Πρακτικά Συμποσίου Μνήμη Λεάνδρου Βρανούση(in Greek). Athens: National Printing House.Archived(PDF)from the original on 9 August 2017.Retrieved5 February2019.
  2. ^abcFeraios, Rigas (1797)."Νέα Πολιτική Διοίκησις"[New Political Constitution](PDF).hellenicparliament.gr(in Greek).Hellenic Parliament.Archived(PDF)from the original on 4 October 2018.Retrieved5 February2019.
  3. ^Note: Greece officiallyadoptedtheGregorian calendaron 16 February 1923 (which became 1 March). All dates prior to that, unless specifically denoted, areOld Style.
  4. ^Nouchakis, Ioannis M. (1908)."Η Σημαία Μας"[Our Flag](PDF).auth.gr(in Greek). Athens: Ioannis N. Sideris. pp. 44–45.Archived(PDF)from the original on 9 February 2019.Retrieved6 February2019.Τὸ Ἐθνικὸν σημεῖον, ἔχον σχῆμα κυκλικὸν, σύγκειται ἐκ λευκοῦ καὶ κυανοῦ χρώματος τοιουτοτρόπως, ὤστε τὸ μὲν λευκὸν νὰ προτίθεται, τὸ δὲ κυανοῦν ν' ακολουθῆ, καὶ τέλος τὸ λευκὸν· οὐδέποτε δὲ ἄλλου σχήματος καὶ χρώματος νὰ ἤναι τὸ σημεῖον τοῦτο. [The National emblem, being round in shape, is fashioned in white and blue as follows, so that the white comes first, the blue follows, and finally the white; this emblem can never be of a different shape or colour.]
  5. ^abc"Προσωρινόν Πολίτευμα της Ελλάδος"[Provisional Regime of Greece](PDF)(in Greek). Athens:Hellenic Parliament.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 February 2019.Retrieved5 February2019.
  6. ^"Η Σημαία Μας"[Our Flag](PDF).geetha.mil.gr(in Greek). Athens:Hellenic National Defence General Staff.2005. p. 25. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 March 2016.Retrieved6 February2019.
  7. ^abcdefghiGreat Greek Encyclopedia.
  8. ^"Ἑφημερίς τῆς Κυβερνήσεως τῆς Ἑλληνικὴς Δημοκρατίας"[Government Gazette of the Hellenic Republic](PDF),et.gr,Athens:Government Gazette,1 June 1973,archivedfrom the original on 9 February 2019,retrieved6 February2019,Ὡς ἔμβλημα τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς Πολιτείας ὁρίζεται ὁ ἀναγεννώμενος ἐκ τῆς τέφρας του Φοῖνιξ [The Phoenix rising from its ashes is established as the emblem of the Hellenic State]
  9. ^Hatzilyras, Alexandros-Michail (2003)."Η καθιέρωση της ελληνικής σημαίας"[The adoption of the Greek flag] (in Greek).Hellenic Army General Staff.Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2007.
  10. ^Great Greek Encyclopedia,p. 243.
  11. ^Soloviev, A. V. (1935). "Les emblèmes héraldiques de Byzance et les Slaves".Seminarium Kondakovianum(in French).7:119–164.
  12. ^abTipaldos, G. E. (1926). "Εἶχον οἱ Βυζαντινοί οἰκόσημα;".Ἐπετηρίς Ἐταιρείας Βυζαντινῶν Σπουδῶν(in Greek).III:206–222.hdl:11615/16885.
  13. ^abcdefΦΕΚ 2/1833.
  14. ^The exact words used wereπορφυροῦνin Greek andpurpurnenin German.
  15. ^abΦΕΚ 8/1833.
  16. ^abcdefΦΕΚ 44/1863.
  17. ^"4 Πόδια και ουρά"[4 Feet and a Tail].www.enet.gr(in Greek).Eleftherotypia.12 October 2009.Archivedfrom the original on 7 February 2019.Retrieved5 February2019.Αυτοί είναι οι «Ηρακλείς του Στέμματος» και, μεταφορικά, σημαίνουν αυτούς που στηρίζουν και προστατεύουν τη μοναρχία, το «Στέμμα». [These were the "Heracleses of the Crown" and, metaphorically, it means those who support and protect the monarchy, the "Crown".]
  18. ^Sapranides, Demetres (2001).Ιστορία της Ελληνικής Γελοιογραφίας: Από την Αρχαιότητα μέχρι την Μεταπολίτευση[History of Greek Caricatures: From antiquity until the fall of the dictatorship] (in Greek). Potamos.ISBN9789607563736.Retrieved5 February2019.
  19. ^Legislative Decree 180, 16 June 1941
  20. ^"Advertisement for the Special State Lottery, December 1973"(PDF).Επιθεώρησις Χωροφυλακής (Hellenic Gendarmery Review)(48): back cover.Archived(PDF)from the original on 22 October 2022.Retrieved22 October2022.
  21. ^abcdΦΕΚ 108/1975.
  22. ^Bistika, Eleni (7 June 2014)."Η Ελλάδα με τα μάτια της τέχνης του Κώστα Γραμματόπουλου"[Greece through the eyes of the art of Kostas Grammatopoulos] (in Greek).Kathimerini.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2019.Retrieved3 February2019.
  23. ^abcdefCommunication and design guide.
  24. ^"Κανονισμός Επικοινωνίας Δημοσίων Υπηρεσιών"[Civil Service Communications Regulations](PDF).www.ntua.gr(in Greek). Athens:Ministry of the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization.January 2003. p. 50.Archived(PDF)from the original on 24 October 2018.Retrieved5 February2019.
  25. ^"Οδηγός Δημοσιότητας"[Publicity Guide](PDF).www.et.gr(in Greek). Athens: National Printing House. 10 November 2016. p. 8.Archived(PDF)from the original on 7 February 2019.Retrieved5 February2019.
  26. ^"Οδηγός για την ορθή κατάρτιση και έκδοση εγγράφων, σύμφωνα με τον" Κανονισμό Επικοινωνίας Δημοσίων Υπηρεσιών (Κ.Ε.Δ.Υ.) ""[Guide for the correct setting up and publication of documents, in accordance with the "Civil Service Communications Regulations" ](PDF).www.aade.gr(in Greek). Athens: Independent Authority for Public Revenue. December 2017.Archived(PDF)from the original on 7 February 2019.Retrieved5 February2019.
  27. ^Ἑφημερίς τῆς Κυβερνήσεως τῆς Ἑλληνικὴς Δημοκρατίας[Government Gazette of the Hellenic Republic](PDF)(in Greek), vol. 1, Athens: National Printing Office, 17 April 1979,archivedfrom the original on 7 February 2019,retrieved6 February2019
  28. ^"Προδιαγραφή Γενικού Επιτελείου Στρατού ΠΓΕΣ-ΠΠΔ-920Ζ/06-2009"(PDF).www.gge.gov.gr.Hellenic Army General Staff– Materiel Office. June 2009. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 30 May 2012.Retrieved5 February2019.

Sources[edit]