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| Coat of arms of Montreal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Versions | |
 Former coat of arms (1938–2017) | |
| Armiger | City of Montreal |
| Adopted | 21 March 1938 13 September 2017 |
| Crest | A beaver couchant on a log proper |
| Shield | Argent on a cross nowy Gules a white pine tree eradicated Or between in the first quarter a fleur-de-lis Azure, in the second quarter a rose, in the third quarter a thistle and in the fourth quarter a shamrock proper |
| Motto | Concordia Salus (Latin for "salvation through harmony") |
The firstcoat of arms of Montreal was designed byJacques Viger, the first mayor ofMontreal, and adopted in 1833 by the city councillors.[1] Modifications were made some one hundred five years later and adopted on 21 March 1938, and again on 13 September 2017, resulting in the version currently in use. Thecoat of arms was the only city emblem representing Montreal until 1981, when a stylized logo was developed for common daily use, reserving the coat of arms for ceremonial occasions.[1]
The first coat of arms was displayed on a white shield, which had a redsaltire with four different charges between the arms, representative of the four main components of the population as viewed by MayorJacques Viger and the city council in 1833, when the arms were designed and adopted.[1] To the top, a rose was for the English heritage of the population, thedexter a thistle for the Scots, thesinister a sprig of clover for the Irish heritage of the city, and to the bottom base abeaver for the French who originally settled the territory and traded in furs.
Theblazon of the shield in the first coat of arms was as follows:Argent, a saltire gules between in chief a rose of the last leaved and slipped, in base a beaver to the dexter with a branch, and in fess a thistle leaved and slipped and a sprig of shamrock proper.[2] Themotto on the scroll below the shield isConcordia Salus, aLatin phrase translated as "salvation through harmony"[3] or in French as "le salut par la concorde".
In 1938, the city council requested that the arms be updated to better reflect Montreal's population. The changes replaced the saltire with a cross, which is reminiscent of both theSt. George's Cross often associated withEngland, and also withChristian missionary missions that could represent the principles of the French Catholics that founded the city.[1] The beaver had become a general symbol of Montreal and its industriousness by this time period, and no longer merely represented the original French settlers, thus it was moved to ensign the shield. In place of the beaver on the shield, a bluefleur de lys was added to symbolize the descendants of the original French settlers.[1] The rose, thistle and clover remained. The shield was surrounded by a wreath ofsugar maple leaves to symbolize the amicable relations between the various elements of Montreal's population and an allusion to the maple as a national emblem ofCanada.[1] The Latin motto was retained.
In 2017, the city council decided to add a symbol representing the Indigenous Peoples, a white pine in a circle on the middle of the cross.[4]
TheCanadian Heraldic Authority granted the current version of the coat of arms in September 2017.[3] Theblazon of the arms is as follows:
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The fiveflora designs found upon the shield are traditionalnational symbols in their own right, with each one alluding to a specific historical device used by a state or nation.[1]
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| Afleur de lys. | TheRed Rose of Lancaster. | Atrefoil orshamrock. | Athistle. | Awhite pine. |
TheFleur-de-lis has long used by the French royal houses, such as theHouse of Bourbon, in their coat of arms and was found upon the national flag of the French during the time Montreal was founded, and was also used as a mark of honour or favour by the King of France. The first European settlers in possession of theIsland of Montreal hailed from France, and thus are represented by this symbol.
TheRed Rose of Lancaster was used as a symbol of the English RoyalHouse of Lancaster, and has become a symbol of the English people as well.
Traditionally known as atrefoil, theshamrock was a symbol to early Irish Christians of the trinity. It has endured to become a symbol of the Irish people.
Found in various folklore of the Scots since Roman times, thethistle has also been long used in thecompartment of the Scottish royal coat of arms, and has been symbolic of the Scottish people long beforeheraldry.
Thewhite pine symbolizes the Indigenous Peoples and stands for Peace and Harmony. It also represents the Circle of Life and the council fire – a place for meeting and dialogue for the First Nations.[4]
In 1981, with an attempt tomodernize the city's use of such emblems, Montreal introduced a logo for common municipal use, while the coat of arms would be reserved for the most formal of ceremonies and events.[1] The device consists of the city's name withaccent mark as found with the French spelling and a stylized rosette that is itself composed of four hearts. Officially, the type is to be in black and the rosette in red, but a few variations exist for printing purposes when the set colours would not contrast well on documents.[5]
Greater Montreal attempted to unify the City of Montreal with the other eighty-one surrounding municipalities under one logo in 2006. The logo that was introduced consisted of a stylized 'M' meant to look, as the design firm put it, "deliberately chubby, very welcoming, like a comfy chair."[6] However, the logo received much negative criticism for its "patchwork of hot pink, tangerine, rhubarb, turquoise and green apple",[6] that was viewed as childish in implement and likened toclown paint,Smarties,jelly beans, garbage and even vomit. Public sentiment grew increasingly negative when it was discovered the cost of the ill-received design was $1,487,000 paid out from the public fund.[6] Montreal itself continues to use the 1981 logo, and even Greater Montreal has since dropped the design they themselves introduced.[7]
