Last modified: 2006-03-25 by martin karner
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Part I (precedent page)
Part II (this page):
See also:
(Continuation of Part I)
Here is the updated information and image from the official
Vatican website:
"Coat of Arms of His Holiness Benedict XVI
Armour bearings have been in common use by soldiers and
the nobility since the Middle Ages. This has given rise to a very
specific heraldic language to regulate and describe civic
heraldry.
At the same time, an ecclesiastical heraldry for clergy also
developed. This heraldic usage follows exactly the same rules as
civic heraldry with regard to the composition and definition of
the shield, but surrounds it with religious or Church symbols and
emblems according to one's ecclesiastical rank in Holy Orders,
jurisdiction and dignity.
There is an at least 800-year-old tradition for Popes to have
their own personal coat of arms, in addition to the symbols
proper to the Apostolic See. Particularly during the Renaissance
and the centuries that followed, it was customary to mark with
the arms of the reigning Supreme Pontiff all his principal works.
Indeed, Papal coats of arms appear on buildings and in various
publications, decrees and documents.
Popes often used their family shield or composed their own with
symbols indicating their ideal of life or referring to past
events or experiences, or even elements connected with specific
Pontifical programmes. At times, they even added a variant to a
shield that they had adopted on becoming a Bishop.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, elected Pope and taking the name
Benedict XVI, has chosen a coat of arms rich in symbolism and
meaning that transmits to history his personality and
Pontificate.
A coat of arms consists of a shield bearing several important
symbols and surrounded by elements that indicate the person's
dignity, rank, title, jurisdiction and more.
The shield chosen by Pope Benedict XVI is very simple: it is in
the shape of a chalice, the most commonly used form in
ecclesiastical heraldry.
The field of Pope Benedict XVI's shield, different from the
composition on his shield as Cardinal, is now gules (red), chape
or (gold). The principal field, in fact, is red.
In each of the upper corners there is a "chape" in
gold. The "chape" [cape] is a symbol of religion. It
indicates an idealism inspired by monastic or, more specifically,
Benedictine spirituality. Various Orders and Congregations, such
as the Carmelites and the Dominicans, have adopted in their arms
the form of the "chape", although the latter only used
it in an earlier form rather than their present one. Benedict
XIII (1724-1730) of the Order of Preachers used the
"Dominican chief" [heraldic term: upper part of the
field] which is white divided by a black "chape".
Pope Benedict XVI's shield contains symbols he had already used
in his arms when he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising, and
subsequently as Cardinal. However, they are arranged differently
in the new composition.
The principal field of the coat of arms is the central one which
is red. At the point of honour of the shield is a large gold
shell that has a triple symbolism.
Its first meaning is theological. It is intended to recall a
legend attributed to St Augustine. Meeting a child on the beach
who was trying to scoop up the sea into a hole in the sand,
Augustine asked him what he was doing. The child explained his
vain attempt and Augustine took it to refer to his own futile
endeavour to encompass the infinity of God within the confines of
the limited human mind.
The legend has an obvious spiritual symbolism; it is an
invitation to know God, yet with the humility of inadequate human
understanding, drawing from the inexhaustible source of theology.
The scallop shell, moreover, has been used for centuries to
distinguish pilgrims. Benedict XVI wanted to keep this symbolism
alive, treading in the footsteps of John Paul II, a great pilgrim
to every corner of the world. The design of large shells that
decorated the chasuble he wore at the solemn liturgy for the
beginning of his Pontificate, Sunday, 24 April, was most evident.
The scallop is also an emblem that features in the coat of arms
of the ancient Monastery of Schotten near Regensburg (Ratisbon)
in Bavaria, to which Joseph Ratzinger feels spiritually closely
bound.
In the part of the shield called "chape", there are
also two symbols that come from the Bavarian tradition which
Joseph Ratzinger introduced into his coat of arms when he became
Archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1977.
In the dexter corner (to the left of the person looking at it) is
a Moor's head in natural colour [caput Aethiopum] (brown) with
red lips, crown and collar. This is the ancient emblem of the
Diocese of Freising, founded in the eighth century, which became
a Metropolitan Archdiocese with the name of München und Freising
in 1818, subsequent to the Concordat between Pius VII and King
Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria (5 June 1817).
