| The coats of arms of different Russian cities are existing
since the XVI century. In 1672 the special code, containing 33 coats of arms of empires,
prince's possessions and lands, forming the full emperor's title, was composed. Peter the
Great established the special geroldmeister's office, designing the coats of arms
including the city's. The count Fransisco Santi in 1724 designed the emblem for the
standard of St.-Petersburg's regiment, created by the count Menshikov, who was the chief
of it. On the red field the golden scepter is placed with the crossed sea and river
anchors on it. There is no surprise, that the emblem of this regiment became the coat of
arms of St.-Petersburg and the whole St.-Petersburg's (Ingermanland's) province. In 1728-1729 count B.K. fon Minikh composed the coat of arms code, where N
4 is the coat of arms of St.-Petersburg.In its description there are some special details: scepter is
completed with the state coat of arms - two-headed eagle and above the shield the
emperor's crown is placed. In 1730 this coat of arms code was approved by Anna Ioannovna.
On May 7, 1780 Catherine II confirmed the existing coat of arms of St.-Petersburg
with the special order. In 1856 Alexander II approved the new version of
Petersburg's coat of arms, designed by baron B.V.Kene. The difference was, that the shield
of the coat of arms was crowned with the emperor's crown and blue ribbons of Andrei
Pervozvanny's order, behind them two crossed scepters were placed, symbolizing the
equality of two capitals - Petersburg and Moscow, the river's four-bladed anchor was
replaced with the three-bladed. This changed coat of arms became the city and province's
coat of arms.
In the start of the XX century in the table, including the state's coat
of arms, the coats of arms of the provinces and regions of the European part of Russia,
the coat of arms of St.-Petersburg has the form of the rectangular shield with the
sharpening beneath.
The shield is crowned with the golden emperor's crown and is surrounded
with the blue ribbon of Andrei Pervozvanny's order. On the red background of the shield
the crossed anchors are situated: two-bladed sea anchor - to the left and three-bladed
river anchor - to the right. The scepter with the two-headed eagle is placed on these
anchors. The symbols of the coat of arms are utmostly simple: the crown means the
belonging to the Russian Empire, scepter is the symbol of the capital, the anchors and the
ribbon were the symbols of the city importance as the capital of the Russian fleet. When
the initial name was returned to the city the importance of the coat of arms returned as
well.
The Regulations on the coat of arms of St.-Petersburg was approved with
the Resolution of the City Council on 6.09.1991.
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