The situation with heraldry in different regions of Russia often differs dramatically. The coat of arms of even the largest city can express the absence of historical, national roots and an elementary heraldic tradition. Attitude to official symbols becomes an indicator of the historical and general culture of the leaders of individual cities and towns, entire regions and constituent entities of the Federation.
The coat of arms of the Belgorod region seems to be an example of a competent attitude to such attributes when working with it is set correctly at all levels.
Edge of Military Glory
From ancient times, the Russian state needed strong outposts on its southern borders. From the moment the territories that today's map of the Belgorod Region contains are part of the Russian state, the defensive purpose of the settlements that arise here becomes clear. In the XVI century, the construction of the Belgorod line began - a continuous defensive line of fortifications, fortresses, military engineering structures and natural obstacles. She had to resist the predatory raids by the Crimean Khanate.
The first form of government here was the Belgorod rank (or regiment). In 1712, he was awarded Peter the Great for valor in the Battle of Poltava with a special banner with an emblem embroidered on it. The modern coat of arms of the Belgorod region has the prototype of this particular emblem of three centuries ago.
Belgorod province
In 1727, the Belgorod province was formed, which lasted more than 50 years. She had her own coat of arms, developed on the basis of the emblem of the Belgorod regiment and which became the basis for all the heraldic attributes of cities and regions of the Belgorod region from the time of the Russian Empire to our time. The plot depicted on them is based on a symbolic image of the victory of Russian weapons in the battle of June 27, 1709 near Poltava: a running lion representing Sweden, and a Russian eagle flying over it. The bird of prey became the main Russian heraldic symbol, being borrowed from the ancient kings of Byzantium, and the lion was depicted on the banners of Charles XII.
The coat of arms, approved on March 3, 1730, is the oldest official state symbol of the city of Belgorod and the region: in the golden shield, in the blue field there is a yellow lion, below it is green land, and above it is a single-headed eagle of black color.
In the course of administrative reforms after 1779, the Belgorod province was abolished, and recreated only in 1954.
Belgorod region
In Soviet times, for the entire time the Belgorod Region existed, it did not have its own heraldic symbol. Smaller units of administrative division did not have any emblems, although the map of the Belgorod region numbered 31 districts transferred to it from the Kursk and Voronezh regions.
In practice, only the coat of arms of the regional center was used, approved by the decision of the City Council on 05/20/1970. It was a historical version of the model of 1730, supplemented by heraldic motifs familiar to the Soviet era: ears of wheat and gear, which aimed to emphasize the agricultural and industrial significance of the region. The Guards ribbon was also included in the coat of arms of the Belgorod Region - a tribute to the military glory of the city's inhabitants and the grand battles of the Great Patriotic War.
Heraldry commission
In 1994, a special public commission on heraldic provision was created in the region - one of the first in the country. It included the most famous local historians, historians and artists of the region. The aim of her work was to recreate the coats of arms and flags of districts, cities and settlements, the development of local award badges, elements of uniform and other symbols.
The first goal of the commission's work was the revival of regional state symbols and their creation for those regions and cities of the region where they had not existed before. The forces of a specially created creative group prepared a proposal that included the coat of arms and flag of the Belgorod Region, which was sent for heraldic examination in the State Heraldry.
Review of the chief herald of Russia
In October 1995, a conclusion was signed by the Chairman of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation, Georgy Vadimovich Vilinbakhov. It noted the high level of materials provided on the coat of arms of the Belgorod region, decent quality of description and image of the main Belgorod symbol. The coats of arms of the regions of the Belgorod region, as well as many cities and settlements of the Belgorod region, were approved. In February 1996, the emblem of the region was approved by a resolution of the regional Duma. He is entered in the Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation under the number 100.
The modern coat of arms of the Belgorod region - its description and graphic embodiment - meets all the rules of heraldic science. The animals on it are depicted without exact adherence to the natural sciences, more ornamental and decorative, while maintaining accurate references to the historical origin of the coat of arms. The description emphasizes the traditional meaning of color symbolism:
- The azure field on the shield is the color of the sky, a symbol of greatness, honesty, beauty.
- Green land is the color of abundance, hope, joy.
- The black color of the eagle is a symbol of power, prudence, wisdom.
- The golden color of a lion is faith, justice, mercy.
- Red (scarlet) color of the tongue - courage, courage, fearlessness.
- Silver eyes, teeth and claws - truthfulness, nobility, purity.
The main regional heraldic symbol is included as an integral part in many coats of arms of cities of the Belgorod region, which also corresponds to the classical rules of coat of arms.
Flag of Belgorod region
In 2000, the flag of the Belgorod Region was also approved, also entered in the State Heraldry Register under the number 621. It is recreated on the basis of the banners presented by Peter I to the Belgorod Regiment back in 1712.
The symmetrical blue cross - a classic element in heraldry - divides the panel into four fields, called in vexillology - the science of flags, banners, standards - with rooftops or cantons. They are painted in the colors used in the regional emblem - white, red, green and black. In the upper canton by the flagpole there is a colored coat of arms of the region. The symbolism of the colors of the flag coincides with the description of the coat of arms, in addition, the symbolic value of one of the region’s main riches, chernozem, is added to the black color on the flag.