Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist

Heraldry of the World
Civic heraldry of South Africa : Ecclesiastical heraldry

DIOCESE OF ST. MARK THE EVANGELIST

Denomination : Anglican

Official blazon

Argent, in chief a Lion of St Mark with a scroll issuant from the mouth and flexed between the legs, and in base a baobab tree sans leaves, Purpure.

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on June 26, 1998.

The diocese was created in 1987 as a division of the Diocese of Pretoria.

The symbol of St Mark the Evangelist is a winged lion. As one of the Living Creatures in the Book of Revelation the winged lion became widely associated with St Mark, and in the same book the lion is used as a figure of Christ.

The baobab (Adansonia digitata) is a common tree in the diocese. It is one of the most strangely shaped trees in the world and one can understand why this colossus plays an important part in the myths and legends of Africa.

These arms are unusual in that both charges are coloured purple, a colour traditionally associated with the episcopacy.