HISORY

HERALDRY

Irkutsk

Vice Kingdom

Governorate

Oblast

Police

Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug 

History

In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye (winter quarters) near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov built an ostrog (a small fort) nearby.

In 1682, the Irkutsk Voivodeship of the Yenisei basin was created. The ostrog of Yakov Pokhabov gained official town rights from the government in 1686. It included the Yenisei, Mangazey and Nerchinsk counties, from 1681 the Krasnoyarsk district and from 1683 the Irkutsk and Albazinsky counties). In 1708, the Irkutsk district was included in the newly formed Siberian province with Tobolsk as its capital. In the years 1719-1724, 5 provinces were formed in the Siberian province:  Eastern Siberia became part of the Irkutsk province. On 19 October 1764, the Irkutsk province was renamed the Irkutsk governorate (officially "installed" on 15 March 1765), which was divided into 6 provinces.  In 1775, according to the statute "On a new division of the Irkutsk province ..." the Irkutsk province was divided into two provinces: Udinsk and Yakutsk, three counties with the voivodship governments - and 12 commissariats. According to other information, 3 provinces stood out in the province amonghst which was Irkutsk  In 1775, the division of the province into provinces was canceled.

On 19 January 1782, the Vice-kingdoms (наместничество) of Tobolsk and Irkutsk were formed on the territory of Siberia. Irkutsk vice-kingdom consisted of four regions (provinces): Irkutsk, Nerchinsk, Yakutsk and Okhotsk, subdivided into 17 counties of which one was Irkutsk Oblast (abolished. 1798).

In 1796, the Irkutsk governorate was re-created. In 1803 it was composed of: - the Kamchatka region (separated from the Irkutsk Lips in 1849), in 1805 - the Yakutsk region (separated from the Irkutsk Lips in 1851), 7 counties existed in the rest of the territory. In 1822, instead of 7 counties, 4 districts were created. In 1851, the Kyakhta city administration was also added. In 1856 the Balagansky, Verkholensky, Nizhneudinsky, Irkutsky districts remained in the Irkutsk province , and from 1887 - counties. In 1898, the fifth district, Kirensky, as well as the Olekminsko-Vitimsky mountain district, was added to the existing 4th.

Heraldry

Irkutsk (City)

The coat of arms of Irkutsk shows a Бабр (Panthera tigris- Felidæ) with a sabel (Martes zibellina – Mustelidæ) in his mouth.  The word babr probably is from the mongol Bar, meaning tiger. [1] A tiger as a badge is borrowed from the chinese  Hu,  the badge of a military official of the fourth rank from the Late Qing dynasty (after 1664). This would perfectly fit the administrator of Irkutsk city in the 17th century, the sabel added for difference.

Hu, mandarin square for Military official of the 4th rank

According to a number of sources the Irkutsk seal was approved on 18 February 1690 as: “the seal of the great Lena River customs of the Siberian State”, the design of which, after several decades, was “attributed” to Irkutsk.

A Babr (tiger) is on Irkutsk seals from the 17th century.

On 18 February 1690 (according to the Irkutsk annals of P.I. Pezhemsky, end of the XVIII century) “the coat of arms of the city of Irkutsk was bestowed”, Apparently this means that a new seal was received from the Siberian order for the Irkutsk prison. In the painting of 1692 - the babr bears a sable in his mouth - "The great sovereign tsar and autocrat of Great and Little and White Russia seals in Irkutsk with a silver Babr, and the seal of the sovereign land of Siberia is cut after it." 

Other sources provide another date for receiving the seal of the Irkutsk prison. Samuel Nikalev the voivode of Nerchinsk received the seal 28.02.1696 from the Siberian order by governor A. Samoilov  who is supposed to have received it in 1694, but did not have time to get it because he urgently had to leave the place.

The oldest seal of 1696 however, has the inscription БЯЕР, derived from the mongol word Бар. A 25 years later the respelled inscription БАБРЪ appears and this was translated alternately with Biber and Тигр. At the same time his representation is enigmatic.[2]

Small Irkutsk Seal inscribed БЯЕР

on a document signed by governor A. Samoilov, 1696

(Speransov 125b)

This seal is called the "small Irkutsk seal." It is known from a document signed by governor A. Samoilov in 1696. It is believed that it was also on a document in 1676, "In memory of the black priest of the Irkutsk monastery Tarasiy ...", but in the РГАДА (Russian State Archives of Ancient Acts) is a mention that the seal of the Yenisei prison was attached to this memory..

