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The holidays and symbols of the new Russian state Excerpts from a RIA Novosti online conference with Georgy Vilinbakhov, State Heraldry Master of the Russian Federation “…Q: Why did Russia adopt a two-headed eagle for its coat-of-arms? A: As the Duchy of Muscovy finally acquired independence toward the end of the 15th century, it began to need national symbols. Two-headed eagles, the emblem of the Palaeologi, the Byzantine imperial dynasty, were among the most revered symbols of state heraldry at that time. Grand Duke Ivan III married the niece and only heiress of Constantine Palaeologus, the last Byzantine Emperor. The eagle was also the symbol of the Holy Roman Empire and was very well known in the Balkans. Finally, Muscovy was determined to project an image on a par with other countries' in negotiations with their rulers. All that taken together evidently determined Ivan's choice of emblem… Q: Russia has a Christian saint on its coat-of-arms. Is that appropriate in a multi-religious country? A: As the official description has it, Russia bears on its coat-of-arms a representation not of St. George but of a mounted lancer smiting a dragon. Significantly, there is no nimbus around the rider's head. He did not begin to be identified with St. George until as late as the beginning of the 18th century. The documents of the 16th and 17th centuries, on the contrary, refer to him as a Rider of Light, and occasionally a Sovereign, Rider or Lancer (kopeishchik in Russian). The kopek coin owes its name to the latter word. Q: Why did Russian experts on heraldry turn to history instead of inventing entirely new national symbols? A: Russian history goes back many centuries. Throughout those centuries, this country has always had its symbols. The two-headed eagle stood for Russian power from the late 15th century until the early 20th century. It was the symbol of the Grand Duchy of Muscovy, the Moscow Czardom, the Russian Empire, the Russian Republic, established by the February Revolution of 1917, and Soviet Russia before it adopted a new coat-of-arms in 1924. Many extant documents signed by Lenin in 1917 and 1918 bear the stamp of the two-headed eagle from the state seal. The white, blue and red tricolor was established during the reign of Czar Alexei Mikhailovich, father of Peter the Great, in the 17th century. The Orel (which means "eagle"), Russia's first military vessel, flew that flag. It never occurred to anyone to invent another name for this country. It retains the name Russia, thank God. Likewise, a resolution in 1991 revived the symbols rooted in its history…”
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Russia