Letters Patent registering the Arms of the Ville de Montréal (1833)
Letters Patent registering the Arms of the Ville de Montréal (1833)
Blazon
Argent a saltire Gules between in the first quarter a rose, in the second quarter a thistle, in the third quarter a shamrock and in the fourth quarter a beaver couchant on a log Or*;
The Arms are displayed within a garter Azure inscribed with the Motto and are placed above a scroll bearing the words CORPORATION and MONTREAL;
* The colour Or of the charges is indicated in the city council minutes of 19 July 1833, although representations of these arms usually show them in their natural colours.
Symbolism
The floral elements represent the ethnic origins of the population of Montréal in the 19th century. More particularly, the rose symbolizes the English component of the population, the thistle, the Scottish component, the shamrock, the Irish component, and the beaver the French component who settled on the island of Montréal in the 17th century.
Motto of the Ville de Montréal
Blazon
CONCORDIA SALUS;
Symbolism
This Latin phrase means “Salvation through harmony”.