The emblem of any settlement is a true story about the origin, formation and development of each individual community. As a rule, such symbols reflected the wealth of people living in a certain area, talked about their courage and valiant exploits.
The coat of arms of Irkutsk has its own unique history, which bizarrely combines unusual twists of fate and the mistakes of tsarist officials.
Historical aspect
The 17th century was marked by an important event for Russia - during this period a vast region of Siberia was annexed to a mighty power. Already at that time on the Siberian seals depicted the main heritage of this land in the form of fur animals. The emblem of the Siberian kingdom was a picture in which two magnificent sables hold the crown in their paws. It was this motive that was later borrowed to create the symbolism of Irkutsk. However, in 1642 the city as such did not exist yet, but the first prototype of the coat of arms appeared on the seal of customs: an image of a leopard that caught and holds a sable in its teeth.
It was this picture that subsequently fell on the coat of arms of Irkutsk and its official seal. At the end of the 80s of the 17th century, the city acquired great importance, became the center of the province. But the settlement received the official coat of arms on February 18, 1690, and it represented the following image: "Babr in a silver field, running along the green grass, is directed to the left side of the shield frame, and in his jaws he has a sable."
Marvelous beast
It is clear that, creating the symbolism of a certain region, the author seeks to emphasize its wealth. And what kind of animal on the coat of arms of Irkutsk? For a long time there were different assumptions on this score: from a fictional mythical character to a very ordinary leopard.
In fact, this situation will be clarified to the descendants by the description of the coat of arms: “Babr is a very rare animal that is found in Siberia and is distinguished by its superiority over other animals. He is brave, strong, has no natural enemies. Blackish stripes are located on its white-yellowish fur. His growth is not bigger than an ordinary wolf. Beasts do not cross his trail. Although the leopard is similar to babr, it is much weaker as a predator. ”
Doesn’t resemble anything? But scientists concluded that the description is about tigers that lived in Transbaikalia and met in the Irkutsk region. Then it became clear who is depicted on the coat of arms of Irkutsk. It’s not a mythical creature at all, but a dangerous predator whose fur was considered priceless and very rare in the European part of Russia.
Artist Errors
Note that classical heraldry required the observance of certain canons when creating the coat of arms of a settlement. Europeans depicted the so-called identification marks for knights who participated in tournaments. The picture was located on the shield, it was supposed to frighten the opponent, while the beast should step on and run to the right. Otherwise, the symbol lost its awesome role. The beast seemed to run away, surrendered. It was these moments that were not taken into account by the artist, who created the coat of arms of Irkutsk in the 18th century. The description of this picture gives an idea of ​​an unsuccessful idea: a creature holding a sable could hardly be called a formidable babr, it was rather like a skinny cat that “ran away” (looking to the left).
New region symbol
The history of the coat of arms of Irkutsk was not completed on an unsuccessful version. Already in the second half of the 19th century, the artist B.V. Kene, taking into account the significant defects of the image, introduced a new interpretation of the image. The master, who created the new image, was at the time heading the Department of Heraldry. He took this matter very seriously, having studied the background of the appearance of the first seal with the image of a mighty beast. The new emblem was as follows:
- The image of the predator has completely changed: the beast has become powerful and powerful, however, he also did not resemble a leopard or tiger. The black creature was more like a mystical cat with a fluffy raised tail and webbed hind legs.
- Sable became larger and acquired a bright red color.
- Babr, according to the rules of heraldry, was deployed to the right.
- It was decided to leave the background unchanged - green grass.
True, here the coat of arms of Irkutsk was haunted by an unfortunate mistake - Ken made a mistake in the description of symbolism: instead of the word “babr”, “beaver” was used, which radically changed its meaning. And so the mythical image of an incomprehensible animal was born. But the author explained the meaning of such an image as follows: the rich Siberian land gives everyone its precious reserves. This meant sable fur, which was very much appreciated.
A little later, the following elements were added to the image: the frame of the picture was made of oak leaves intertwined with St. Andrew’s ribbon, and the imperial crown was at the head of the coat of arms.
Modern look
The coat of arms in the interpretation of Kene was used for a very long time and was liked by the residents of both the city and the entire province. It can be seen on postcards from pre-revolutionary Russia. True, in Soviet times, the image of the crown and St. Andrew’s ribbon was abolished, but the picture itself did not change. And in 1960-1980. the coat of arms proudly flaunted over the Angara River (between the railway station and the bridge).
Last changes
More recently, in 1997, the State Heroldia finally approved the coat of arms of Irkutsk. Moreover, the symbol of the region practically does not differ from the provincial prototype, only ribbons, crown and leaves are abolished. But the symbol of Irkutsk has become a real stumbling block between specialists in heraldry and the authorities of the city Duma. Specialists in the study of ancient symbols insisted on preserving the image unchanged (that is, the babr looks to the right), but the Duma insisted on the beast running away to the left. And so a new paradox was born - the symbols of the region and the city now look in different directions.
Afterword
Despite the fact that the coat of arms has undergone changes for many centuries, changing the image of the beast and the direction of movement, people living in this city and region honor and respect their symbol. Thanks to cunning interweaving of events and even trivial mistakes, a real masterpiece was born. Only Irkutsk citizens can boast of a mythical animal, which you will no longer see in any image in the world!