The Moor's head is not rare in European heraldry. It still
appears today in the arms of Sardinia and Corsica, as well as in
the blazons of various noble families. Italian heraldry, however,
usually depicts the Moor wearing a white band around his head
instead of a crown, indicating a slave who has been freed;
whereas in German heraldry the Moor is shown wearing a crown. The
Moor's head is common in the Bavarian tradition and is known as
the caput Ethiopicum or the Moor of Freising.
A brown bear, in natural colour, is portrayed in the sinister
(left) corner of the shield, with a pack-saddle on its back. An
ancient tradition tells that the first Bishop of Freising, St
Corbinian (born c. 680 in Châtres, France; died 8 September
730), set out for Rome on horseback. While riding through a
forest he was attacked by a bear that tore his horse to pieces.
Corbinian not only managed to tame the animal but also to make it
carry his baggage to Rome. This explains why the bear is shown
carrying a pack. An easy interpretation: the bear tamed by God's
grace is the Bishop of Freising himself; the pack saddle is the
burden of his Episcopate.
The shield of the Papal coat of arms can therefore be described
("blazoned") in heraldic terms as follows: "Gules,
chape in or, with the scallop shell of the second; the dexter
chape with a moor's head in natural colour, crowned and collared
of the first, the sinister chape a bear trippant in natural
colour, carrying a pack gules belted sable".
The shield carries the symbols connected to the person who
displays it, to his ideals, traditions, programmes of life and
the principles that inspire and guide him. The various symbols of
rank, dignity and jurisdiction of the individual appear instead
around the shield.
It has been a venerable tradition for the Supreme Pontiff to
surround his armorial shield with crossed keys, one gold and the
other silver, in the form of a St Andrew's cross: these have been
variously interpreted as symbols of spiritual and temporal power.
They appear behind the shield or above it, and are quite
prominent.
Matthew's Gospel recounts that Christ said to Peter: "I will
entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you
declare bound on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you
declare loosed on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mt 16:
19). The keys are therefore the typical symbol of the power that
Christ gave to St Peter and his Successors. Thus, it is only
right that they appear in every Papal coat of arms.
In secular heraldry there is always some form of headpiece above
the shield, usually a crown. In ecclesiastical heraldry it is
also common for a headpiece to be shown, but obviously of an
ecclesiastical kind.
The Supreme Pontiff's arms have featured a "tiara"
since ancient times. At the beginning this was a sort of closed
"tocque". In 1130 a crown was added, symbol of the
Church's sovereignty over the States.
Boniface VIII, in 1301, added a second crown, at the time of the
confrontation with Philip the Fair, King of France, to show that
his spiritual authority was superior to any civic authority.
It was Benedict XII in 1342 who added a third crown to symbolize
the Pope's moral authority over all secular monarchs, and
reaffirmed the possession of Avignon.
With time, although it lost its temporal meaning, the silver
tiara with three gold crowns came to represent the three powers
of the Supreme Pontiff: Sacred Orders, Jurisdiction and
Magisterium.
In past centuries, Popes wore the tiara at solemn official
celebrations and especially on the day of the
"coronation" at the beginning of their Pontificate.
Paul VI used for this purpose a precious tiara which the
Archdiocese of Milan had presented to him, just as it had given
one to Pius XI; but afterwards, Paul VI donated it to a charity
and introduced the current use of a simple "mitre",
although these mitres were sometimes embellished with ornaments
or gems. But he left the "tiara" and the crossed keys
as the emblem of the Apostolic See.
Today, the ceremony that begins a Pontificate is no longer called
a "coronation". The Pope's full jurisdiction begins the
moment he accepts his election by the Cardinals in the Conclave
and not with coronation as for secular monarchs. This ceremony,
therefore, is simply called the solemn inauguration of his
Petrine Ministry, as it was for Benedict XVI on 24 April.
The Holy Father Benedict XVI decided not to include the tiara in
his official personal coat of arms. He replaced it with a simple
mitre which is not, therefore, surmounted by a small globe and
cross as was the tiara.
The Papal mitre shown in his arms, to recall the symbolism of the
tiara, is silver and bears three bands of gold (the three powers:
Orders, Jurisdiction and Magisterium), joined at the centre to
show their unity in the same person.
On the other hand, there is also a completely new symbol in the
arms of Pope Benedict XVI: the "pallium". It is not
part of the tradition, at least in recent years, for the Supreme
Pontiffs to include it in their arms.
Yet the pallium is the typical liturgical insignia of the Supreme
Pontiff and frequently appears in ancient portrayals of Popes. It
stands for the Pope's responsibility as Pastor of the flock
entrusted to him by Christ.
