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RIO DE JANEIRO

 

 

HISTORY & HERALDRY

The City of Rio de Janeiro

The State of Rio de Janeiro

Armed Forces

 

Back to Brazil

 

History & Heraldry

 

European presence in Rio de Janeiro is as old as Brazil itself, dating back to 1502. Rio de Janeiro originated from parts of the captainships of de Tomé and São Vicente founded by king John III of Portugal in 1534. Between 1555 and 1567, the territory was occupied by the French, who intended to install a colony, France Antarctique. Aiming to prevent the occupation of the Frenchmen, in March 1565, the city of Rio de Janeiro was established by Estácio de Sá.

 

In 1534 São Tomé was given to the family Gois da Silveira and São Vicente to the familiy De Sousa. Their arms are in the Roll of arms of Antonio Godinho (1541) [1].

 

The City of Rio de Janeiro

 

The city of Rio de Janeiro was founded in 1565 as a reaction to the french invasions of the surrounding territory. The city was the capital of Brazil from 1763 until 1960.

In 1834 Rio de Janeiro was made a neutral city, remaining as capital of the state, while the captainships became provinces, with headquarters in Niterói, a neighboring city. In 1889, the city became the capital of the Republic, the neutral city became the federal district and the province a State. With the relocation of the federal capital to Brasilia in 1960, the city of Rio de Janeiro became the State of Guanabara.. This state existed from 1960 until 1975, when the states of Guanabara and Rio de Janeiro merged, retaining the name of Rio de Janeiro. The city became a new municipality and the capital of the new state.

 

The arms of the city were changed several times.[2]

 

The first arms, adopted in 1565 were:

 

 

Arms: Gules, an armillary sphere, charged with some signs of the zodiac, pierced by three arrows in saltire Or.

This is the emblem of the Portuguese Empire augmented with the arrows of Rio de Janeiro.[3]

 

A second emblem was adopted in 1826. This showed the arms of Brazil adopted in 1816, crested of a disc Azure charged with three arrows in saltire Or and surrounded by a garland of coffee and tobacco.

 

A third emblem, adopted 1858 consisted of a coat of arms Vert, an armillary sphere crested by three arrows in saltire tied with a ribbon Or, on a cartouche crowned with a mural crown of three towers Or.

A fourth emblem was adopted in 1889 and  consisted of a disc charged with the stars of the southern cross and surrounded by a bordure charged with 21 five-pointed stars, crested by another five-pointed star and surrounded by a garland of coffee and tobacco.

A fifth emblem was adopted in 1893 and consisted of the arms of the kingdom of 1816 crested with three arrows in saltire and crowned with a mural crown of three towers. Garland as before.

 

An achievement was adopted by decree N° 312 of 1 August 1896. It shows:

 

Emblem: A sailing ship affronté, on its sail Argent an armillary sphere pierced by three arrows in saltire Or, charged with a phrygian cap Gules.

Crown: A mural crown of three towers Or.

Supporters: Two dolphins respecting, heads in base Argent. and a garland of laurel and oak.

 

The decree reads:

 

Art. 1.° - As armas municipaes constarão do antigo emblema, ephera e settas, accrescentados do barrete phrigio, repousando sobre uma véla de navio, cuja prôa formará a base do emblema. Aos lados da quilha haverá dois golphinos; circumdando o emblema, dois ramos de louro e de carvalho e, encimando-o, a corôa symbolica de cidade maritima.

Art. 2.° - Estas armas serão collocadas na fechada de todas as reparticoes municipaes:

Art. 3.° - Revogam-se as disposições em contrario

Rio de Janeiro 1 de agosto de 1896

(a) Dr. Francisco Furquin Werneck de Almeida

 

 

In 1957 the arms were modified by removing the sailing vessel and replacing it by a blue shield charged with the arrows, armillary sphere and phygian cap of the former emblem.

 

Guanabara

 

The arms of the State of Guanabara were adopted by State Law Nº 384, of 23 October 1963. They were the same as the arms of the City of Rio de Janeiro but a five-pointed white star was added on the crown.

