The coat of arms of the Valencian Community is the official emblem of the self-government institutions of the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wi ...

. It is based on the

armorial achievement In heraldry, an achievement, armorial achievement or heraldic achievement (historical: hatchment) is a full display or depiction of all the heraldic components to which the bearer of a coat of arms is entitled. An achievement comprises not onl ...

used from the reign of King Peter IV to

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...

, called the Great. In 1978 the former Council of the Valencian Country approved it “''...for being the oldest known representative emblem of the former Kingdom of Valencia, that had located on the Xerea Gate of the city of Valencia''”. The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

of the arms of the

is stated in Article 6 of the Title III (The Emblem) of the ''Law of the Generalitat Valenciana 8 of 4 December 1984, approving the symbols of the Valencian Community and its use'', published in the Official Gazette of the Valencian Community - DOGV, no. 211 of 13 December 1984. It is composed as follows:

History

Although Valencian popular traditions attribute the origin of crest of winged dragon to King James I the Conqueror, its origin can be traced back to King Peter IV in the 14th century, when crests came into regular use above noble helmets. According to Spanish historian Guillermo Fatás Cabeza, it could be considered as a ''quasi-

canting ' (IPA: , VOS Spelling: ''tjanting'', jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦛꦶꦁ, Tjanting) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax ( jv, ) in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely ''batik tulis'' (lit. "written batik"). Traditional '' ...

'' emblem, an emblematic symbol of the Aragonese monarch. The mantle, the protective cloth covering worn by knights from their helmets was dark blue and charged with the Cross of Arista. In some cases, the winged dragon will in time be transformed into in a bat, commonly used in local heraldry in territories that were part of the former

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

like the City of Valencia, Palma, or Earlier versions of the armorial achievement of

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. The field ''Azure'' lined ''Gules'' and the Cross of Arista ''Argent'' symbolize the

Jiménez dynasty The Jiménez dynasty, alternatively called the Jimena, the Sancha, the Banu Sancho, the Abarca or the Banu Abarca,Alberto Cañada Juste, "¿Quién fue Sancho Abarca?, ''Príncipe de Viana'', 73: 79-132. was a medieval ruling family from the 9th c ...

(ancient kings of Aragon, before the union with Barcelona), they are part of the current version of the coat of arms of Aragon in its second quarter. The heraldry of his son and heir John the Hunter as

Prince of Girona 200px, The Coat of Arms of the Princes of Girona The Prince or Princess of Girona ( ca, Príncep o Princesa de Girona) is a title that was historically accorded to the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the Crown of Aragon. Current legislatio ...

featured the same crest but the arms differenced with two paletts on a gold background instead four. Ferdinand I, first Aragonse monarch of the

House of Trastámara The House of Trastámara ( Spanish, Aragonese and Catalan: Casa de Trastámara) was a royal dynasty which first ruled in the Crown of Castile and then expanded to the Crown of Aragon in the late middle ages to the early modern period. They were ...

, kept the coat of arms used by his predecessors. King Alfonso the Magnanimous replaced the mantle with the Cross of Arista and adopted lambrequins ''Gules'' and ''Or''. Ferdinand II the Catholic, as King of Aragon, quartered the arms of Castile and Aragon but he continued to use the Aragonese royal crest. In the city of Valencia, the Aragonese royal achievement of arms with the shield inclined ''dexter'', helmet, mantle, crown, and crest is depicted on the façade of the

Llotja de la Seda The Lonja de la Seda or Llotja de la Seda (, English "Silk Exchange") is a late Valencian Gothic-style civil building in Valencia, Spain. It is a principal tourist attraction in the city. History Built between 1482 and 1533, la Lonja is composed ...

, the Serranos Gate and Quart Towers. In 1394 appeared the Gold Real of Valencia, a coin whose obverse features the royal achievement of arms, with two palettes, and its reverse side featuring a lozenge with the Aragonese arms without crest. Title pages of the ''Aureum Opus Regalium'' Title page of the ''Aureum Opus''. Retrieved 21 July 2018. and the ''Primera part de la Història de València'' (1538) by Pere Antoni Beuter show the Aragonese royal achievement. The Council of the Province of Valencia, founded as a result of the 1833 territorial division of Spain, adopted the royal achievement. It used different versions: with lambrequins, similar to similar to the one depicted on the title page of the ''Chronicle'' by

Ramon Muntaner Ramon Muntaner () (1265 – 1336) was a Catalan mercenary and writer who wrote the ''Crònica'', a chronicle of his life, including his adventures as a commander in the Catalan Company. He was born at Peralada. Biography The Catalan Compa ...

; with a mantle but an incorrect

cross pattée A cross pattée, cross patty or cross paty, also known as a cross formy or cross formée (french: croix pattée, german: Tatzenkreuz), is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre, and often flared in a curve or straight ...

, and a mantle with the Cross of Arista. Provincial councils of

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

and Castellón chose their own coats of arms.

Current situation

The coat of arms is not described in the ''Statute of Autonomy of the Valencian Community'', despite article 4.2 recognises the possibility that the heraldry of the provinces to be added to the flag of Valencia. During the preparation of the Statute was clear that the coat of arms would be the current version, drafting the Statute of Benicassim it was agreed to add the former royal achievement in the flag of the autonomous community but finally it was not done. There was a ''Decree of 9 August 1978'' (before the adoption of the Statute of Autonomy) approving the official design and use of the coat of arms. Later other version with a different design, that is still official, was established by the ''Law of symbols of 4 December 1984''.

References

External links

''Coat of arms of the Valencian Community''. Heraldry of the World
Retrieved 18 July 2018.
''Symbols of the Community''
Government of the Valencian Community website. {{Spanish coat of arms Valencian Community

History

Current situation

See also

References

External links