Uglich's coat of arms: photo, description, history

The coat of arms of Uglich is of interest to any person who is fond of heraldry. The official symbol, which the ancient city uses today, was approved only in 1999, but its history has been going on for several centuries. Since at the moment there is a coat of arms of a settlement, who is depicted on it and why?

Coat of Arms of Uglich: how it all began

Historians have never been able to come to a consensus on how the official symbol of the city looked in ancient times. The most popular version says that the first coat of arms of Uglich contained a picture of a cock. The basis for this assumption was the famous legend, in which a giant cock was featured.

The legend claims that the cock was the inhabitants of the city before the disaster had to hit the locality. If you believe this fairy tale, the bird arrived at midnight, settling on a stone that was near the intersection of Proletarskaya and Narimanov streets. The rooster made a lot of noise, flapping wings, urging the Uglyans to get ready for an impending disaster. He visited the stone so often that it even preserved a footprint, the length of which was about 30 cm.

The ancient coat of arms of Uglich, as historians believe, ceased to be used with the spread of Christianity. The stone began to be perceived by the inhabitants of the city as a harbinger of misfortunes, the Uglyans tried to stay away from it. The stone was destroyed only at the beginning of the 20th century, it was used for paving streets.

Mysterious death

Uglich - a city that even in the Middle Ages was associated with the inhabitants of Russia with a sad history. It was here that the heir to the throne, the son of Ivan the Terrible Dmitri, died tragically. The circumstances of the Tsarevich's death were not determined precisely by the researchers, so his death is still surrounded by a frightening aura of secrecy.

Heir to the throne lived with his mother in Uglich since 1584, the populated area was granted to Dmitry for his inheritance. In fact, he was expelled from the capital, fearing his rebellion against the mad brother of Fyodor, who took the throne after his father's death. The most popular version of the death of the prince says that his death was the result of a serious injury, received during the epileptic fit. However, there is another theory, according to which the heir was eliminated on the orders of Boris Godunov.

Eight-year prince died in May 1591, after his death was canonized. Today, the coat of arms of Uglich contains its image.

Infantry Regiment

Over 130 years have passed, but the city's residents have not forgotten the unfortunate son of Ivan the Terrible. For the first time the image of a child declared a martyr appeared on the banners used by the infantry regiment of the city, it happened in 1727. Later, this design began to decorate the seals used to hold official papers. Gradually, the military emblem turned into an official symbol of an ancient settlement, in total it took about fifty years.

The coat of arms of Uglich, whose history is inextricably linked with the death of the heir to the Russian throne, was approved in August 1778. This happened during the reign of Catherine the Great. The Empress approved a new coat of arms of the settlement simultaneously with the symbols of other cities of the Yaroslavl Province.

Coat of arms of 1778: description

The symbol of the city, officially approved in 1778, was somewhat different from the figure that adorned the banners of the infantry regiment. Initially, Prince Dmitry was depicted on a red-green background. In the hands of the heir to the throne, who died at the age of nine, held a knife and a lamb. His attire and hat were made in golden tones.

However, it was decided to change the coat of arms somewhat. In particular, the green color was removed, leaving the background red. Tsarevich Dmitry "dressed" in a purple dress, decorated with gold inlays, precious stones. The crown of the innocent victim also turned out to be golden-purple. The silver knife in the right hand was decided to be left, while the creators of the symbol of the city refused the lamb, considering this detail superfluous.

Unapproved project

It is interesting that in 1863 attempts were made to slightly modify the coat of arms of Uglich, the description of which is given above. "To refine" the symbol of the city most wanted a court specialist in heraldry Ken, to which the coat of arms seemed imperfect. He proposed to leave the image of Ivan the Fourth armed with a knife, standing on the background of a scarlet field.

The supplements offered by Ken were mainly in the addition of the coat of arms of the Yaroslavl Province. The symbol contained an image of a bear armed with a silver ax with a red shaft of a bear. His Ken planned to place in the free field of the shield. In his opinion, this should help the inhabitants of Uglich feel part of the Yaroslavl province. Also, a specialist in heraldry wanted to add a silver crown and golden ears, decorated with St. Andrew's ribbon. However, the government did not find this project worthy of attention, the coat of arms, invented in the eighteenth century, retained its former appearance.

Soviet authority

Of course, the coat of arms of Uglich, whose photo can be seen in the article, was not used in the days of the Soviet Union. After the revolution, the settlement was completely deprived of the coat of arms. However, the symbol of the city was not at all forgotten by its inhabitants, who are anxious about their history. The image of Tsarevich Dmitry, who met his death in Uglich, could be seen on souvenir badges, ornaments.

Conversations about the need to return the coat of arms to the settlement began around the end of the 1960s. This is due to the fact that in the USSR at that time the concepts of domestic tourism were moving forward. Of course, approved in 1778, the coat of arms of Uglich, whose photo is presented in the article, it was impossible to use. Atheism flourished in the country, and Tsarevich Dmitry was canonized in the early 17th century, besides, the heir belonged to the royal family.

For a time, such an option as the use of a city bell drawing was considered. The bell was to be placed on a red shield. However, the project again did not receive approval from the authorities, since it was directly connected with church themes, which was not popular in the days of the Soviet Union.

Return of the Emblem

Who is depicted on the coat of arms of Uglich these days? The symbol of the city still contains the image of Tsarevich Dmitry, who died at the age of eight and declared a saint. The decision to return the coat of arms, approved even during the reign of Catherine II, was issued by the Duma only in March 1999. Since then, the appearance of the symbol remains unchanged.

Why in 1778 was approved exactly the coat of arms of Uglich, which means the symbol of the city? As already mentioned, Tsarevich Dmitri, who is the son of Ivan the Terrible, was canonized after his death. Therefore, he was given the role of a kind of protector of the settlement. His image appealed to the inhabitants of Uglich, ruined as a result of Pugachev's uprising, stoically to stick to the difficult times that have come for the country.

Interesting fact

Uglich also has a temple dedicated to the innocent heir to the throne, it was erected in 1962. The church of Dmitry was created in the place where, according to historical sources, the little prince lost his life. Paintings adorning the inner walls of the temple, tell of this sad event that occurred in the late 16th century.