| Emblem of the Italian Republic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Versions | |
.svg) Golden version, used on thepresidential standard | |
| Armiger | Italian Republic (colored) Sergio Mattarella,President of the Italian Republic (golden) |
| Adopted | 5 May 1948 |
| Crest | None |
| Shield | Upon a cogwheel proper, theStella d'Italia ('Star of Italy') |
| Supporters | Olive andoak |
| Motto | REPVBBLICA ITALIANA[a] |
Theemblem of the Italian Republic (Italian:emblema della Repubblica Italiana) was formally adopted by the newly formedItalian Republic on 5 May 1948. Although often referred to as acoat of arms (orstemma in Italian), it is anemblem as it was not designed to conform to traditionalheraldic rules. The emblem is used extensively by theItalian government.
The emblem, shaped as aRoman wreath, comprises a whitefive-pointed star, theStella d'Italia (English: 'Star of Italy'), which is the oldestnational symbol of Italy, since it dates back to theGraeco-Roman tradition,[1] with a thin red border, superimposed upon a five-spokedcogwheel, standing between anolive branch to the left and anoak branch to the right; the branches are in turn bound together by a red ribbon with the inscription "REPVBBLICA ITALIANA" inRoman square capitals.[a]
The armorial bearings of theHouse of Savoy,blazonedgules a cross argent, were previously in use by the formerKingdom of Italy; thesupporters, on either sidea lion rampant Or, were replaced withfasci littori (lit. 'bundles of thelictors') during thefascist era.
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The central element of the emblem is afive-pointed white star, also called theStella d'Italia (English: 'Star of Italy'), which is the oldestnational symbol of Italy, dating back toancient Greece.[1] In that epoch Italy was associated with theStar of Venus because it is west of theGreek peninsula.[2] Immediately after sunset, Venus is sometimes visible on the horizon towards the west.[1] It has been a traditional symbol of Italy since theRisorgimento, and is also associated with the traditionaliconography of a woman wearing aturreted crown – theallegory ofItalia turrita – and dominated by a bright star, the Star of Italy.[3]
The star marked the first award ofpost-war reconstruction, theOrder of the Star of Italian Solidarity, and still indicates membership in theArmed Forces today.[when?]
On the republican emblem, the Star of Italy is superimposed on a greycogwheel, representing labour, which is the foundation of the Republic.[4] Article 1 of theItalian Constitution reads:[5]
Italy is a democratic republic, built on labour. Sovereignty belongs to the people, who exercise it in the forms and within the limits of the Constitution [...]
The reference to labour is not to be understood as a legal rule, but rather as aprinciple, which recognizes it as the foundation of Italian society.[5] The second paragraph assigns sovereignty exclusively to the people, and establishes thedemocratic character of the republic.[6] The cogwheel is also present on theflag andemblem of Angola and on theemblem of Mozambique, nations founded through thedecolonization of thePortuguese Empire[7][8] as well as on the coats of arms of theItalian municipalities ofAssago,Cafasse andChiesina Uzzanese.
The cogwheel and star are enclosed by anoak branch on the right, which symbolizes the strength and dignity of theItalians (inLatin the termrobur means both 'oak' and 'moral and physical strength'),[9] and by anolive branch on the left, which represents Italy's will for peace, both internally and with other nations.[4] Both oak and olive trees are characteristic of the Italian landscape. The green branches are in turn bound together by a red ribbon bearing the inscription "REPVBBLICA ITALIANA" in whitecapital letters. As regards Italy's desire for peace, Article 11 of the Constitution states:[10]
Italy rejects war as an instrument of offense against the freedom of other peoples and as a means of resolving international disputes; allows equal conditions with other states to the limitations of sovereignty necessary for an order that ensures peace and justice between nations; promotes and favors international organizations aimed at this purpose [...]
The refusal of war as an instrument of offense does not signify that Italy cannot participate in a conflict, instead that articles 78 and 87 of the Constitution prescribe which state organs decide the state ofwar.[5] In particular for Italy, it is thetwo chambers that decree the state of war, which is then formally declared by the President of the Republic; the chambers then give theItalian government the necessary powers to face the conflict.[11] Another extraordinary provision in case of war is the duration of thelegislature of the two chambers, which can be exceptionally extended, as stated in article 60 of the Constitution, beyond the five canonical years.[11]
The emblem of the Italian Republic is not defined as acoat of arms as it has noshield; the latter being, according to the rules ofheraldry, an essential part of such devices (as opposed to other decorations such as crowns, helmets, or fronds, which are accessory parts). For this reason, it is more accurate to refer to it as anational emblem.[12]
The Italian navalensign, since 1947, comprises the national flag defaced with the arms of theItalian Navy: The shield is quartered, symbolic of the fourrepubbliche marinare, orthalassocracies, of Italy:Venice (represented by the lionpassant, top left),Genoa (top right),Amalfi (bottom left), andPisa, represented by their respective crosses. TheMarina Mercantile (and private citizens at sea) use thecivil ensign, differentiated by the absence of themural crown and the presence of alion holding open the gospel, bearing the inscriptionPAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEVS (lit. 'Peace to you,Mark, my evangelist') instead of a sword.[13]
To acknowledge the Navy's origins in ancient Rome, therostrata crown, an "emblem of honor and of value that theRoman Senate conferred onduci of shipping companies, conquerors of lands and cities overseas," was proposed by AdmiralDomenico Cavagnari in 1939. Aninescutcheon, bearing the Savoy shield flanked by fasces, was removed before the arms were first employed.[14]
TheItalian Army,Air Force andCarabinieri also have their own coats of arms, as do each of themunicipalities,provinces andregions of Italy.
