House of Savoy

Savoy, Duchy of

Gules, a cross Argent.

Escudo de gules, una cruz de plata.

Coat of arms of the House of Savoy and the Duchy of Savoy, which I have interpreted as follows: the shield has a semicircular (round) base; the field is illuminated in flat tincture Gules; the cross is illuminated in Argent; and the whole coat of arms is rendered with a raised-stroke effect.

This coat of arms is both familial and political, for it is also the coat of arms of the French departments of Savoy and Haute-Savoie, both belonging to the Rhône-Alpes region.

The cross in this shield is an honourable ordinary, for it is a full cross, the result of combining a fess and a pale. This full cross is wide and reaches the edges of the shield and is therefore large enough to bear charges. For this reason these ordinaries are called “honourable,” because they may be honoured with additional charges. In English heraldry they are known as «ordinaries», [The Heraldry Society; 2013; page 11].

This coat of arms is recorded in the armorial [Marshal, L.; 1295; shield number 32] together with the text «Le Counte de Sauveys, Gules a cross argent, Amadeus V, Comte de Savoie».

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Argent and Cross.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated and Freehand.

Classification: Interpreted, Personal, Coat of arms and House of Savoy.

Bearer: Savoy, Duchy of.

Haute-Savoie

Gules, a cross Argent.

Escudo de gules, una cruz de plata.

Existing coat of arms interpreted by me of the following form: the shape of the shield is semi-circular; the tincture of the field is gules; the tincture of the cross is metal argente; and all the coat of arms has a watercolor finish.

In French its blazon is «de gueules à la croix d'argent».

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, Argent and Cross.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated and Watercolor.

Classification: Interpreted, Civic, Coat of arms and House of Savoy.

Bearer: Savoy, Duchy of.