Valenciennes

Blason de Valenciennes/Arms (crest) of Valenciennes
Country : France
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Département : Nord
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Official blazon
French De gueules au lion d'or.
English Gules, a lion rampant Or.

Origin/meaning

The arms show a lion, but the origin is not clear. It has been stated that it is the lion of Hainaut in inversed colours, but that is unlikely as Hainaut never used a single lion, but a quartered shield of Vlaandere (Flandre) and Holland since the 13th century. In the 19th century also swan supporters have been used (see also below for the swan arms).

Sometimes other arms are shown for the town, showing a swan. These are canting arms; Val-de-Cygnes (valley of swans). I have, however, only seen those on Dutch maps, or sources based on maps, from the 16th and 17th century. Sometimes alone, sometimes both arms (lion and swan) are shown on the map.

Literature: Image from http://www.armorialdefrance.fr

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