The coat of arms of the Azores

Azores

The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...

is nine gold stars superimposed on a red bordure, representing the nine islands of the archipelago. The bordure surrounds a silver shield on which a blue eagle is displayed with wings elevated and with red feet, beak, and tongue. The crest is a closed helm in gold lined with red, surmounted by a wreath and mantling of silver and blue, topped by another blue eagle on which are superimposed the same nine gold stars.

The shield is supported by two chained black bulls, above a scroll containing the motto Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (Rather die free than in peace be subjugated). The supporters each hold a flagpole. Their collars, chains, and hooves are gold, their horns silver. The flags bear Christian symbols. The flag dexter, that is, on the viewer's left, is the red cross of the Portuguese Order of Christ

Order of Christ (Portugal)

The Military Order of Christ previously the Royal Order of the Knights of Our Lord Jesus Christ was the heritage of the Knights Templar in Portugal, after the suppression of the Templars in 1312...

 on a white field. The flag sinister, that is, on the viewer's right, is a white dove superimposed on gold rays in the shape of a cross - the emblem of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...

 - on a red field, both flags bordered in gold.

Early Portuguese visitors mistook the local variety of buzzard

Buzzard

A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....

, Buteo buteo rothschildi

Common Buzzard

The Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...

, for goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) and the Portuguese word for "goshawk", açor (pl. açores), is the root of the islands' name. Goshawks also remain a common motif in Azorean heraldry

Heraldry

Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...

 and vexillology

Vexillology

Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum, meaning 'flag', and the Greek suffix -logy, meaning 'study'. The vexillum was a particular type of flag used by Roman legions during the classical era; its name is a diminutive form of the word velum...

.

See also

• Coat of arms of Portugal
  Coat of arms of Portugal
  The coat of arms of Portugal was officially adopted on 30 June 1911, along with the republican flag of Portugal. It is based on the coat of arms used by the Portuguese Kingdom since the Middle Ages.-History and meaning:...
  
  
• Goshawk
• Flag of the Azores
  Flag of the Azores
  The flag of the Azores is similar to the flag of Portugal used from 1830-1910, except that the Portuguese coat of arms has been removed from the center, where it was replaced by the goshawk —the symbol of the Azores, and moved to upper left corner.-Colours:Blue and white have always been the...
  
  
• Hymn of the Azores
  Hino dos Açores
  The Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, has its own, unofficial regional anthem: the Hino dos Açores .-History:The original song was composed by Joaquim Lima, a musician and director, of the Philharmonic Band of Rabo de Peixe, the Filarmónica Progresso do Norte, in the 1890s, when a movement...
  
  

External links

• The Azores Coat of Arms, a rendering different from the illustration above
• The Portuguese Coat of Arms
• The Jastrzebiec Coat of Arms, a Polish family named after the goshawk, Jastrzab, with example in their coat of arms