Municipality of Žitorađa
Toplica District, Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia
- Bearer
- Municipality of Žitorađa
- Adopted
- 15 October 2010
- Decision
- Decision on the symbols of the Municipality of Žitorađa, 15 October 2010.
- Author
- Ivan Sarajčić
- District
- Toplica District
- Region
- Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia
- Eparchy
- Eparchy of Niš
- Official website
- zitoradja.org
The Municipality of Žitorađa has arms in three levels — lesser, middle and greater — and a banner, a square flag that repeats the field of the shield. All the insignia were designed by Ivan Sarajčić and established by the Decision on the Symbols of the Municipality of 15 October 2010, which replaced the earlier emblem composed outside the rules of heraldry. The central motif consists of three gold ears of wheat whose stalks form the initial of the municipality's name, above wavy stripes in the colours of the Serbian flag representing the Toplica. The greater arms have the holy apostles Peter and Paul as supporters.
Blazon
On a blue field three gold ears of wheat whose stalks cross so as to form the Cyrillic letter Ж, and at the base three wavy stripes — red, blue and silver.
A silver mural crown of stone blocks, without visible merlons.
On the (heraldic) dexter the holy apostle Peter, and on the sinister the holy apostle Paul, with gold halos and in long robes, one with a scroll and the other with a book. The dexter holds a lance with the banner of Serbia, and the sinister a lance with a square historical banner bearing the flag of the municipality.
A hilly compartment overgrown with grass, with symmetrically placed oak sprigs.
A silver ribbon with a gold reverse and the inscription “IV с. ЖИТОРАЂА 1877”; in the middle arms the ribbon bears only the name “ЖИТОРАЂА”. According to the decision, the ribbon is not an obligatory part of the arms.
A square flag repeating the field of the shield: a blue field with three crossed gold ears of wheat in the form of the letter Ж and three wavy stripes at the base, red, blue and white.
Symbolism and meaning
The three gold ears crossed in the form of the Cyrillic letter Ж spell the initial of the name Žitorađa and allude to grain (“žito”), while also denoting agriculture. The wavy stripes at the base of the field, in the colours of the Serbian flag, represent the River Toplica. The mural crown with no visible merlons heraldically denotes a territory of around 20,000 inhabitants. The apostles Peter and Paul as supporters refer to the municipality's patronal feast, and the grassy hilly compartment and oak sprigs to the municipality's terrain of plains and hills. On the ribbon of the greater arms the mark “IV с.” recalls the fourth century, from which the first written records of Žitorađa date, and the year 1877 the liberation from the Turks.
