| Coat of arms of Asturias | |
| Year Adopted: | 1984 |
| Crest: | Spanish Royal Crown |
| Shield: | Azure, the Cross of Asturias (called that of Victory) Or garnished with precious stones proper, a majuscule Alpha and minuscule Omega pendant from its dexter and sinister arms respectively; and in two lines, in letters Or, the legend, the first line in the dexter flank and the second in the sinister.[1] |
The coat of arms of Asturias is the official coat of arms of the principality of Asturias, an autonomous community within the kingdom of Spain. It was adopted as such on 27 April 1984.
The oldest attributed arms of the Principality of Asturias date from the 16th century, and show a quartered shield with the castle of the Kingdom of Castile, the lion of León and a goblet.Web site: Asturias. International Civic Heraldry. 2007-10-19. But this coat of arms is wrongly attributed to the Prince and the Principality of Asturias, as proved Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, author, philosopher and main figure of the Age of Enlightenment in Spain.This coat of arms appeared in printed books and maps, even It was included in the Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot.
The arms consist of a field of azure with the Victory Cross (Spanish; Castilian: Cruz de la Victoria) of Or adorned by gemstones. The cross is the symbol of the re-conquest of Spain from the Moors. The cross was used, according to the legend or tradition, by the local Visigothic governor Pelagius of Asturias, in the initial battles against the Moors. It was claimed that the cross had brought victory, and it was later gold-plated. However, there is no historical evidence that Pelayo used exactly this same cross.
The Greek letters of alpha and omega are suspended from the left and right bars, respectively. Accompanying the cross is the legend : "With this sign the pious are safeguarded. With this sign the enemy is conquered."
The arms are "ensigned of a Spanish Royal Crown".
In 1985 a simplified version of the shield was legislated for exclusive use in the Administration of the Principality.
The arms must appear de jure in:
One stays the existing shields in those declared buildings historical-artistic monuments. Also those that appear in those others that they form substantial part of the ornato and decoration.
The Shield of the Principality enjoys the same degree of protection as that of the other symbols of Spain.