Seal of Irkutsk in the Siberian Salary Book of 1697

(Окладной книге Сибири 1697)

A tiger with a sabel in his mouth ensigned Бабр and surrounded by the legend “печать Государева земли Сибирския Иркутского города. (Seal of the Sovereign of the Land of Siberia, Irkutsk city). Now the beast is called  БАБРЪ”

The Great Irkutsk Seal on a document of 1721.

 (Speransov 125c)

The beast called Бабръ of an undefined species

From: Атласе Всероссийской империи. И.К.Кирилова 1724-1734

Arms: Babr with sable on a hilly ground.

Crown: A crown of three leaves ad tw pearls

(Quasi-) Supporters: Two putti

Somewhat later the figure was represented as a beaver (German: Biber; Linnæus: Castor fiber - Castoridæ). Probably to please Empress Catharine the Great (1762-1796)  who was of German descent.

On 28 August 1764, the emblem was approved for the banner of the Irkutsk regiment: "in а golden shield, оn а white field, а running beaver, in whose mouth there is a sable."

Arms of Irkutsk Regiment, 1764

Babr attacking a sabel

"Coat of arms of the Irkutsk regiment 1764"

"The Irkutsk coat of arms in the Herbovnik, created approx. 1778" [3]

Around 1778, the Herbovnik was created, in which the coat of arms of Irkutsk represents a huge beaver with a sable in its teeth (photo from the Museum of the History of Irkutsk named after A.M.Sibiryakov)

Coat of arms of the city of Irkutsk (1790)

Arms:  Бъ серебряномъ пслѣ щита бѣгуший тигръ, а въ поту у него собелъ ("In the silver shield is a running tiger, and in his mouth is a sable." ) [4]

Granted on 26 October 1790 (PSZ RI No. 16913), together with other emblems of the Irkutsk governorate.[5]

Restoration

After the collapse of the Soviet Union the arms of Irkutsk were restored  on 27.02.1996

Arms: Argent, a babr running to the sinister Sable, eyed Gules, carrying a sable in his mouth Gules, on a grassy ground Vert.

GGR of the Russian Federation: No. 132

Approved by the decision of the City Duma No. 165-GD on 27 February 1996 “On the Symbols of the City of Irkutsk”, the historical emblem of Irkutsk of 1790 was restored. After consultation with the state heraldry, the coat of arms description was amended by Decision No. 3-29gD (2) of 31 October 1996

The symbolism of the Irkutsk region was developed over two years. On 24 October 1996, deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk Region adopted on first reading a draft law of the Irkutsk Region “On the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk Region”, in which the coat of arms was described as follows:

"Article 4. Description of the coat of arms.

1. The coat of arms is an image on a silver shield of a black babr with scarlet eyes holding a scarlet sable in the mouth. The shield is crowned with the imperial crown, from whose edges the Andreevsky ribbons protrude, and is surrounded by golden oak leaves connected by Andreevskaya The shield is a rectangle, the base of which is 8/9 of its height and protrudes in the middle of the lower part with a point, has rounded lower corners. Andreevsky ribbons are azure in color. The heraldic colors of the coat of arms mean:

- gold - happiness, auspiciousness;

- azure - the color representing a cloudless sky;

- black - prudence, humility, sadness;

- scarlet (red) - courage, valiance, fearlessness."

Authors of the modern image of the coat of arms: V.V. Ignatenko and S.B. Demkov.

The Бабр in Irkutsk

by Natalia Bakut (sculptor) and Olga Smirnova (architect)

Irkutsk Vice Kingdom

1782-1796

Irkutsk vice-kingdom consisted of four regions (provinces): Irkutsk, Nerchinsk, Yakutsk and Okhotsk

From: Карта иркутскаго намѣстничества

The Siberian coat of arms as depicted on the map of the Irkutsk vice kingdom of 1792.

