Caen
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Country: France  Département: Calvados  |
| French | De gueules à la tour crénelée de cinq pièces et donjonnée d'or, maçonnée, ajourée et ouverte de sable. |
| English | blazon wanted |
Origin/meaning
The arms of Caen date from the 15th century and initially showed three fleur-de-lys on a divided shield. The meaning is not known, but the three fleur-de-lys do indicate a royal connection (to Charles VII).
In 1811 Napoleon granted arms with a castle and the three bees of a city of the first class in chief. The fleur-de-lys were considered a royal symbol and thus had to be replaced. Why a castle was chosen is not known.
In 1816 the city returned to the historical arms. In 1830 the city adopted again the arms with the tower, but without the bees. During the reign of Napoleon III the bees were shortly reinstated. However, during most of the 19th century the old arms were also still used.
In the 20th century the tower is the only arms used by the city, but the depiction of the castle has varied much during the years, see images below.
Image gallery
The arms in a 16th century manuscript
The arms from 1811
The arms by Guilbert, 1853
The arms in Traversier (1842)
The arms in a publication from 1895
The arms in the Wappen-Sammlung (+/- 1910)
The arms in the Café Sanka album +/- 1932
The arms on a tobacco card by Laurens
The arms in a 1930s album
The arms in the Abadie albums
The arms on a Barré Dayez Postcard
The arms on a postcard by Kroma
Literature: Louis, 1949
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