Coat of arms of Armenia
| Coat of arms of Armenia Հայաստանի Զինանշան |
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| Details | |
| Armiger | Republic of Armenia |
| Adopted | April 19, 1992 |
| Escutcheon | Quarterly: 1; Gules, a lion passant facing to the sinister with a cross rising from its back Or, 2; Azure, a double headed eagle Or, 3; Azure, a roundel Or charged with an octofoil between two eagles trussed regardant and addrosed Or, 4; Gules, a Lion passant guardant holding a cross Or. On an Inescutcheon en surtout, a Landscape of Mount Ararat with the flood waters receding and Noah's ark at the summit, all Argent |
| Supporters | To the dexter, an eagle regardant Or,and to the sinister a lion regardant also Or |
| Compartment | Bundle of Wheat Flowers, Feather, Broken Chain, Ribon, and Sword |
The national coat of arms of Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստանի զինանշանը, Hayastani zinanshan) was adopted on April 19, 1992, by the Armenian Supreme Council decision. On June 15, 2006, the law on the state coat of arms of Armenia was passed by the Armenian Parliament.
It consists of an eagle and a lion supporting a shield. The coat of arms combines new and old symbols. The eagle and lion are ancient Armenian symbols dating from the first Armenian kingdoms that existed prior to Christ. These symbols are found on the Armenian Highland from times immemorial. Numerous Armenian dynasties such as Artaxiad, Arsacid, Bagratuni and Rubenid, used these symbols as their royal insignia. Like other post-Soviet republics whose symbols do not predate the October Revolution, the current emblem retained one component of the Soviet one such as the Mount Ararat on the shield. Prior to 1992, Armenia had an emblem similar to all other Soviet Republics.
The shield itself consists of many components. In the center is a depiction of the Mount Ararat with Noah's Ark sitting atop it. According to tradition, the ark is said to have finally rested on the mountain after the great flood. Ararat is considered the national symbol of Armenia and thus is of principal importance to the coat of arms. Surrounding Mount Ararat are symbols of old Armenian dynasties. In the lower left portion of the shield, there are two eagles looking at each other, symbolizing the length of the Armenian territory during the reign of the Artaxiad Dynasty that ruled in the 1st century BC. In the upper left portion, there is a lion with a cross, the emblem for the Bagratuni Dynasty that ruled during the Middle Ages, between the 7th and 11th centuries. Under this dynasty, Armenia blossomed culturally, making its capital, Ani, one of the most important cultural, social and commercial centers of its time. Bagratuni was destroyed by the Byzantine Empire's encroachment and by Seljuk conquests in the 11th century. In the upper right portion, there is a two-headed eagle, the emblem of the first dynasty to reign over a Christian Armenia, the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia. Tiridates III of Arsacid Dynasty made Armenia the first Christian nation in 301. This dynasty ruled from the 1st century to 428. In the lower right portion, there is a lion with a cross, the emblem of the Rubenid dynasty. This dynasty reigned in Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, a state that expanded and prospered during the 12th and 13th centuries, until the Mamelukes and Turks eventually conquered it.
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