Since ancient times, this city has become a shield of Russian land in the north-west of the country. Over a long history, he withstood such a huge number of sieges that they began to explain the valor of the defenders of this fortress, including the patronage of heavenly forces.
The city being saved by God is one of the semantic fillings possessed by the coat of arms of Pskov, one of the oldest in Russian heraldry.
Pardus, leopard, lynx
Pskov has always been considered the younger brother of Veliky Novgorod. Both cities for several centuries retained independence from the Principality of Moscow. In both cities for a long time there was a special form of government - the Veche Republic, and trade relations with Northern Europe were the basis of economic development. In the commercial paperwork of Pskov merchants, a seal depicting a beast of cat breed, which subsequently passed to the coat of arms of Pskov, has long been used. It is identified differently by domestic historians and connoisseurs of heraldry.
It recognizes the tiger, and the leopard, and even the cheetah. In the "List of all state seals" (1626), the Pskov "fierce beast" is called a leopard, and on the stamp that served as the tsar’s standard of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, it is designated as the "running lynx." The main reason for the ambiguity of interpretation is the lack of experience in standardizing the use of various symbols and rules for the artistic stylization of images, which, for example, had by that time Western European heraldry.
Where does such a beast come from?
Historians do not have a single opinion on the origin of the main element that contains the emblem of Pskov. Scientists do not know whether predators resembling a leopard lived in the Pskov forests or not. Archaeologists note that among the items of decorative and applied art found in Pskov there are often images of a beast from the cat family, but the governor or merchants are not traced in the interpretation of such an image on dishes, jewelry, weapons and in seals or in patrimonial symbols.
Other scholars are convinced that the emblem of the city of Pskov is an example of cultural borrowing from Western European heraldic practice. Such symbols are very often found in the arms of countries and cities, military units, trade unions and noble families. It is possible that the “Seal of Pskov Statehood” of the beginning of the 17th century is just a free interpretation of the Swedish, German or British symbol.
God's right hand
In the famous “Tsar's Titular” by Alexei Mikhailovich (1672), the coat of arms of Pskov is supplemented by the image of a cloud and a blessing hand with two fingers. A similar plot appeared in the Pskov coat of arms, still depicted on the throne of the first Russian Tsar from the Romanov dynasty - Mikhail Fedorovich. Subsequently, the hand had several versions of the image, but it was present on the Pskov coat of arms for the whole subsequent time, with the exception of the Soviet period of history.
In May 1781, during the administrative reforms of Catherine II, the Pskov governorship was established. G. Pskov, together with the status of the center of the province, received the highly approved coat of arms. In the description, it is called "old" and contains a leopard in a blue field, above which is a "cloud" with a hand coming out of it. Other cities of the Pskov province also received their symbolism. Since the second half of the 19th century, the coat of arms has been used with additional decoration: with golden ears of corn intertwined with the Andreev ribbon and the imperial crown. The author of the new edition of the Pskov coat of arms was a prominent Russian heraldmeister Bernhard Köne.
Soviet time and the revival of traditions
After 1917, Pskov used the historical basis for its coat of arms, which has come down from ancient times. Changes were made to elements that contained a religious and monarchical background. Instead of the imperial crown, a serrated battlement appeared, and instead of the hand of God, either outgoing rays or a five-pointed star were used.
In 1992, by decree of the city authorities, the historical coat of arms was restored, the basis of which was the 1859 version. Subsequently, work on the emblem was continued in order to bring it into line with the requirements of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation. Work on urban symbols dragged on - deputies of the City Duma demanded an explanation for each element. In particular, there were protests against the Latin spelling of the motto proposed by the heraldists: Honorem meum nemeni dabo. The approved coat of arms design included its Russian version.
The full version of the official coat of arms
The official coat of arms of Pskov has been entered in the State Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation under number 6264. Its description is as follows. At the top of the shield is a azure color - a silver cloud with a flesh-colored right hand coming out of it, the personification of the right hand of God. The main element is a golden leopard with a raised right paw. He has a red (scarlet) tongue, silver eyes, black markings on the skin, a brush on the end of the tail. The shield is crowned with a five-pronged tower of gold crown, decorated with a laurel wreath and a hoop with gems. The crown is located on top of two silver crossed swords - the symbol of the title awarded to Pskov - “City of Military Glory”.
The shield is held by leopard leopards similar to the one depicted on the shield. They are decorated with silver humeral hoops with five curved (in the form of lilies) teeth. In the forepaws of the leopards, along the shield, are gold swords in azure sheath decorated with silver plates.
The leopards holding the shield stand on a gold patterned base, twisted with a azure ribbon with silver letters, which make up the motto: "I will not give my honor to anyone."