The International Congress of Genealogical and Heraldic Sciences is a biennial conference discussing topics of

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

and

genealogical Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...

interest. The Congress brings together scholars and other interested persons from all the nations of Europe and from many countries around the world. The first Congress was held in Barcelona in 1929; at the second Congress, held in 1953, it was decided that future meetings would be held every two years (there have been two exceptions). Memorable 22nd Congress held in Ottawa in 1996 ''"for the first time beyond the birthplace of modern scientific studies in genealogy and heraldry"'' Boudreau,Claire.Vachon,Auguste.Cogné,Daniel.''"Genealogica & Heraldica .Proceedings of the 22nd International Congress of Genealogical and heraldic Sciences in Ottawa from August 18 to 23,1996 .Message from his Excellency the Right Honourable Roméo LeBlanc, Governor of Canada, Patron of the 22nd Congress"''. p. 21 had Honourable

Roméo LeBlanc Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (December 18, 1927June 24, 2009) was a Canadian journalist, politician and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 25th since Canadian Confederation. LeBlanc was born and educated in New Brunswick, and also ...

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Diana Fowler LeBlanc as its patrons. The 2006 congress in St. Andrews, had

The Princess Royal Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been sev ...

as its patron, and the 2008 congress in Quebec City had

Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian stateswoman and former journalist who served from 2005 to 2010 as governor general of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person ...

as its patron. The main themes of the Congresses have changed greatly over the years, and some disciplines have ceased to form any part of the Congresses' study. Abandoned subjects include

sphragistics Sigillography, also known by its Greek-derived name, sphragistics, is the scholarly discipline that studies the wax, lead, clay, and other seals used to authenticate archival documents. It investigates not only aspects of the artistic design and ...

and

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

, which were dealt with at Paris, and

vexillology Vexillology ( ) is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.Smith, Whitney. ''Flags Through the Ages and Across the World'' New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. Print. The word is a synthe ...

, which was to have been one of the themes at Congresses after Bern.

Genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

, which had been a subject of discussion at Stockholm in 1960, did not reappear until the Ottawa Congress of 1996.

Chivalric orders An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and paired with medieval concep ...

were another discarded subject, despite featuring in the congresses held at Rome/Naples, Madrid, Stockholm and Edinburgh, as well as in a few papers presented at Madrid in 1982.

List of congresses

Over the years the meeting have been held in different cities:

References

{{Authority control Heraldry Genealogy Genealogical societies Recurring events established in 1929