Hofkirchen bei Hartberg

HOFKIRCHEN BEI HARTBERG

State : Steiermark
District : Hartberg-Fürstenfeld (until 2015 Hartberg)
Incorporated into: 2015 Kaindorf

Official blazon

In Blau eine wachsende Spitze von Rauten aus Hermelin und roten, silbern facettierten Rauten.

Origin/meaning

The arms were granted on Nov 15, 1993.

In medieval times, Hofkirchen was a Ritterhof, a manor of the von Safen family. One member of this family was the Minnesänger Leutold von Saven (13^th century), who is recorded in the famous Codex Manesse as Luitolt von Seuen. The Codex also attributes to him a coat of arms, too, which, however, is a fantastical one.

These arms are the basis of the arms of Hofkirchen. The courtly ermine is to indicate the Hof- (court) part of the name, while the heraldically stylised stones are a reference to St. Stephan, the patron-saint of Hofkirchen's church. St. Stephan, archmartyr, was stoned to death at the instigation of Saulus (later the Apostle Paulus).