View source for Coat of arms of Quebec

{{Short description|Canadian provincial heraldic symbol}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox coat of arms
 | name             = Arms of His Majesty The King in Right of Quebec
 | image            = Coat of arms of Quebec.svg
 | image_width      = 200
 | middle           = 
 | middle_width     = 
 | middle_caption   = 
 | lesser           = Coat of arms of Québec (1867-1939).svg
 | lesser_width     =
 | lesser_caption   = 1868–1939
 | armiger          = [[Charles III]] in [[Monarchy in Quebec|Right of Quebec]]
 | year_adopted     = 1939
 | crest            = 
 | torse            =
 | shield           = Tierced in fess, Azure three fleurs-de-lis Or, Gules a lion passant guardant, and Or a sprig of three maple leaves Vert
 | supporters       =
 | helm             =
 | compartment      =
 | motto            = {{Langnf|fr|[[Je me souviens]]|I remember|break=yes}}
 | orders           =
 | other_elements   = [[Tudor Crown (heraldry)|Tudor Crown]]
 | earlier_versions = Or on a Fess Gules between two Fleurs de Lis in chief Azure, and a sprig of three Leaves of Maple slipped Vert in base, a Lion passant guardant Or
 | use              =
}}

The '''coat of arms of Quebec''' ({{lang|fr|armoiries du Québec}}) was adopted by order-in-council of the [[Government of Quebec]] on 9 December 1939,<ref name="GouvduQc">[http://www.drapeau.gouv.qc.ca/armoiries/armoiries.html Justice Québec. Les armoiries du Québec] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014011847/http://www.drapeau.gouv.qc.ca/armoiries/armoiries.html |date=14 October 2007 }}</ref> replacing the arms assigned by royal warrant of [[Queen Victoria]] on 26 May 1868.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.heraldry.ca/misc/coatArmsCanada.htm |title=Royal Heraldry Society of Canada: The Four Founding Provinces |access-date=14 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205055430/http://www.heraldry.ca/misc/coatArmsCanada.htm |archive-date=5 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Symbolism ==
The [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|shield]] is divided into three horizontal fields:
* ''Top'' – three gold [[fleur-de-lis|fleurs-de-lis]] on a blue background, symbolizing [[Early modern France|royal France]];
* ''Middle'' – a gold [[Lion (heraldry)|lion]] [[Attitude (heraldry)#Passant|passant guardant]] on a red background, symbolizing the [[Kingdom of England]];
* ''Bottom'' – three green [[maple leaves]] on a [[Gold (color)|gold]] background, symbolizing [[Canada]].

The shield is surmounted by the [[Tudor Crown (heraldry)|Tudor Crown]] and accompanied by a [[Silver (color)|silver]] scroll bearing the province's motto, {{Langnf|fr|[[Je me souviens]]|I remember}}.

==Blazon==
The [[blazon]] is:

:{{lang|fr|Tiercé en fasce; d'azur, à trois fleurs-de-lis d'or; de gueules, à un léopard d'or, armé et lampassé d'azur; d'or, à une branche d'érable à sucre à triple feuille de sinople, aux nervures du champ. Timbré de la couronne royale. Sous l'écu, un listel d'argent bordé d'azur portant la devise JE ME SOUVIENS du même.}}

:Tierced (divided in three parts, horizontally) in fess, Azure three fleurs-de-lis Or, Gules a lion passant guardant, and Or a sprig of three maple leaves Vert; Motto: JE ME SOUVIENS.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/heraldry/public-register/project/2089 |title=Province of Quebec |work=Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada |publisher=Official website of the Governor General |accessdate=8 November 2021}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Qc-coat-old.jpg|thumb|left|150px|1868 arms of Quebec on the [[Wilfrid Laurier Memorial]] in Montreal]]
[[File:Coat of Arms of Quebec – Voltigeurs de Québec Armoury, Quebec City.jpg|thumb|upright=1|1868 design at [[Voltigeurs de Québec]] Armoury]]
Arms were first granted to the province in 1868 by Queen Victoria. They were [[blazon]]ed as follows:

:''Or on a Fess Gules between two Fleurs de Lis in chief Azure, and a sprig of three Leaves of Maple slipped Vert in base, a Lion passant guardant Or.''

However, in 1939, the Quebec government adopted arms by [[order-in-council]], replacing the two blue fleurs-de-lis on the golden field with the royal arms of France Modern in chief. Quebec is the only Canadian province to have adopted arms by its own authority.<ref name="GouvduQc"/>

The federal government primarily uses the 1939 variant, though the 1868 variant has been retained in some historical references, such as the [[Centennial Flame]] on [[Parliament Hill]] and the badge of the [[Royal 22e Régiment|Royal 22<sup>e</sup> Régiment]].{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}
{{clear left}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Gouvernement du Québec. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20071014011847/http://www.drapeau.gouv.qc.ca/armoiries/armoiries.html Les armoiries du Québec]", in the site ''Drapeau et symboles nationaux'' of the Government of Quebec, updated on 14 January 2008
* [[Luc Bouvier]]. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110525012011/http://www.vigile.net/Les-armoiries-du-Quebec-d-hier-a Les armoiries du Québec d’hier à aujourd’hui]", in ''L'Action nationale'', February 1999.
* [[Gaston Deschênes]] (1990). ''Les symboles d'identité québécoise'', Québec: Publications du Québec, 39 pages {{ISBN|2-551-14189-3}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Coats of arms of Quebec}}
* [https://www.justice.gouv.qc.ca/ministere/drapeau-et-symboles-nationaux/armoiries/ Ministère de la Justice – Armoiries du Québec] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Heraldry in Canada}}
{{Quebec topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat of Arms of Quebec}}
[[Category:Canadian provincial and territorial coats of arms|Quebec]]
[[Category:Provincial symbols of Quebec]]
[[Category:Coats of arms with fleurs de lis]]
[[Category:Coats of arms with lions]]
[[Category:Coats of arms with crowns]]