The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

features a shield in similarly quartered colors as the flag, supported by a

bay laurel ''Laurus nobilis'' is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glabrous (smooth) leaves. It is in the flowering plant family Lauraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is used as bay leaf for seasoning in cookin ...

branch (left) and a

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

frond (right); above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national

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 ...

: ''Dios, Patria, Libertad'' (God, Homeland, Liberty). Below the shield, the words ''República Dominicana'' appear on a red ribbon. In the center of the shield, flanked by six spears (three on each side), the front four holding the national flag, is a

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

which is open to John: 8:31–32 with a small golden

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a s ...

above it. The coat of arms appears in the center of the

flag of the Dominican Republic The flag of the Dominican Republic represents the Dominican Republic and, together with the coat of arms and the national anthem, has the status of a national symbol. The blue on the flag stands for liberty, the white for salvation, and the ...

Official description

The

constitution of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic has gone through 39 constitutions, more than any other country, since its independence in 1844. This statistic is a somewhat deceiving indicator of political stability, however, because of the Dominican practice of promulg ...

describes the coat of arms as follows:Constitución de la Republica Dominicana, Artículo 32
/ref> ''The National Arms have the same colors as the National Flag arranged in the same manner. It has in the center a Bible open at the Gospel of Saint John, Chapter 8, Verse 32, and above it a cross, issuing from a trophy of two spears and four national flags without arms, to both sides; there is a laurel branch on the left side and one of palm on the right. It is surmounted by an ultramarine ribbon, in which is written the motto "Dios, Patria y Libertad". In its base another, vermilion ribbon with its ends turned up with the words "República Dominicana". The shape of the shield is rectangular, with its upper corners protruding and lower rectangular, the center of its base ends with a point, and positioned in such a way, that drawing a horizontal line joining two vertical lines of the rectangle from where the lower angles begin results in a perfect square.''

Gallery

File:Primer Escudo Dominicano.svg, First coat of arms used from 1844 File:Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic (1860).svg, Coat of arms from 1860 File:Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic.svg, Coat of arms from 1913 File:Evolution Of Dominican Coat of Arms.jpeg, Evolution of the coat of arms

References

External links

National symbols of the Dominican Republic

{{Dominican-Republic-stub