TheKingdom of Italy was a Frenchclient state founded inNorthern Italy byNapoleon, Emperor of the French in 1805. It had a peculiar coat of arms, formed by the arms of theHouse of Bonaparte augmented bycharges from various Italian regions. When Napoleon abdicated the thrones of France and Italy in 1814, the former monarchies were gradually re-established and following theTreaty of Paris in 1815, the rump kingdom was annexed by theAustrian Empire.
Between 1848 and 1861, a sequence of events led to the independence and unification of Italy (except forVenetia,Rome,Trento andTrieste, orItalia irredenta, which were united with the rest of Italy in 1866, 1870 and 1918 respectively); this period of Italian history is known as theRisorgimento, or resurgence. During this period, the green, white and redtricolore became the symbol which united all the efforts of the Italian people towards freedom and independence.[15]
TheItalian tricolour,defaced with the coat of arms of theHouse of Savoy, was first adopted as awar flag by theRegno di Sardegna-Piemonte (Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont) army in 1848. In his Proclamation to the Lombard-Venetian people,Charles Albert said "… in order to show more clearly with exterior signs the commitment to Italian unification, We want that Our troops … have the Savoy shield placed on the Italian tricolour flag."[16] As the arms mixed with the white of the flag, it wasfimbriated azure, blue being thedynastic colour.[17] On 15 April 1861, when theRegno delle Due Sicilie (Kingdom of the Two Sicilies) was incorporated into theRegno d'Italia, after defeat in theExpedition of the Thousand led byGiuseppe Garibaldi, this flag and the armorial bearings of Sardinia were declared the symbols of the newly formed kingdom.
On 4 May 1870, nine years later, theConsulta Araldica issued a decree on the arms, as with the Sardinian arms, twolions rampant in gold supporting the shield, bearing instead only the Savoy cross (as on the flag) now representing all Italy, with a crowned helmet, around which, the collars of theMilitary Order of Savoy, theCivil Order of Savoy, theOrder of the Crown of Italy (established 2 February 1868), theOrder of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, and the SupremeOrder of the Most Holy Annunciation (bearing the mottoFERT) were suspended. The lions held lances flying the national flag. From the helmet fell a royal mantle, engulfed by a pavilion under theStella d'Italia, purported to protect the nation.[18]
After twenty years, on 1 January 1890, the arms' exterior were slightly modified more in keeping with those of Sardinia. The fur mantling and lances disappeared and the crown was taken from the helmet to the pavilion, now sewn with crosses and roses. TheIron Crown of Lombardy was placed on the helmet, under the traditional Savoyancrest (a winged lionhead), which, together with the banner of Savoy from the former Sardinian arms, replaced the star of Italy.[19] These arms remained in official use for 56 years until thebirth of the Italian Republic, and continued as the dynastic arms of the head of the House of Savoy.[20]
On 11 April 1929, the Savoy lions were replaced byBenito Mussolini withfasces from theNational Fascist Party shield, which had been previously depictedaccollé.[21] After his dismissal and arrest on 25 July 1943 however, the earlier version was briefly restored until the emblem of the newRepubblica Italiana was adopted, after theinstitutional referendum on the form of the state, held on 2 June 1946. This is celebrated in Italy asFesta della Repubblica.
The arms of the short-lived Nazi puppet state in northern Italy, theRepubblica Sociale Italiana (Italian Social Republic), orRepublic of Salò as it was commonly known, was that of the governingRepublican Fascist Party, a silver eagle clutching a banner of thetricolore inverted on a shield charged withfasces.[22]Italian fascism derived its name from the fasces, which symbolises authority and "strength through unity". The fasces has been used to show theimperium (power) of theRoman Empire, and was thus considered an appropriate heraldic symbol. Additionally, Roman legions had carried theaquila, or eagle, assigna militaria (military standards).
This shield had previously been displayed alongside the royal arms from 1927 to 1929, when the latter was modified to incorporate elements of both.[23]
On 25 April 1945, commemorated asFesta della Liberazione, the government of Mussolini fell. The separate Italian Social Republic had existed for slightly more than one and a half years.
The decision to provide the new Italian Republic with an emblem was taken by the government ofAlcide De Gasperi in October 1946. The design was chosen by public competition, with the requirement that political party emblems were forbidden and the inclusion of theStellone d'Italia (English: 'Great Star of Italy'), "inspired by a sense of the earth and municipalities." The five winners were assigned further requirements for the design of the emblem, "a ring that has a tower-shaped crown," surrounded by a garland of Italian foliage and flora.
Below a representation of the sea, and above, the gold star, with the legendUnità e Libertà or Unity and Liberty inItalian. The winner wasPaolo Paschetto, Professor of the Institute of Fine Arts in Rome from 1914 to 1948, and the design was presented in February 1947, together with the other finalists, in an exhibition inVia Margutta. This version, however, did not meet with public approval, so a new competition was held, again won by Paolo Paschetto. The new emblem was approved by theConstituent Assembly in February 1948, and officially adopted by thePresident of the Italian Republic,Enrico De Nicola, in May 1948.[24][25]
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Media related toNational emblem of Italy at Wikimedia Commons
