Arsène Heitz was a French

French people

The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

 draughtsman, born in Strasbourg

Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...

, who worked at the Council of Europe

Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...

. He is the author of the Flag of Europe (that of the Council of Europe and the European Union

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

).

Heitz worked in the postal service of the Council of Europe while the flag was being chosen between 1950 and 1955 and he submitted 21 of the 101 designs that are conserved in the Council of Europe Archives

Council of Europe Archives

The Council of Europe Archives are located at the headquarters of the Organisation at the Palace of Europe in Strasbourg, France. They were set up in 1949 soon after the Organisation was created. Open to the public, they constitute a unique research source for the early history of European...

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He proposed among other drawings a circle of fifteen yellow stars upon a blue background; inspired by the twelve-star halo of the Virgin Mary, the Queen of Heaven of the Book of Revelation, often portrayed in Roman Catholic art, which can be seen in the Rose Window that the Council of Europe donated to Strasbourg Cathedral

Strasbourg Cathedral

Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, France. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely consideredSusan Bernstein: , The Johns Hopkins University Press to be among the finest...

 in 1953. Indeed, he proposed a design with “a crown of 12 golden stars with 5 rays, their points not touching.”

His flag was eventually adopted by the Council, with twelve stars and the design was finalised by Paul Michel Gabriel Levy

Paul Michel Gabriel Lévy

Paul Michel Gabriel Lévy was born in Belgium and a Holocaust survivor. He worked for many years as Director of Information at the Council of Europe, helping create the Flag of Europe in the 1950s after it was proposed by Arsène Heitz.-Early career:Lévy was originally of Jewish descent...

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He belonged to the Order of the Miraculous Medal

Miraculous Medal

The Miraculous Medal, also known as the Medal of the Immaculate Conception, is a medal created by Saint Catherine Labouré following a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary...

, which may have influenced his views on the symbolism of the 12 stars.