Heraldry of the World

The largest heraldry site on the net, with presently coats of arms on-line !

You are here : Home > Europe > Belgium
 


Belgische Gemeentewapens - Armories communales de Belgique
Belgian Civic Heraldry

CHARLEROI

Province : Hainaut
Additions : 1976 Couillet, Dampremy, Gilly, Gosselies, Goutroux, Jumet, Lodelinsart, Marchienne-au-Pont, Marcinelle, Monceau-sur-Sambre, Montignies-sur-Sambre, Mont-sur-Marichenne, Ransart, Roux


Origin/meaning :

The old arms were granted on August 28, 1847 and were officially crowned, and had a lion as a dexter supporter.
The oldest known arms of Charleroi date from 1680 and show a black shield with a silver chief. These arms were derived from the Isenghien family of Gent, at the time Lords of Charleroi. In 1697 the Spanish King (Belgium at the time was part of Spain) granted the lion of Namur in the lower part of the shield. In 1847 the fleur-de-lis was added as a French symbol.

After the merger in 1976 new arms were needed. The fleur-de-lis was retained as a symbol of France's involvement in the initial development of the fortress. The castle of Vauban, the centre of the city is shown in the lower part of the arms. The castle is surrounded by 12 stars, derived from the flag of European Towns. Under the chief is a chequered bar with 15 squares, one for each of the former municipalities.

The rooster supporter is the symbol of the French-speaking part of Belgium.

Literature : Servais, 1955; Information from the Charleroi council


Home © Ralf Hartemink 1996, ->

See also my other sites Food-Info.net and Food Dictionary


Disclaimer:
This site is private and non-commercial. All sources are mentioned when known. If you own copyrights to the information provided and are not mentioned, please contact the webmaster.

The information (texts or pictures) of this site may be used for private purposes but only after permission of the webmaster and with credit/link to this site. Be aware that for many non-commercial purposes permission of the (municipal) council to which the arms belong is needed ! When not sure, contact the council.
Use of the images in Wikipedia is allowed with reference to this site and/or the original source as mentioned on the site. Use template {{ngw}} for Dutch images and {{ngw2}} for non-Dutch images and always add original source. It is not allowed to use texts of this site on Wikipedia without permission !

For commercial purposes permission of the council as well as the webmaster of this site is always needed. The webmaster of this site is not responsible for commercial use of the material provided.
Disclaimer last changed on April 29, 2008 (addition Wikipedia templates), previous change January 2007 (addition Wikipedia text), previous change 2001.