The
coat of arms of Slovakia consists of a red (
gules) shield, in early gothic style,
charged with a
silver (
argent)
double cross standing on the middle peak of a dark blue mountain consisting of three peaks. Extremities of the cross are amplificated, and its ends are concaved. The double cross is a symbol of its Christian faith and the hills represent three symbolic mountain ranges:
Tatra,
Fatra and
Mátra (the last one is in northern
Hungary). These symbols are very close to the ones used in the
Coat of arms of Hungary.
Double cross
One of the modern interpretations of the double cross is that it represents Slovakia as an heir and guardian of
Christian tradition, brought to the region by
St. Cyril and
St. Methodius, two missionaries from the
Byzantine Empire.
The two-barred cross in the Slovak coat of arms originated in the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire in the 9th century. Unlike the
Christian cross, the symbolism and meaning of the double cross is not well understood. One interpretation is that the first horizontal line symbolized the
secular power and the other horizontal line the
ecclesiastic power of Byzantine emperors. Another that the first cross represents the death and the second cross the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. In the Byzantine Empire of the 9th century, the double cross was a political symbol used by Byzantine clerks and missionaries.
The double cross arrived in the territory of current-day Slovakia probably no later than during the 9th century...
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