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Arms of the Popes
Papal arms are certainly among the most recognizable in the world, due in large part to a design that has remained remarkably consistent and simple over eight centuries. It should be noted that no legislation has ever, or could ever, governed papal arms. The pope as the supreme legislator in the Church is free to amend or disregard legal decrees issued by his predecessors. For this reason, the following is not a review of current legislation, but a historical survey of past papal arms.
Papal arms have historically consisted of three elements:
Keys -- Since at least the 1200s, keys have been used to represent the Church and the papacy. If one is to believe some scholars, this use of keys may even date back to the nineth century. Of all the symbols employed by the popes over the ages, two keys bound together with a red rope is the actual symbol of the office of pope. Only one person in the world can use this symbol of office -- the Pope.
The origin of this symbol is, of course, ancient coming from a literal reading of Christ's promise to St. Peter, the first pope. "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mt 16:19 NAB). While at first, the keys were usually found on the shield itself, since the 15th century it has become customary to depict the keys as external ornaments. Two colors have come to be associated with these keys. The gold for that which has been bound, and silver, that which has been loosed. Traditionally the silver key is depicted with its handle on the viewer's left and the gold one on the viewer's right, but this does not actually matter. Vatican flags and even the plaques at Vatican embassies have occassionally flipped the colors.Tiara -- The other symbol commonly associated with the papacy is the papal tiara, a crown-like headdress used by the popes since at least Pope Nicholas II. The tiara's current form -- a white conical hat ringed by three gold coronets -- dates back to the mid 1300s. Before that time the tiara had only one, and then briefly just two coronets. The origins of the papal tiara are somewhat obscure, but it likely develped from the phrygian cap given by the emperor Constantine to Pope Sylvester (314-335). The episcopal miter is also thought to have developed from a modification of this cap.
Shield -- The shield is the only element that is unique to an individual pope. Historically it is usually the coat of arms of the pope's family, but the three most recent popes have chosen new designs. The shape of the shield is not important and has fluctuated over time. Papal arms have commonly been depicted on the Italian "horse-head" shield (e.g. Paul VI's arms as seen below), but this appears to have changed since the pontificate of Pope John Paul II.
Scroll over these arms for more details about the individual coat of arms. For a more comprehensive list of papal arms, see Alexander Kurov's artwork on Father Shelter's website catholicsites.org.
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John XXIII |
Paul VI |
John Paul I |
John Paul II |
Arms of Pope Benedict XVI
These three items have been the traditional elements of papal arms, but the new arms of Pope Benedict XVI have introduced two interesting changes that require special attention. Please note, however, parts of this analysis reflect personal opinion.
The first immediately recognizable change is the loss of the tiara. Instead, the pope has chosen to use a miter, albeit one decorated in a manner that alludes to the papal tiara. The rationale implicitly given by Archbishop Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, the arms' designer, is that since the tiara is no longer used by popes, something that is more representative of what the popes currently use should be depicted. This, I think, misses the point of heraldry. Never in the history of heraldry has it been a requirement or even a common practice to use only real objects in coats of arms. One need only to look, for example, at the arms of the United States to find an abstract and unrealistic syblem -- 13 stars within a circlet of clouds -- or those of the Queen of England -- a unicorn. If the archbishop's thinking is to be followed, the keys of St. Peter should also be removed from the papal arms as well since they are not real objects and have never been physically used by the popes. The biggest problem with this substitution, however, is that it greatly diminishes the papal identity of the arms. The tiara and keys are unique symbols of the papacy since no other person or office is entitled to use them. The miter, on the hand, is the common symbol of a bishop. Although it is no longer used in the arms of Catholic bishops, the miter is still used by all Anglican Communion bishops and dioceses. See for example the arms of the Anglican Archdiocese of Canterbury and the Anglican Diocese of Auckland. This potential for someone confusing the papal coat of arms for those of an Anglican bishop, is a unfortunate effect of this recent innovation.
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The other addition of Pope Benedict XVI to the traditional elements is that of a pallium. Though palliums have been worn by the popes since the earliest centuries of the Church, it has not commonly been found in papal coats of arms. Palliums are more likely to be found on the coats of arms of archbishops, who use it to represent the actual palliums they receive from the pope. Consequently, the heraldic meaning of a pallium is to show the communion an archbishop has with the Successor of St. Peter. The addition of the pallium on a papal coat of arm is a bid of an odd choice since it seems to say he is in communion with himself. Artistically, also, the pallium is not always easy incorporate smoothly into an overall design, as many archepiscopal arms attest.
It seems odd that a pope who has encouraged tradition in liturgical matters and vestments would adopt bold innovations in his coat of arms. All this having been said, the tiara, however, is not gone completely. The Vatican and all its various dicasteries still make use of the tiara, and the pope's arms are still often depicted in the traditional manner.
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Papal Arms in the Vatican Gardens |
Banner of the papal Swiss Guard corps |
Embroidered arms on WYD 2008 miter |
The above pictures clearly show that the tiara continues in use and that the pallium is optional. The arms embroidered for the pope's World Youth Day 2008 miter are especially noteworthy in that the design was personally approved by the pope after he had rejected the original design, albeit not because of the arms. Only time will tell just how long-lived the papal miter design will be. It might well be that the next pope will once again adopt the traditional design, which would be a welcomed return to a venerable heraldic tradition.