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The coat of arms of the city of
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
(French: ''Blason de Paris'') shows a
silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ...
on waves of the sea in a
red field ''Red Field'' (Portuguese: ''Seara Vermelha'') is a Brazilian Modernist novel. It was written by Jorge Amado. It has not been published in English. Background Jorge Amado published ''Red Field'' in 1946. In 1945, Brazil had entered a period of � ...
, with a
chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...
showing the Royal emblem of gold-on-blue
fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
. Originally introduced in the 14th century, its current form dates to 1853. The city motto is ''Fluctuat nec mergitur'' (" heis tossed y the waves but does not sink"). The traditional colors of the city of Paris are red and blue.


History

The ''Marchands de l'eau'' ('' hanse parisienne des marchands de l'eau'') were a corporation or guild established by royal privilege in 1170 with the right for commercial navigation on the
Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...
between Paris and Mantes. Their seal in c. 1210 showed a river boat. By the mid-14th century, the members of the guild, known as the ''hansés'', became the most influential faction in the city, and their emblem, now represented as a sailing-vessel bearing the royal fleur-de-lis as its emblem, came to be used as the city coat of arms. The first recorded use of the coat of arms dates to 1358. The city colors of red and blue also date to 1358, introduced by Étienne Marcel. In the 15th century, the coat of arms is shown as a red a ship argent (without the waves) with the Capetian arms in chief, at the time azure, three
fleurs-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
or. The use of '' semé-de-lis'' (''France ancien'') is attested for the early 16th century. When the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
abolished the nobility by the decree of 20 June 1790, it simultaneously disallowed all emblems or coats of arms. The municipality of Paris quickly complied, and abolished its own arms in November of that same year. It was not until the
First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental E ...
that new cities were officially allowed to have arms. For Paris, this resulted in the Letters Patent granted to the city of Paris by
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
on 29 January 1811. In the Letters Patent of
Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
in 1817, the coat of arms of Paris was restored in its traditional form, except for the chief, where the fleur-de-lis were replaced by the three bees used by Napoleon (attributed to the
Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gaul ...
kings, especially
Childeric I Childeric I (; french: Childéric; la, Childericus; reconstructed Frankish: ''*Hildirīk''; – 481 AD) was a Frankish leader in the northern part of imperial Roman Gaul and a member of the Merovingian dynasty, described as a king (Latin ''r ...
). The
July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 ...
re-introduced the old (pre-revolutionary) coat of arms. Under the
French Second Republic The French Second Republic (french: Deuxième République Française or ), officially the French Republic (), was the republican government of France that existed between 1848 and 1852. It was established in February 1848, with the February Re ...
(1848–1852), the fleurs-de-lis were replaced by stars. Under the
Second French Empire The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the Second and the Third Republic of France. Historians in the 1930s ...
, the old coat-of-arms was once again restored. The motto ''
Fluctuat nec mergitur The coat of arms of the city of Paris (French: ''Blason de Paris'') shows a silver sailing ship on waves of the sea in a red field, with a chief showing the Royal emblem of gold-on-blue fleur-de-lis. Originally introduced in the 14th century, its ...
'' dates to the same time, officially introduced by a decree dated 24 November 1853, by Baron Haussmann, then prefect of the
Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...
. It has been part of the full coat of arms since that time. Additions made to the full achievement of the coat of arms in modern times include three badges, for: * the
Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
(decree of 9 October 1900); * the
Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
1914-1918 (Decree of 28 July 1919); * the Ordre de la Libération (decree of 24 March 1945). File:Moulage du sceau des marchands de l'eau de Paris. 1 - Archives Nationales - SC-D5582.jpg, Seal of the '' marchands de l'eau'', c. 1210 (''SIGIL VM MECATORVM AQVE PARISIVS'') File:Seal of Paris (No 6).jpg, Seal dated 1412, showing a ship with two fleur-de-lis File:Armorial de Gilles Le Bouvier - BNF Fr4985 f21r.jpg, Armorial de Gilles Le Bouvier (1455), representing the sailing boat (without sails) used by the ''marchands de l'eau''. File:Écusson de la ville de Paris.jpg, 16th-century depiction showing the chief ''semy'' of fleur-de-lis File:Blason et ornements ville fr Paris (Empire).svg, Armorial of Paris under the
First Empire First Empire may refer to: *First British Empire, sometimes used to describe the British Empire between 1583 and 1783 *First Bulgarian Empire (680–1018) *First French Empire (1804–1814/1815) * First German Empire or "First Reich", sometimes use ...
File:15 of 'Histoire des Villes de France, avec une introduction générale pour chaque province par A. Guilbert et une Société de Membres de l'Institut, de savants, etc' (11022826443).jpg, 1844 depiction (
July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 ...
) File:Blason Ville fr Paris Restauration.svg, Escutcheon of Paris under the Second Republic File:Charles Meryon, Coat-of-Arms Symbolic of the City of Paris with the motto - It Rocks But Does Not Sink, 1854.jpg, 1854 depiction with the mural crown and the motto but without the chief File:Charles Meryon, Coat-of-Arms Symbolizing the City of Paris, 1854.jpg, 1854 depiction with the mural crown and the chief but without the motto File:1924 Summer Olympics logo.svg, Coat of arms of Paris in logo of
1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The o ...
File:Blason paris 75.svg, 1942 depiction from the work of the Commission d'héraldique urbaine de la Seine (Seine's department urban heraldic commission), approved by prefectoral decree of 20 June 1942