 

The star was removed when the States of Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara were united into the new state of Rio de Janeiro by Amendment n° 20 of the Constitution of 1 July 1974.

Today these are the arms of the municipality of Rio de Janeiro.

 

The State of Rio de Janeiro

 

The State of Rio de Janeiro originates in the Portuguese captaincies which became provinces in 1834. At first the arms of the Empire of Brazil was used in the province but when the province became a state in 1889 an achievement of its own was adopted in 1892.

 

First arms of the State of Rio de Janeiro

A detail from a mural painting  in the Palacio Amarelo, seat of the Municipality of Petropolis (RJ).[4]

 

The first arms of Rio de Janeiro were adopted by Law N° 3 of 29 June 1892.

It consisted of the seal of the Federation surrounded by a bordure with the motto RECTE REMPUBLICAM GERERE, the date of the promulgation of the constitution 9 ABRIL 1892 on the bend (instead of Ordem e Progresso) and a star above. It was crested by and eagle and surrounded by a garland of  sugar-cane and coffee. On an early version there is a mountainridge in the distance.

 

The motto means: Proper Management of the Public Good.

The emblem was designed by Ricardo Honorato Teixeira de Carvalho.[5]

 

The law reads:

 

“O povo do Estado de Rio de Janeiro, por seus representantes, decretou e eu promulgo a seguinte lei:

 

Art. 1.° - São criados of grande e o pequeno sello do Estado, para authenticidade dos actos legislativos, administrativos e judiciarios.

Art. 2.° - O presidente do Estado é autorisado a mandar fazar os ditos sellos, em cujo emblema serão representadas as duas principaes culturas do Estado, sobreposta uma estrella e inscriptas a data da promulgação da constitução e a seguinte legenda Recte rempublicam gerere.

Art. 3.° - O grande sello será apposto nos actos expedidos sob a assignatura do presidene do Estado, do presidente da Assembléa Legislativa ou do presidente da Relação, e o pequeno nos expedidos pelas demais autoridades.

Art. 4.° - Ficam revogadas as disposições em contrario

Mando, etc

Palacio do Governo do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, 29 de julho de 1892

(a) Dr. José Thomaz de Porciuncula.

 

 

Soon the seal became the main charge of a shield also containing the eagle and the mountainridge. The shield was surrounded by the garland, tied with a ribbon with the name of the state: ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIRO.

 

Between 1937 and 1962 the State of Rio de Janeiro had no coat of arms.

 

A new emblem was adopted by law N° 5.138 of 7 February 1963 and revised, described and explained  by law N° 5.558 of 5 November 1965. It was designed by dr. Alberto Rosa Fioravanti.

It is:

 

Arms: Per fess, the chief Azure, a mountainridge proper, the base per fess Vert and Azure a disc Azure a fesse embowed Argent, charged with the date 9 ABRIL 1892 and surrounded by a bordure also Argent charged with the motto RECTE REMPUBLICAM GERERE in black lettering and crested by an eagle Argent.

Crest: A five-pointed star Argent

Garland: A stalk of sugar-cane and a branch of coffee

Motto: ESTADO do RIO de JANEIRO in black lettering on a ribbon Argent

 

The mountainridge is now named the Serra dos Órgãos, a National Park founded 1939, and its most peculiar peak the Dedo de Deus (God’s Finger) (1.692 m.).

 

ð See illustration in the head of this essay.

 

The law reads:

 

Lei nº 5.558, de 5 de outubro de 1965

 

A Assembléia Legislativa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro decreta e eu sanciono a seguinte Lei:

 

Art. 1º - O Brasão de Armas do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, criado pela lei nº 5.138, de 7 de fevereiro de 1963, passa a ter a descrição e a interpretação dadas pela presente lei.

