| Coat of arms of Lisbon | |
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 Escutcheon-only | |
| Armiger | Lisbon |
| Adopted | 12th century |
Thecoat of arms ofLisbon is the official symbol of the municipality of Lisbon. Dating to the 12th century, it is one of the oldest heraldic symbols of any city inPortugal.
The coat of arms is composed of agolden shield with ablacksilver linedsailing ship on a sea of seven wavy stripes ofgreen and silver. At each end of the ship, araven faces the center of the shield. A golden mural crown of five towers (indicatingcapital andcity status respectively) is surrounded by the collar of theOrder of the Tower and Sword and by a white scroll with the motto "MUI NOBRE E SEMPRE LEAL CIDADE DE LISBOA" (lit. 'most noble and always loyal city of Lisbon') in black.
The image on the coat of arms commemorates the voyage of therelics ofSaint Vincent of Saragossa, patron saint of Lisbon, to the city fromCape St. Vincent in theAlgarve, in the 12th century. According to legend, after he was martyred, ravens protected St. Vincent's body from being devoured by wild animals until his followers could recover the body. A shrine was erected over his grave, which continued to be guarded by flocks of ravens. KingAfonso Henriques ordered the body of the saint to be exhumed in 1173 and brought it by ship to theLisbon Cathedral, still, allegedly, accompanied by the ravens.[1]
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