Simnas

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SIMNAS

County : Alytus
Municipality : Alytus

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

The arms were officially granted on January 2, 1626 and regranted on June 29, 1999.

The arms show St. Paul to symbolize Povilas (Paul) Sapiega, the vice-chancellor of Lithuania, who arranged the granting of the city rights to Simnas by King Sigismund Vasa.

The rights and arms were revoked in 1776 and regranted on June 15, 1792, however differently: “the town is returned with its old rights and old arms – picture of St. Peter and St. Paul”. The difference comes probably from the seal known from 1770, showing those two saints. The reason and time of change in charge is not known. The new arms were not ever used: the privilege came to the town rights were already abolished.

So the earlier variant of arms was chosen to be restored in 1999 with the addition of the Book of Gospels for more canonical iconography.