At the end of the 18th century, in the publication “The Image of Provincial, Viceroyalty, College and All Civilian Uniforms” (1794) about the coat of arms of the Irkutsk province, it was said:

“there is no special emblem yet, but instead of the onago it is placed the old Siberian: in a silver field there are two black sables one standing against each other on their hind legs, holding the crown of gold with their right paws, and with a golden bow with their left, and two silver arrows, laid like the St. Andrew’s cross, iron down

Irkutsk Governorate

1796-1918

In December 1796, the Irkutsk Vice kingdom was renamed the Irkutsk Governorate, from which the Yakutsk region was allocated in 1805, and districts were introduced instead of counties (the Olensky commissariat constituted the Vilyui district with its center in Vilyuisk).

Photo "Button.Ru"

The image of the Siberian coat of arms on the buttons of officials of the Irkutsk province (c. 1797).

On 26 January, 1822, the East Siberian Governorate General was created, consisting of the Irkutsk and Yenisei provinces, the Yakutsk region, the Okhotsk and Kamchatka coastal administrations. Its administrative body was the Main Directorate of Eastern Siberia, headed by the Governor General. In the 1850-1860s, the Transbaikal, Amur and Primorsky Regions were formed on the territory of the governorate general (in 1882 they were included in the new Amur governorate general). In 1887, the East Siberian Governorate General was renamed the Irkutsk Governorate General.

Since 1857, the Irkutsk province was divided into 5 districts: Irkutsk, Balagan, Nizhneudinsky, Verkholensky and Kirensky, renamed in counties in 1887.

In the middle of the 19th century, instead of a tiger, a beaver was depicted in the Irkutsk coat of arms. He was on the buttons of officials of the Irkutsk province in 1857, in the upper part of the arms of the cities of Troitskosavsk and Selenginsk in 1846. Here is a drawing of the official button from the station of I. [6]

According to most experts, the beaver on the coat of arms of the province appeared as a result of a mistake: the local name for the tiger "babr", which is used in the description of the city coat of arms, was confused by officials with the river animal "beaver"[7].

In 1857, under the leadership of B.K. Freiherr von Köhne, a heraldic reform was carried out, and after that the department of heraldry carried out work to bring previously existing coats of arms in accordance with the rules for decorating the coats of arms of provinces, provinces, city governments, cities, and sieges according to the new rules. Description of the project of the coat of arms of Irkutsk 19th century: "In a silver shield there is a black running babr with scarlet eyes, holding a scarlet sable in his mouth."

Since 1872, a beaver (instead of a babr) began to be depicted on the seals of the Irkutsk administration.

In 1878, when drafting the coat of arms of the Irkutsk province, the old coat of arms of the city of Irkutsk underwent significant changes. As a result of an annoying mistake, the little-known word "babr" was replaced by a more familiar one - "beaver".

The blasoning in russian reads: Бъ серебряномъ щитѣ черный бѣгущий бобръ, съ червлеными глазами, держащий во рту червленаго соболя. / and in german: In Silber ein schwarzer Biber mit rothen Augen, der in der Maule ein rothen Zobel trägt.

And of the arms of the city: In Silber ein über einen Rasenboden nach links springender Tiger, der im Rachen einen Zobel trägt.

So on the shield appeared a black running beast called bobr with a cat's face, webbed feet and a thick tail.

Complete collection of laws of the Russian Empire, vol. LIII, No. 58684

Revolution of 1917

With the beginning of the organized anti-Bolshevik demonstrations within Siberia in the spring and summer of 1918. and the formation of state structures and armed groups required appropriate organizational measures. In the initial period of the struggle, the question of symbolism was at first carefully avoided. Formed on 26 May 1918 in Novonikolaevsk, West Siberian emissariat (since 8 June 1918 in Omsk), as a provisional authority, having a mandate from the Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia, who was in the Far East, considered itself unauthorized to resolve such issues. An example of this approach is the seal of the Irkutsk provincial emissariat, where heraldic symbols are completely absent. Stamp of the Irkutsk provincial emissariat [8]

ПЕЧАТЬ СИБИРСКОГО ВРЕМЕННОГО ПРАВИТЕЛЬСТВА

ИРКУТСКИЙ ГУБЕРНСКИЙ ЭМИСАРИАТ

(seal of the Siberian interim government / irkutsk provincial emisariat)

On 9 January 1922, the Mongol-Buryat Autonomous Region was created on part of the territory of the Irkutsk province, which, after the Far East Republic (Dalnevostockaja R) entered the RSFSR, was merged on 30 May 1923 with the Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Region (was established on 27 April 1921 as part of FER) to the Autonomous Buryat-Mongolian SSR. On 15 August 1924, the territory of the Irkutsk province was divided into 3 districts: Irkutsk, Tulun, Kirensky and 2 industrial regions: Cheremkhovsky and Bodaibo. On 25 May 1925 the Siberian Territory was formed (center: Novosibirsk), which includes the Irkutsk province. On 28 June 1926, the governing bodies of the Irkutsk province were abolished and the Irkutsk, Tulun and Kirensky districts were subordinated directly to the regional authorities.

