Coat of Arms of Kiev

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The Coat of Arms of Kiev (Kyiv) features Archangel Michael, wielding a flaming sword and a shield in an azure field.

History

The coat of arms traces its history back to the medieval principality of Kievan Rus', where Archangel Michael was depicted on the seals used by the Kievan grand princes. Initially the coat of arms of Kiev featured saint George fighting a dragon on an azure field and this today remains the coat of arms of the Kiev Oblast. In the 16th century a coat consisting of Archangel Michael clad in white robes, holding a sword and a scabbard on a red field was adopted for the Kijów Voivodship.

Along with Magdeburg rights in 1487 the city of Kiev received a coat of arms consisting of a hand holding a crossbow.

Kiev Coat of Arms at the time of Imperial Russia(disputed — see talk page)

A new coat of arms was created in 1782 when the city was a part of the Russian Empire.I was based on coat of arms of the region: Archangel Michael in a short tunic(disputed — see talk page) on an azure field. Later on it was decorated with an imperial crown and other ornaments.

After Ukraine gained short lived independence in 1918 a coat was adopted containing both Archangel Michael and the crossbow as well as a trident from the Coat of arms of Ukraine, emphasizing the city role as the nations capital.

Soviet Kiev Coat of Arms

In the Soviet times the old coat of arms was abolished and a new one introduced in 1957 contained Soviet symbolic: hammer and sickle, hero city Gold Star medal and red-azure field containing the word КИЇВ -- KYIV in Ukrainian Cyrillic, chestnut leafs and a crossbow.

After the fall of the USSR the Kiev city council adopted the present coat of arms in 1995.