| Coat of arms of San Marino | |
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| Details | |
| Escutcheon | An azure field with three argent towers, windows and walls outlined in sable, each with an argent weather vane and plume atop, that rest upon the peaks of three green mountains. |
| Motto | Libertas, Latin for "freedom." |
| Other elements | Decorated with an oak and laurel branch, and surmounted by a crown of sovereignty. |
The coat of arms of San Marino probably originated in the fourteenth century, and can be seen as a whole as a symbol of freedom and independence of the oldest republic in the world.
The components of the coat of arms are in detail:
- In the blue shield there are three green mountains with three silver towers, which are decorated with a weather vane with a silver ostrich feather. The towers symbolize the three citadels of San Marino (La Guaita, La Cesta and La Montale), while the hills represent the three summits of the Monte Titano. See: The Three Towers of San Marino
- The motto "LIBERTAS" (Lat. freedom). It possibly refers to the taking in of victims of political persecution in the earlier years of San Marino, and to the amazing maintenance of independence in the midst of many larger states. The motto could also have developed from the alleged last words of the founder Marinu "Relinquo vos liberos ab utroque homine" (Lat. "I leave you free from both men"). [1]
- An oak and laurel branch, which surrounds the coat of arms are symbols for the stability of the republic and the defense of the liberty.
- A crown, which serves as symbol of sovereignty.
The coat of arms of San Marino adorns among other things the flag of the country and the logo of the Sammarinese Federazione Sammarinese Giuoco Calcio.
Notes
- ^ This somewhat mysterious phrase is most likely to refer, to the two "men" from whose oppressive power Saint Marinus had decided to separate himself, becoming a hermit on Mount Titano: respectively the Emperor and the Pope. This affirmation of freedom (first and foremost fiscal franchise) from both the State and the Church, however legendary, has always been the inspiration of the tiny republic. (source: "The Republic of San Marino", William Miller, The American Historical Review, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Jul., 1901), pp. 633-649)
See also
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