On 23 July 1930, the Siberian Territory was divided into the West Siberian Territory (center: the city of Novosibirsk) and East Siberian Territory (center: the city of Irkutsk). The East Siberian Territory includes four districts: Irkutsk, Kirensky, Kansky and Krasnoyarsk (former districts of the Siberian Territory), Chita and Sretensky (former districts of the Far East Territory) and the Buryat-Mongol ASSR (total 68 districts, 4 national districts, 2 national districts and 16 aimaks of the BMASR). On 7 December 1934, the northern and eastern parts of the East Siberian Territory were included in the newly formed Krasnoyarsk Territory. The new Constitution of the USSR, adopted on 5 December 1936, did not provide, as it was before, for the autonomous SSR to become part of the territories, and on 8 December 1936, the East Siberian Territory was renamed the East Siberian Region, from which on 26 September 1937 the Buryat-Mongol ASSR was allocated and the region was divided into the Chita and Irkutsk regions.

At the same time, the Alar, Bokhansky and Ekhirit-Bulagatsky (without the Baikal coast) aimaks of the Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic were transformed into the Ust-Ordynsky Buryat-Mongolian national district of the Irkutsk region (the center is the settlement of Ust-Orda, later renamed to the settlement of Ust-Ordynsky) . On 16 September 1956, the district was renamed the Ust-Orda Buryat National District. After the adoption of the new Constitution of the USSR in 1977, the national district was renamed autonomous and became known as the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous District. 

Irkutsk Oblast

1993-present

Under the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Irkutsk Region and the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Region received the status of constituent entity of the Russian Federation.

A copy of the draft law of the Irkutsk region "On the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk region" with color images of the coat of arms and flag and information about the authors was provided by the chairman of the competition committee for the development of sketches of the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk region, the chairman of the committee on social and cultural legislation of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk region, the author of the project law of the Irkutsk region “On the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk region” V.V. Ignatenko with a letter dated 10.30.1996 No. 13/32

The law of the Irkutsk region "On the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk region" was adopted on 27 May 1997 by resolution No. 1 / 16-232 of the Legislative Assembly of the region in the third, final reading and sent for signature to the governor of the region and for heraldic examination in the State Heraldry under the President of the Russian Federation.

In his letter dated 16 June 1997 No. AZO-173 addressed to the governor of the region, the head of the State Heraldry Office, state heraldist G.V. Vilinbakhov, recommended removing the imperial crown and a wreath of golden oak leaves intertwined with St. Andrew’s ribbon from the coat of arms. Based on this letter, the Acting Governor of the Irkutsk Region Yu.A. Nozhikov rejected the law adopted in the third reading.

But the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk region at its meeting on 25 June  1997 considered the appeal of the acting governor of the region on the rejection of the Law of the Irkutsk region "On the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk region" and the conclusion of the State Herald under the President of the Russian Federation on this issue, and its resolution No. 11 / 2-AP established to:

1 Adopt the law of the Irkutsk region "On the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk region" as proposed by the committee on socio-cultural legislation.

2. Send the law of the acting governor of the region to Nozhikov Yu.A. for signature and promulgation."

In accordance with the Charter of the Irkutsk region, the acting governor of the region Yu.A. Nozhikov was forced to sign the regional law on the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk region on 16 July 1997, which was assigned registration number 30-oz.

However, the State Heraldry Office under the President of the Russian Federation refused to confirm the registration of the coat of arms of the Irkutsk Region, in connection with which the reference to the crown and wreath of oak leaves was removed from the description of the coat of arms in the working order (without discussion at the session of the Legislative Assembly of the region), and the description acquired following view:

“Article 4. Description of the coat of arms

The heraldic description of the coat of arms reads:

“In a silver field there is black babr with scarlet eyes holding a scarlet sable in the mouth. ”

The heraldic colors of the coat of arms mean:

a) silver - truthfulness, innocence, purity;

b) black - prudence , humility, sadness;

c) scarlet (red) - courage, courage, fearlessness.

