december
03-07-2007, 03:58 AM
http://clydecaldwell.com/jpgs/large_images/defenders.jpg
http://clydecaldwell.com/large_images/defenders_of_the_dragon_painting.html
Who is that old man on the left?
december
05-07-2007, 06:52 PM
And the Slayers of the Dragon:
:)
The Coat of Arms of Moscow depicts a horseman with a spear in his hand slaying a dragon. The horseman is often informally identified with Saint George. The heraldic emblem of Moscow has been an integral part of the Coat of Arms of Russia since the 16th century. Its three colours – blue, red, and white – are believed to have inspired the colours of the Flag of Russia.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Coat_of_Arms_of_Moscow.png/505px-Coat_of_Arms_of_Moscow.png
Modern emblem of Moscow
The emblem had its origins in a Byzantine tradition of depicting a patron saint of the ruling monarch on his seal and coins. Yaroslav the Wise was the first Russian ruler whose patron saint was Saint George. Accordingly, he built several cities and churches in the name of that saint.
Saint George was also the patron saint of his great grandson, Yury Dolgoruky, who founded the city of Moscow. Yury is thought to have honored his patron saint on his coins which represent a standing warrior holding a sword in his right hand.
For some reasons not completely understood, Yury's elder brother, Mstislav the Great, started to use a seal featuring a horseman slaying a dragon. According to some, this might have been a reference to St. George as the patron saint of England, since Mstislav's maternal grandfather was the last Anglo-Saxon king of that country, Harald II.
A century later, Alexander Nevsky resumed this usage. A lot of his coins depict a horseman slaying a dragon, though the latter is not always visible. Alexander's motivation for reverting to Mstislav's emblem is disputed. It is possible that the image referred to his own victories over the Swedish and German crusaders in the Battle of the Neva and Battle of the Ice.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Coat_of_Arms_of_Moscow_gubernia_%28Russian_empire% 29.png
The coat of arms of Moscow Governorate.
Coat of arms of Moscow - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia