| Coat of arms of the Republic of Georgia | |
|---|---|
| Versions | |
Lesser Arms |
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| Details | |
| Adopted | October 1, 2004 |
| Crest | Royal crown of Georgia or |
| Escutcheon | Gules, an image of Saint George, riding a horse trampling upon a crawling dragon, whose head is pierced by the Saint's spear Argent |
| Supporters | Two lions rampant or |
| Compartment | Decoration or |
| Motto | ძალა ერთობაშია(Georgian) (strength in unity) |
| Other elements | A Bannner Argent and Gules |
The coat of arms of the Republic of Georgia was adopted on 1 October 2004. It is partially based on the medieval arms of the Georgian royal house of Bagrationi.
It has two lions rampant as supporters of the shield, which is surmounted with the royal crown of Georgia, all of them Or (gold). The shield itself is Gules (red), with an image of Saint George, riding a horse trampling upon a crawling dragon, whose head is pierced by the saint's spear, all of them Argent (white).
The motto below the shield reads as : "Strength is in Unity" (Dzala Ertobashia, written in the Mkhedruli script of the Georgian alphabet, ძალა ერთობაშია).
This coat of arms was in use by the Democratic Republic of Georgia throughout its existence in 1918-1921. Though the use of Saint George as Georgia's patron saint was by then a long tradition, there were some discussions about other possibilities, the major one being Amiran, as the symbol of Georgia's fight for freedom from the Russian Empire. However, a decision was then made in favor of saint George. Restored in 1991, this coat of arms was replaced by the current one in 2004.
Before 1917, when Georgia was part of the Russian Empire, the Georgian coat of arms appeared on the Greater Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire, as part of the coat of arms of Caucasus. It showed then as the center inescutcheon, and read as follows:
Or, with an image of Saint George Martyr the Victorious in complete armour Azur with a cross on his breast, with a flying cloak Gules, riding a horse Sable in full gallop, the latter covered with a horse cloth Gules, fringed Or, trampling upon a crawling dragon Vert, winged Sable, eyed and tongued Gules, whose head is pierced by the saint's spear Gules.
Coats of arms were mostly those of the Bagrationi, who claimed to have King David among their ancestors, and included such elements as King David's lyra and sling, or the Holy Tunic.
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