Montreal
MONTREAL/MONTRÉAL
Province : Quebec
Official blazons
- (1833)
Arms : Argent a saltire Gules between in the first quarter a rose, in the second quarter a thistle, in the third quarter a shamrock and in the fourth quarter a beaver couchant on a log Or.
Motto: CONCORDIA SALUS
- (1938)
Arms : Argent a cross Gules between in the first quarter a fleur-de-lis, in the second quarter a rose, in the third quarter a thistle and in the fourth quarter a shamrock proper
Crest : A beaver couchant on a log proper
Motto: CONCORDIA SALUS
- (2017)
Arms : Argent on a cross nowy Gules a white pine tree eradicated Or between in the first quarter a fleur-de-lis Azure, in the second quarter a rose, in the third quarter a thistle and in the fourth quarter a shamrock proper
Crest : A beaver couchant on a log proper
Motto: CONCORDIA SALUS
(fr):
Armoiries: D’argent à la croix nouée de gueules chargée d’un pin blanc arraché d’or, cantonnée au 1 d’une fleur de lis, au 2 d’une rose, au 3 d’un chardon et au 4 d’un trèfle, le tout au naturel
Cimier: Un castor soutenu d’un rondin, le tout au naturel
Devise: CONCORDIA SALUS
Origin/meaning
The arms were officially granted in 1833, on March 21, 1938 and augmented on September 25, 2017.
The cross is derived from the English cross of St. George, but there is also a cross on the main hill, the Mount Royal, in the center of the city. The cross was erected in 1924 and recalls January 6, 1643, when Maisonneuve, the founder of Montréal, kept his promise to carry a wooden cross on Mount Royal if the young colony survived the threat of flooding. Today, the cross stands 30 metres (98 feet) high and when lit, can be seen miles away.
The four symbols in the quarters represent the four main immigrant groups in the early days of the city: the French (fleur-de-lis), British (rose), Scots (thistle) and Irish (trefoil), while the golden white pine within the cross is a reference to the indigenous people. The red circle, open at the four compass points, represents the Circle of Life and the council fire as a place for meeting and dialogue.
The motto means "Salvation through harmony".
The change to the arms was made during as a part of a nation-wide movement to reconcile and improve the relations with Canada's native population. Along with the change to the shield, the new depiction of the arms includes a silver and red torse beneath the beaver crest. The depiction of the arms was created by artist Robert Grey, based on the original drawing of the city from around 1940.
 The arms from 1938-2017 |
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© since 1995, Heraldry of the World, Ralf Hartemink 
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