Salvador (Bahia)

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SALVADOR

State : Bahia

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

The white dove carrying the branch is a symbol of the Salvator (Salvador). It was devised in 1549 by the founder of the city, Tomé de Sousa and represents the place where the Portuguese could settle in the new land, in analogy to the passage of the Bible where Noah releases a dove to find land, and she returned with an olive branch in the beak, signaling that the new found land land was fertile.

Another possible meaning is that the symbol was adopted because the foundation of the city of Salvador brought peace and reconciliation to the then province of Bahia, which was in constant conflicts arising from the gradual occupation of the area by the grantee Francisco Pereira Coutinho.

The dove may also refer to the former colonial coat of arms of the state of Bahia,

The Latin inscription "Sic illa ad arcam reverse est." (Thus she returned to the ark) is a again reference to the white dove of Noah.

The original arms from 1549 looked slightly different: