Coat of arms of the Azores

From the coat of arms of the Azores , a group of nine larger and several smaller Portuguese Atlantic islands , the nine stars and the hawk in the flag of the Azores have only been adopted in gold .

description

The red bordered coat of arms with nine golden five-pointed stars is silver and shows a blue, red-billed, red-tongued and red-headed goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). A golden spangenhelm with red lining and blue-silver thorn-cut helmet covers rests on the shield . The hawk grows up out of the blue-silver bead of the helmet with nine golden five-pointed stars, four of them on the wings.

Shield holders are black, silver-horned and gold-hoofed erect bulls with a gold collar on a freely hanging gold chain. Both hold a blue flag staff with a golden base and mast tip, on which a red paw cross with a common white cross is placed on the right on a gold-framed white flag and on the left is also set, but a white dove flies in red over a gold-colored crosshair.

Under the shield is a gold ribbon with the motto in black Gothic letters “Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos” (German: “Better to die than free than to be subjugated in peace” ).

symbolism

The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit and refers to one of the oldest religions in the Azores. The bull is supposed to show the meat industry (beef). The paw cross is the sign of the order of Christ . The hawk as a heraldic bird refers to the naming of the islands: Ilhas dos Açores ( port. ) In German: Habichtsinseln .