Art. 2º - O Brasão de Armas tem a forma tradicional dos escudos adotados pelo clero, oval, simbolizando os anseios cristãos do povo fluminense – cortado. O primeiro de azul, representando o céu e simbolizando a justiça, a verdade e a lealdade, com a silhueta da Serra dos Órgãos, movente do traço do cortado, destacando-se o pico Dedo de Deus, na cor; o segundo, de verde, representando a baixada fluminense, cortado de azul, lembrando o mar de suas praias.

Art. 3º - O escudo é circundado por uma corda de ouro, simbolizando a união dos fluminenses.

Art. 4º - Colocado brocante, uma águia de cor natural, com as asas abertas, na atitude de alçar vôo, representando o governo forte, honesto e justo, portador de confiança e esperança aos mais longínquos rincões do nosso Estado; assente em um escudo redondo de azul, faixado e orlado de prata, respectivamente com as inscrições “9 de abril de 1892”, lembrando a promulgação da primeira constituição do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, e “ Recte Rempublican Gerere ” (gerir a coisa pública com retidão), traduzindo a preocupação constante do homem público do nosso Estado; e carregado de uma estrela de 5 pontas, de prata, no chefe, representando a Capital.

Art. 5º - Como apoios, um haste de cana e um ramo de cafeeiro frutado, de cor natural, colocados, respectivamente, à direita e à esquerda do escudo, representando os principais produtos da terra.

Art. 6º - Listel de prata com a inscrição – Estado do Rio de Janeiro, de negro.

Art. 7º - O timbre – a estrela Delta (*), de prata, representante o Estado do Rio, na Bandeira Nacional.

Art. 8º - O presente Brasão será de uso obrigatório em todos os documentos oficiais, substituídas as cores pela simbologia heráldica, e será também colocado ao centro da bandeira estadual.

Art. 9º - Os originais do brasão e da bandeira serão autenticados com as assinaturas dos chefes dos Três Poderes e deverão permanecer no Arquivo Histórico da Sala de Estudos Fluminenses da Biblioteca Pública do Estado, do Departamento de Difusão Cultural, da Secretaria de Educação e Cultura.

Art. 10º - A Bandeira do Estado do Rio de Janeiro constará de um retângulo dividido em 4 partes iguais, pelos eixos horizontais e verticais.

Art. 11º - As cores da Bandeira do Estado do Rio de Janeiro são azul celeste e branco, alternadas. O retângulo superior, junto ao mastro, é branca; e a inferior, azul. Do lado oposto, o retângulo superior é azul e o inferior branco.

Art. 12º - A bandeira fluminense obedece às mesmas normas adotadas para a confecção da bandeira nacional, isto é, 20 módulos no sentido de comprimento horizontal e 14 módulos no sentido da largura vertical.

Art. 13º - Todas as repartições públicas estaduais e municipais, bem como os estabelecimentos autárquicos, quando em funcionamento e nas comemorações cívicas, manterão hasteada a bandeira do Estado, à esquerda da bandeira nacional, e de acordo com a legislação federal.

Art. 14º - Esta lei entrará em vigor na data de sua publicação, revogadas as disposições em contrário.

Palácio do Governo, em Niterói, 5 de outubro de 1965.

 

Armed Forces

 

Army

 

 

Rio de Janeiro is a part of the 1st Military Region, together with the state of Espirito Santo.

Its headquarters are in Rio de Janeiro city.

 

The arms of the 1st MR are derived from the arms of the Coutinho Family, the 16th century owner of Mucuri (BA) and Itapemirim (ES).

 

Military Police

 

 

Arms of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police until 1975

 

Star of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police

from 1975-1986

Present arms of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police

 

Three versions of the arms of the Military Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro (PMERJ) are known.

 

Police

 

 

 

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© Hubert de Vries 2011-12-06

 



[1] Instituto dos Archivos Nacionais

[2] Ribeiro, Clovis: Brazoes e Bandeiras do Brazil. Editoria Sao Paolo. Sao Paolo, 1933. Pp. 191-195

[3] No contemporary data about these arms available.

[4] From: Wikipedia

[5] Ribeiro, Clovis: op. cit. 1933. P. 221

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