Principles of the register
The register is not an inventory of the insignia of one state, but an overarching database of insignia of Serbian origin, bearer and meaning — in Serbia, the region and the diaspora. Here it is laid down what enters the register, how the insignia are arranged and by what criterion they are assessed.
What is Serbian
heraldry?
Serbian heraldry, in the sense of this register, comprises coats of arms, flags, banners, seals and emblems that are Serbian by origin, by bearer or by meaning: those borne by Serbian state and self-governing communities, the Serbian Orthodox Church, Serbian institutions and families, as well as historical insignia that have become part of Serbian memory.
Serbian heritage does not follow state borders, but it respects them. The register therefore records insignia according to origin and meaning, and arranges them according to the current division of the state in which the bearer is located. Insignia enter the register when they meet at least one of six principles; most significant insignia meet several.
- Subject
- Coats of arms, flags, banners, seals and emblems
- Coverage
- Serbia, Republika Srpska, the region and the diaspora
- Criterion for entry
- At least one of six principles
- Criterion for assessment
- New Serbian Heraldry
Six principles
- 1
Bearer
The insignia are borne by a state, entity, city, municipality, institution, church, family or individual of Serbian origin or Serbian culture.
Serbia, Republika Srpska, Matica srpska, the Obrenović dynasty
- 2
Community
The insignia of a place or area in which the Serbian people form the majority or a significant part of the population, or in which the Serbian community lived for a long time and left a lasting mark.
cities and municipalities of Serbia and Republika Srpska
- 3
History
The historical insignia of Serbian states, lands, dynasties, nobility, towns and institutions — regardless of the state in which their territory lies today.
the Nemanjić and Branković dynasties, the Principality and Kingdom of Serbia
- 4
Faith
The insignia of the Serbian Orthodox Church, its eparchies, monasteries and institutions in the homeland, the region and the diaspora.
the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Eparchies of Buda and of Bihać and Petrovac
- 5
Creative work
Insignia created by Serbian heraldists and artists or belonging to the Serbian heraldic school, whatever bearer they were intended for.
the arms designed by Dragomir Acović and Ljubodrag Grujić
- 6
Identity
Insignia permanently inscribed in Serbian historical memory, tradition and literature, even when their origin is not Serbian.
the double-headed eagle, the cross with firesteels, arms from the Illyrian armorials
What the register covers
Included in the register
- state, provincial and entity insignia and the insignia of cities, municipalities and city municipalities
- historical insignia of states, lands, župas, duchies and banovinas
- arms of ruling dynasties, the nobility, the clergy and present-day families
- insignia of the Serbian Orthodox Church, its eparchies and monasteries
- insignia of state bodies, the armed forces, and academic, cultural, social and business institutions
- earlier insignia and proposals not adopted, clearly marked as such
Not included, unless they have become part of Serbian history
- insignia of foreign states and their institutions
- insignia of political parties and movements
- insignia with no established bearer, origin or source
- drawings presented as official insignia when they are not
The exception is insignia of foreign origin that have become part of Serbian memory — such as the apocryphal arms of the Nemanjić dynasty from the Illyrian armorials.
Sections of the register
Territorial Heraldry
Coats of arms and flags of the cities, municipalities and historical lands of Serbia, Republika Srpska and Montenegro, and of the cities and municipalities of the Serbian community in the region.
Family Heraldry
Coats of arms of ruling dynasties, the nobility, the clergy and present-day families of citizens.
Sacral Heraldry
Insignia of the Serbian Orthodox Church and its eparchies in the homeland, the region and the diaspora.
Institutional Heraldry
Insignia of state bodies, the armed forces, universities and cultural institutions, associations, clubs, chambers and companies.
Areas and names
Territorial insignia are arranged by areas — states and entities — and within each according to its official administrative division: Serbia by regions and districts, Republika Srpska by the regions of the Spatial Plan, Montenegro by statistical regions, Croatia and Hungary by counties, the Federation of BiH by cantons, Romania by counties and North Macedonia by statistical regions. Where the Serbian community lives in a smaller number of places, the register covers selected cities and municipalities.
The names of bearers are given as the bearer officially uses them, in Cyrillic and Latin script. Insignia are shown in the form adopted by the competent body; earlier insignia and proposals are shown separately.
Entry in the register expresses no political, religious or territorial position. The register records the heraldic and historical fact that insignia belong to Serbian heritage — by origin, bearer or meaning — and not a claim about where an area belongs.
The New Serbian
Heraldry
The criterion by which the register assesses insignia is the New Serbian Heraldry — the modern Serbian heraldic idiom, revived from the beginning of the 1990s around the Serbian Heraldry Society “White Eagle”. Arms are built according to the rules of European heraldry and rest on the medieval Serbian heritage, the Illyrian armorials and the state heraldry of the Principality and Kingdom of Serbia.
The shield is the basis of a coat of arms; heraldic colours and metals are used; charges are stylised; a coat of arms has three levels — lesser, middle and greater; the crown denotes rank; the banner and flag are derived from the arms.
Five ratings
- 149
Heraldically correct coat of arms
A coat of arms in keeping with the rules of the New Serbian Heraldry: a shield, heraldic colours and metals, stylised charges and correct external ornaments.
- 34
Coat of arms with heraldic irregularities
A heraldic coat of arms with some departures from the rules: in its colours, the drawing of its charges, its external ornaments or its inscriptions.
- 152
Pseudo-heraldic emblem
A device in the shape of a shield, but painted as a scene: with a landscape, inscriptions, years or symbols outside the language of heraldry. It is not a coat of arms.
- 26
Emblem
A device of free form, most often a circle, oval or seal, which does not imitate a coat of arms.
- 6
Logo
A graphic device of visual identity, based on a stylised drawing and lettering, with no heraldic basis.
From proposal to dossier
- 1
Proposal
Insignia may be proposed by the editors, a contributor to the register or a visitor to the site.
- 2
Verification
It is checked against the decision on adoption, the statute, an armorial, a seal or the literature, and it is established which principle the insignia meet.
- 3
Entry
The insignia receive a dossier: images in the highest available resolution, blazon, rating, symbolism, chronology and sources.
- 4
Additions
The dossier is supplemented with new insignia, earlier forms, proposals and corrections. Earlier insignia are never deleted.