Thursday, November 22, 2012

Heraldry in Maastricht, Part Eight

Continuing our heraldic tour of the Basilica of St. Servatius in Maastricht, we come to the heart of the basilica, as it were.  While cathedrals always have a cathedra, the chair of the bishop, basilicas have an ombrellino, an ecclesiastical umbrella.  And this is the one which marks this basilica as such.


And here is a detail, showing the heraldry emblazoned upon it.


The coat of arms on the red panel to the right are, of course, the arms of the Basilica itself, supported by a double-headed eagle.  The coat of arms on the red panel to the left are the well-known arms of Pope John Paul II, a blue shield with an offset gold cross, and a gold letter M which he adopted for his devotion to the Virgin Mary.  The arms have the crossed keys of St. Peter behind the shield, with the papal tiara above it.

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