Vladimir - a city in the very center of European Russia - is of particular importance for Russian identity. It is part of the Golden Ring of Russia, it has preserved many monuments of ancient Russian architecture, witnesses of the complex and changeable fate of the country.
A real historical monument is the coat of arms of Vladimir. Its origin is almost as ancient as this city itself.
City on Klyazma
Historians periodically have disputes about the date of foundation of the city. Officially, its founder is Vladimir Monomakh, who in 1108 began the construction of a powerful defensive fortification on a high hill on the banks of the Klyazma River. Some historians suggest that Vladimir is a century older. They are based on the fact that in the annals, which describe the baptism of Rus by Prince Vladimir the Holy, it is said about the founding of the city by the prince-first baptist in 990.
Subsequently, Vladimir experienced a lot - and the elevation to the capital of a vast princedom at that time, and complete ruin. He was destined to be in the center of civil strife, when many eminent owners of the specific principalities of all ancient Russia fought for his throne. The city was owned at different times by Yuri Dolgoruky, Andrei Bogolyubsky, Vsevolod the Big Nest, Dmitry Donskoy, Alexander Nevsky. From the depths of time comes the coat of arms of Vladimir. The history of the origin of the heraldic symbols depicted on it dates back many centuries.
Reared lion
The lion, or lion's head, is a motif that is very often found among the white-stone decor of the cathedrals of Suzdal, Vladimir and other cities of the Golden Ring. “Leopard beasts,” “running leopards,” and other cats were painted in frescoes in the interior church decor. Similar images used by ancient chroniclers to decorate handwritten books. True, the animal poses, the details of the figure, the attributes that the animal paws hold are very diverse, and it is difficult to directly derive the coat of arms of Vladimir from one particular source.
Historians have not yet found information about the exact origin of the lion, which contains the emblem of the city of Vladimir, but the fact that such a mighty beast was present on the princely seals and banners of the Vladimir-Suzdal princes is confidently confirmed by many researchers. So, the running lion was the coat of arms of the family of Prince Svyatoslav Rostislavovich, who ruled in Vladimir in the 13th century.
“Titular” of the 17th century
In the spring of 1672, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich was given a luxurious gift. The head of the Ambassadorial order, the boyar Artamon Matveev, presented him with a large handwritten tome, which received the name of the Tsar's Titular from historians. It was a kind of reference book, richly illustrated with images of Russian and foreign rulers and skillfully executed coats of arms of foreign countries, as well as lands that were part of the Russian state.
Contained in the "Titular" and the coat of arms of Vladimir. His image in the royal "reference book" is one of the very first, close to traditional. This is a lion with a crown on his head, walking on his hind legs, holding a four-pointed cross. True, his head is turned in profile, and he steps to the right side.
Modifications
The Russian Empress Catherine II tried to restore order in everything, including in state heraldry. By her decree, the symbols of the largest cities of the empire were approved. The coat of arms of Vladimir of 1781 became the classic emblem of the city. Subsequent historical cataclysms only slightly modernized it.
The German heraldists invited by Alexander II to bring Russian symbols to European standards provided the emblems with garlands of oak leaves with St. Andrew’s ribbon and crowned the imperial crown, but the crowned lion on the red shield remained the same, although in the description it was called the “lion leopard”.
In Soviet times, the emblem of the city of Vladimir was tried to deprive monarchical and religious symbols - the lion lost the crown, and instead of a silver cross they tried to give him a staff.
Modern look
In the spring of 1992, the legislative bodies of the Vladimir region restored the historical coat of arms of Vladimir. The description of the symbol of the city now sounds the same as in imperial times: on the red field is a lion standing on its hind legs, crowned with an iron crown, in its right paw is a long silver four-pointed cross. Another official attribute of the old Russian city - the flag - is very similar to the coat of arms. This is a red cloth with the same crowned “lion leopard” in the center.
Time goes by changing the meanings of ancient symbols. Today, the lion does not look like the personification of the formidable and unshakable power of princely power. For the famous Russian tourist center, which is visited annually by hundreds of thousands of travelers from around the world, this is not relevant. The silver cross also does not have the theological filling that was in antiquity. Today it is just a reminder of the long and difficult path traveled by the ancient Russian city.