Coat of arms of Andorra
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms
of Andorra
has existed for centuries. It supposedly violates the rule of tincture
. This coat of arms has been the national coat of arms of Andorra since 1969. Below the shield arms stands Andorra
's national motto Virtus Unita Fortior (Latin for "United virtue is stronger"). The coat of arms also appears on the flag of Andorra
.
The arms are:
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
has existed for centuries. It supposedly violates the rule of tincture
Rule of tincture
The first rule of heraldic design is the rule of tincture: metal should not be put on metal, nor colour on colour . This means that Or and argent may not be placed on each other; nor may any of the colours be placed on another colour...
. This coat of arms has been the national coat of arms of Andorra since 1969. Below the shield arms stands Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
's national motto Virtus Unita Fortior (Latin for "United virtue is stronger"). The coat of arms also appears on the flag of Andorra
Flag of Andorra
The national flag of the Principality of Andorra was adopted in 1866. The flag is a vertical tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the coat of arms of Andorra in the centre. Although the three vertical bars may at first appear to be of equal width, the centre yellow bar is slightly wider than...
.
The arms are:
- Quarterly I Gules a bishop's mitre Or lined Argent (for La Seu d'UrgellLa Seu d'UrgellLa Seu d'Urgell is a town located in the Catalan Pyrenees in Spain. La Seu d'Urgell is also the capital of the comarca Alt Urgell, head of the judicial district of la Seu d'Urgell and the seat of Bishop of Urgell, one of the Andorra co-princes...
) - II Or three pales Gules (for FoixFoixFoix is a commune, the capital of the Ariège department in southwestern France. It is the least populous administrative centre of a department in all of France, although it is only very slightly smaller than Privas...
) - III Or four pallets Gules (for CataloniaCataloniaCatalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
) - IV two cows passant per pale Gules (for BéarnBéarnBéarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
)