Golden Lion of Macedonia
Encyclopedia
The Golden Lion is an unofficial symbol of the Republic of Macedonia
. It was used in the past for setting Macedonia free from the Ottoman Empire
. Today the lion is a symbol used from many parties in Macedonia especially VMRO-DPMNE. After the independence of Macedonia from Yugoslavia
the lion was proposed for being a coat of arms of the new independent state, but at that time was rejected. In 2009 VMRO- Peoples party proposed the golden lion on red background as a new coat of arms of Macedonia.
of the late middle ages
. The earliest known attestation is in the Fojnica
Armory from 1340, where it contains a seven-pointed crown and appears side by side with entries for Illyria, Bosnia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Serbia and Bulgaria. The Korenić-Neorić armory roll of 1595 included a 5- pointed crown. The Belgrade Museum of Contemporary Art displays a 1620 version of the symbol with 3-pointed crown, while the Berlin Library displays a 17th century version with the 5-pointed crown. The use of the lion to represent Macedonia was continued in foreign heraldic collections throughout the 15th to 18th centuries
was put forward in 1992 to replace it with a revised version of the historical gold lion on a red shield. The Macedonian Heraldry Society considers that coat of arms to have been the best solution for a new state emblem. However, this was rejected on three main grounds:
Because of these reasons, the political parties agreed to continue to use the current device until a solution is found. The emblem did not appear on the country's first passport
s, however, in 2007 the device was put on the front and the inside of the new biometric Macedonian passports, while the parliamentary debate about acceptance of a new national emblem still continues.
According to the provisions of the Article 5, Section 2 of the Constitution of Macedonia, the two-thirds majority is required to pass a law on the new symbols of the Republic. The usage of the Coat of arms has been defined by a law.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. It was used in the past for setting Macedonia free from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Today the lion is a symbol used from many parties in Macedonia especially VMRO-DPMNE. After the independence of Macedonia from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
the lion was proposed for being a coat of arms of the new independent state, but at that time was rejected. In 2009 VMRO- Peoples party proposed the golden lion on red background as a new coat of arms of Macedonia.
Historical coats of arms
The symbol of the golden lion on red ground first appeared as a symbol of "Macedonia" in armorial rollsHeraldry
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"...
of the late middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. The earliest known attestation is in the Fojnica
Fojnica
Fojnica is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located west of the capital Sarajevo. It lies in the valley of the Fojnička River, tributary of the river Bosna...
Armory from 1340, where it contains a seven-pointed crown and appears side by side with entries for Illyria, Bosnia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Slavonia, Serbia and Bulgaria. The Korenić-Neorić armory roll of 1595 included a 5- pointed crown. The Belgrade Museum of Contemporary Art displays a 1620 version of the symbol with 3-pointed crown, while the Berlin Library displays a 17th century version with the 5-pointed crown. The use of the lion to represent Macedonia was continued in foreign heraldic collections throughout the 15th to 18th centuries
Efforts to update the national emblem
Such efforts have so far failed, due to political and national disputes over possible replacements. A proposal by architect and graphic designer Miroslav GrčevMiroslav Grcev
Miroslav Grčev is a Macedonian architect, graphic designer and caricaturist. He is known for having designed the current flag of the Republic of Macedonia and a popular proposal for a new coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia.He started interesting in graphic design in the mid 1970s when he...
was put forward in 1992 to replace it with a revised version of the historical gold lion on a red shield. The Macedonian Heraldry Society considers that coat of arms to have been the best solution for a new state emblem. However, this was rejected on three main grounds:
- several political parties, notably VMRO-DPMNE, already use that emblem as their party symbols
- the Albanian political parties of Macedonia considered the proposal to be only representative for the ethnic Macedonians, but not also for ethnic Albanians
- the state coat of arms of BulgariaCoat of arms of BulgariaThe coat of arms of Bulgaria consists of a crowned golden lion rampant over a dark red shield; above the shield is the Bulgarian historical crown...
features a lion similar to the Macedonian
Because of these reasons, the political parties agreed to continue to use the current device until a solution is found. The emblem did not appear on the country's first passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
s, however, in 2007 the device was put on the front and the inside of the new biometric Macedonian passports, while the parliamentary debate about acceptance of a new national emblem still continues.
According to the provisions of the Article 5, Section 2 of the Constitution of Macedonia, the two-thirds majority is required to pass a law on the new symbols of the Republic. The usage of the Coat of arms has been defined by a law.