Coat of arms of Selje

Image of the coat of arms

The Coat of arms of Selje are an official symbol for Selje Municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The coat of arms is silver, the upper half of a woman with raised arms and crown on a blue shield symbolizing Saint Sunniva. The arms were approved in 1991. ^[1]

Saint Sunniva (10th century) was chosen since she is the patron saint of the Norwegian Diocese of Bjørgvin and all of Western Norway.

According to legend, Sunniva was the Christian heir to an Irish kingdom, but had to flee when a heathen king, who wanted to marry her, invaded. She and her followers took refuge in a cave on the island of Selja, in the present-day Selje Municipality. Local inhabitants suspected the foreigners of stealing their sheep, and the ruler Håkon Jarl was sent for. Sunniva and her followers prayed that they should not fall into the hands of the heathens, upon which rocks fell down blocking the entrance to the cave.

This formed the basis for a cult; Later a Benedictine monastery, Selje Abbey, was built on the site, the ruins of which can still be seen.

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