With this amendment, the law (Law on the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk Region No. 30-oz dated 16 July 1997) was officially published on 10 September 1997 in the newspaper East-Siberian Truth N 180 (23028) and entered into force after 10 days since publication.

The coat of arms of the Irkutsk region is included in the State Heraldic Register of the Russian Federation under the number 192.

A copy of the authentic text of the law with color images of the coat of arms and flag and information on the history of the adoption of the bill was provided by the head of the office of the governor - deputy head of the administration of the Irkutsk region L.M. Berlina with a letter dated 05/05/2000 No. 9 / 15-1

Changes of the Law on the arms and flag were introduced by the Law of Irkutsk Region dated 26 December 2003 No. 80-oz, and the Law of the Irkutsk Region dated 30 June 2006 No. 37–oz

Despite the fact that the law of the oblast described the coat of arms without its external ornaments, in practice, the coat of arms with an imperial crown and a wreath of golden oak leaves intertwined with the ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew was often used by the administration of the Irkutsk region (and this is the coat of arms that is present as the official image of the coat of arms of the Irkutsk region in the reference legal system "Guarantor").

Based on the referenda held on 16 April 2006 and in accordance with the Federal Constitutional Law of 30 December 2006 No. 6-FKZ "On the Formation of a New Subject of the Russian Federation as a Part of the Russian Federation as a result of the merger of the Irkutsk Region and the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug" from 1 January 2008, the Irkutsk Region and the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug will be merged into a new constituent entity of the Russian Federation - the Irkutsk Region, which will include the Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug territorial unit with a special status.

After the enlargement of the Irkutsk region (including the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug), Law No. 12-OZ of 27 March 2009 "On the extension of the Law of the Irkutsk Region" On the Coat of Arms and Flag of the Irkutsk Region" to the entire territory of the new entity ..."the law "On the coat of arms and flag of the Irkutsk region" was extended to the entire territory of the new subject of the federation.

On 8 February 2011, the Governor-Chairman of the Government of the Irkutsk Region Dmitry Mezentsev introduced to the Legislative Assembly the draft regional laws “On the Coat of Arms of the Irkutsk Region” and “On the Flag of the Irkutsk Region”. On 27 June 2011, 10 days after the official publication in the Oblastnaya newspaper of 17 June 2011 No. 65 (791), the law of Irkutsk Region No. 36-OZ, signed by the Governor of the Irkutsk Region D.F. Mezentsev, entered into force on 8 June 2011 "On the Coat of Arms of the Irkutsk Region" dated 8 June 2011, adopted on 25 May 2011 by resolution No. 32/3-ЗС of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk region.

Article 3 of the law establishes:

1. The heraldic description of the Coat of Arms of the Irkutsk Region reads: "In a silver field there is a running black babr with scarlet eyes, holding a scarlet sable in the mouth.

The babr should be depicted facing heraldically to the right (dexter, to the left of the viewer), with two front legs raised in running.

2.  The heraldic colors of the Coat of Arms of the Irkutsk Region mean:

1) silver (gray) - truthfulness, innocence, purity;

2) black - prudence, humility, modesty;

3) scarlet (red) - courage, courage, fearlessness. [9]

ÆSee illustration in the head of this article

Police (MVD)

Achievement

Breast Badge (2012)

Banner

Presented on 2 September 2014 in Irkutsk by V. Kolokoltsev, Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia to A. Kalischuk,  head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Irkutsk Region

Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug 

1937-1993

Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug (Усть-Орды́нский Буря́тский о́круг), had an autonomous okrug status from 26 September 1937 to 1993. It was an autonomous okrug of Irkutsk Oblast from 1993 to 1 January 2008, when it merged with Irkutsk Oblast. Prior to the merger, it was called Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug (Усть-Орды́нский Буря́тский автоно́мный о́круг).

Arms

Arms: Per bend Argent and Vert, a ball between four besants Or, charged with a triquetra Argent.

The field is of the Siberian flag of 5 August 1917. The triquetra  is an ancient symbol of the three spheres of authority.

Flag