In early centuries the Popes used a real lambskin draped over
their shoulders. This was later replaced by a stole of white wool
woven with the pure wool of lambs reared specially for the
purpose. It was decorated with several crosses that were
generally black in the early centuries, or occasionally red.
Already by the fourth century the pallium had become a liturgical
symbol proper to and characteristic of the Pope.
The Pope's conferral of the pallium upon Metropolitan Archbishops
began in the sixth century. Their obligation to postulate the
pallium after their appointment is attested as far back as the
ninth century.
In the famous long iconographic series of medallions in St Paul's
Basilica that portrays all the Popes of history (the earliest
portrayals are idealized), many Supreme Pontiffs are shown
wearing the pallium, especially those between the fifth and 14th
centuries.
The pallium is therefore not only the symbol of Papal
jurisdiction, but also the explicit and brotherly sign of sharing
this jurisdiction with the Metropolitan Archbishops, and through
them, with their suffragan Bishops. It is thus the visible sign
of collegiality and subsidiarity.
In heraldry in general, both civic and ecclesiastical
(particularly for lower ranks), it is customary to place a ribbon
or cartouche below the shield, bearing a motto or a heraldic
device. It expresses in a few words an ideal or a programme of
life.
In his Episcopal arms, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had chosen the
motto "Cooperatores Veritatis". This remains his
aspiration or personal programme but does not appear in his Papal
arms, in accordance with the tradition common to the Supreme
Pontiffs' arms in recent centuries.
We all remember that John Paul II would often quote his motto,
"Totus Tuus", although it did not feature in his Papal
arms. The absence of a motto in the Pope's arms implies openness
without exclusion to all ideals that may derive from faith, hope
and charity.
Mons. Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, Apostolic Nuncio"
Roberto Santos Correia Silva, 18 July 2005
Note: About the Moor's Head, see also: Freising County (Oberbayern District, Bavaria, Germany)
be16h.jpg)
image from <www.vatican.va>
The coat of arms of the new Pope, Benedict the XVI (Cardinal
Ratzinger of Germany) at <www.vatican.va>.
The Pope's Bio at <www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi>.
Zachary Harden, 19 April 2005
No, this is coat of arms only of cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger (see also image
at the web-site of Guy Selvester on <home.earthlink.net/ratzinger.jpg>).
New Pope HH Benedict XVI will have other coat of arms,
but, certainly, with the same shield, and with other external
ornaments.
Mikhail Revnivtsev, 19 April 2005
I did recognize the cardinal hat on the top of the coat of
arms and doubted it was/will be exactly the coat of arms of
Benedict XVI.
David Kendall, 20 April 2005
The arms of cardinal Ratzinger was designed and drawn by Claus
D. Bleisteiner, a heraldist from Gauting (near Munich) and
president of the local heraldical club "Wappenlöwe".
The Süddeutsche Zeitung had an article yesterday (thus before
the election) (19 Apr 2005, p. 39) on Bleisteiner, mentioning his
heraldic work for cardinal Ratzinger and three other cardinals
(Joachim Meisner, Karl Lehmann, Friedrich Wetter). The content of
the shield of Ratzinger's arms are explained by Bleisteiner as
follows: - the moor-heads (obviously) for the archbishopric
Munich-Freising, where Ratzinger was archbishop 1977-82 - the
bear from the Freising town arms - the shell as personal symbol,
meaning "every believer is a shell in the sea of god";
the shell refers to a legend of Augustinus, about whom Ratzinger
had written his doctoral thesis.
Marcus Schmöger, 20 April 2005
His arms as archbishop/cardinal incorporate the bear with pack
on its back from the arms of the city of Freising, the ancient
bishopric that is now the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, as
well as the city where young Joseph Ratzinger was educated and
ordained. The bear is the symbol of St. Corbinian,
patron and refounder of the Freising episcopal see (8th century).
Cardinal Ratzinger explained it as symbolizing carrying the
burdens of the Lord.
Joe McMillan, 21 April 2005
image by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 25 November 2005
Here is the tapestry usually hung during Pope Benedict XVI's
speeches.
Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 25 November 2005
Most strange, as it uses not the finnally accepted arms of the
pope, but one of the many projects aired when it was found
necessary to change Ratzinger's cardinal arms upon his
coronation.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 27 November 2005
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