Coat of arms of René Lepage de Sainte-Claire
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The coat of arms of René Lepage de Ste-Claire, Lord-founder of the city of Rimouski, province of Quebec, from 1696 to 1718, was first used to identify the family in the seventeenth century, when this Lepage's ancestor took possession of the Seigneurie de Rimouski. This domain was conceded to Lepage de Ste-Claire by the Governor of New France, Louis de Buade, comte de Frontenac.
The Lepage shield features a sable (black) eagle and spurred Gules (red). The choice of an eagle, a strong imperial symbol, is extraordinary for a french Lord of a young colony as New France.
The design is similar to the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Germany, possibly to denote that René Lepage came from Burgundy, a region of France near the Holy Roman Empire, the historical territory of Germany. It may also indicate descent from the Le Pages in ancient Bretagne, who used as their blazon a two-headed black eagle on a silver shield.
The simple blazon is: "Argent an eagle sable, armed, beaked, langued and spurred Gules."
