MEDELLÍN COAT OF ARMS: HISTORY AND MEANING - HISTORY - 2025

The coat of arms of Medellín is one of the oldest symbols of that city. It is composed of a thick tower with two smaller towers. On the tower is the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus in her arms. On the sides of the Virgin there are groups of clouds.

The current coat of arms has not been the only one the city has had. In February 1678, the Council of the Indies decreed that the town of Medellín would have the same coat of arms as that of the city of the same name, located in Extremadura, Spain. That was the first coat of arms of Medellín.

However, the first coat of arms was used for just over a month. On March 31, 1678, the official coat of arms of the city was created, when King Carlos II promulgated a Royal Decree from Madrid, Spain.

Thanks to this document the definitive characteristics of the Medellín coat of arms were established.

You may also be interested in the flag of Medellín.

History

Since the city of Medellín was formed, it has had two coats of arms. The first was short-lived, just over a month. For its part, the second has been used for more than three centuries.

Formation of Medellín and request for the coat of arms

On November 2, 1675, the creation of the Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Medellín, belonging to the province of Antioquia, was decreed.

A year later, the Medellín administration asked the Spanish Crown to grant it a coat of arms, as was the custom among the towns.

The following is an extract from the statement in which such request is made, extracted from the minutes and documents of the Cabildo de Villa de Medellín:

"We also beg your Majesty to give Arms to this Villa for the luster of it as the others have…"

In this same letter, the rulers of the Villa de Medellín confirm the devotion they feel for the Virgin of Our Lady of Candelaria.

To this Virgin they attribute the title of "the torch that gave birth to its foundation." This element would have to be taken into account when creating the town's coat of arms.

After two years of petitions, finally on February 9, 1678, the coat of arms was granted to the Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria in Medellín.

The document was issued by the Council of the Indies and established that the new city in America would have the coat of arms of the city of Medellín in Spain as its coat of arms:

"… it was agreed that everything done in this matter by the said Governor be approved, dispatching the title of Villa, with the same weapons as that of Medellín in the Province of Extremadura…".

First coat of arms

In the 20th century, various investigations were carried out in order to determine the characteristics of the coats of arms used in America during the Colony.

These studies showed that the first coat of arms used in Medellín had the following characteristics:

The shape of the shield was Aragonese, which means that it was slightly curved in the lower part while in the upper part it was closed with a straight line.

Inside was a silver bridge with two towers made of the same metal. On the bridge floated the Virgen de la Candelaria. Waves of blue and silver were visible under the bridge.

The background of the image was blue, while the other elements were silver. A prince's crown was placed on the shape of the shield.

This coat of arms was used for a short time, since in March 1678 King Carlos II decreed the creation of a new one.

Second coat of arms: the current coat of arms

On March 31, 1678, King Carlos II of Spain promulgated a Royal Decree in which he established the abolition of the previous shield and the creation of a new one was decreed. This blazon is the one that is used today.

In the Royal Decree the shield was described as follows:

“… An azure field shield and in it a very thick round tower, all around crenellated (…), on each side a small tower, likewise battlements and in the middle of them an image of Our Lady placed on a cloud, with her child in her arms… "

The shape of this shield is Portuguese, which means that the base of the coat of arms is straight and closes in a peak. The background is green at the base and blue at the top.

In the center is a gilded tower with a central door, two windows and two turrets. Both the tower and the small towers are crenellated.

On the door of the tower is a coat of arms. This shield has a checkered bottom, so it resembles a chessboard.

It is divided into 15 squares, of which 8 are gold and 7 are blue. A marquesal crown closes the image.

On the sides of the tower there are clouds that open to show the Virgin of Candelaria, who floats over the tower and holds the baby Jesus in her left arm. Luminous rays emerge from the head of the Virgin.

Meaning

The central figure of the shield is the Virgen de la Candelaria, who is the patron saint of the city.

In fact, since the founding of Medellín it was considered that this Marian dedication protected the settlers and brought prosperity to the city.

The coat of arms that is observed on the door of the tower belonged to the Portocarrero family. It should be said that a member of this family, Luis Manuel Fernández Portocarrero, was a member of the Council of State of Spain.

This character had great influence on King Carlos II, who honored him using his coat of arms on the Medellín coat of arms.

References

1. Coats of arms of Antioquia Department. Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from org
2. Coats of arms of Medellín. Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from wikipedia.org
3. Medellin. Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from wikipedia.org
4. Medellin (Antioquia, Colombia) Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from crwflags.com
5. Coat of Arms - Medellin. Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from crwflags.com
6. Medellin (Spain). Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from wikipedia.org
7. Medellín Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms. Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from houseofnames.com