Motto

' (" heis rocked y the waves but does not sink"; french: Il est agité par les vagues, mais ne sombre pas, link=no or ''Il est battu par les flots, mais ne sombre pas'') is the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...
of the city of
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
. The motto originates as an abbreviation of a longer Latin distich, :''Niteris incassum navem submergere Petri / Fluctuat at numquam mergitur illa ratis.'' :"In vain you strive to submerge the ship of Peter — this vessel rocks but is never submerged." This verse is medieval, attributed to either
Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...
or Pope Innocent IV in the context of the war against Frederick II, in which Frederick had destroyed the Genoese fleet. The tradition of attribution to these 13th-century popes, while it may itself be spurious, has a manuscript tradition going back to at least the 15th century. The verse is mentioned in print in 1567, by Matthias Flacius. The abbreviated verse first appears in connection with Paris, on coins (''jetons''), in the 1580s. Before the 19th century, it was one of the mottoes associated with Paris, neither officially, nor exclusively. It was historically also associated with the city of
Aimargues Aimargues () is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. The town of Aimargues may have Roman origins and is situated beside the river Vidourle on the floodplain of the Rhône. Traditionally it has been an agricultural and wine-produ ...
. Its official adoption as the motto of the city of Paris dates to 24 November 1853, in connection with the renovation of Paris led by Georges-Eugène Haussmann. It was included as the heraldic motto with the city's coat of arms from this time.An early example dated 1854 is a print by Charles Méryon (1821–1868) kept by the Metropolitan Museum of Art ( accession number 17.21.37). The motto is part of the official livery of the Paris Fire Brigade. Following the
November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...
, the Latin-language motto had a surge in popularity and was used in social media as a symbol of Paris' resistance in the face of terrorism.


Contemporary use

The coat of arms is to be found on many Parisian
public buildings A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and f ...
, including the Hôtel de Ville, the mairies of the 20 arrondissements, the train stations,
the bridges The Bridges Shopping Centre, commonly known as ‘The Bridges’ is a shopping centre located in Sunderland, England. The centre was opened by Princess Royal, Anne in 1988. Shops The center compromises 79 stores, including 2 anchor tenant ...
, and primary and
secondary schools A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
, and la Sorbonne. Today, the police headquarters of Paris uses a logo inspired by the coat of arms of the city of Paris. It was also represented on a postage stamp issued in 1965, the 0.30 franc "Blason de Paris". It is also used as the Garde républicaine's insignia.


References

* Marc Declerck, ''Les armoiries de Paris'', L'Harmattan, 2007 () *A. Coëtlogon, M.-L. Tisserand, "Les devises de la ville de Paris", ''Les Armoires de la Ville de Paris'' (1874), 180–189.


External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Coats of arms of Paris
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
Government of Paris Culture of Paris History of Paris
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...