Kobrin coats of arms

Kobrin → Outstanding persons → Alexey Mikhaylovich Martynov

The ordinary kobrinets who wallowed in vanity of daily melochishka, certainly, does not know that the second year in a local lobby of the power the question of the new city coat of arms does not descend from the agenda. And this initiative not of a local origin, and arose at the high republican levels. To bring extreme clarity in the sources of the matter, it is necessary to glance in the centuries-old depth of local history...

When at the beginning of the sixteenth century the family of princes Kobrin stopped the existence, the territory of the principality under the name of a povet took over the Polish kings who consistently gave him to the wives for the maintenance of their yard. Bon Sforts (1494-1558) queen, the spouse of the king Sigismund-Augustus headed this train. To it inherited the daughter - the queen Anna Yagellonka (1523-1596), Stefan Batory's wife. And the wife of the king Sigismund III became the last vladetelnitsa of Kobrin district Constantius Avstriyachk (1588-1635).

Anna Yagellonka marked the board of the fact that in 1589 arrived to Kobrin for the purpose of "nadaniye" to the city of the Magdebourg right, i.e. city self-government on the German sample, fashionable during that time. At the same time in the form of a symbol Kobrin was "granted" the coat of arms with the image of three sacred persons: the heavenly patroness of the donator - Saint Anna and her daughter of the Mother of God Maria holding on the baby Jesus's hands. Besides, on custom of Catholic icon painters and artists of the Middle Ages, the baby is represented nude that completely contradicts canons of orthodox church.

However, when electing for the coat of arms of a sacred Trinity obvious plagiarism was allowed: in 1582 similar images appeared on the coat of arms of the Vilensky brotherhood of St. Anna. Besides, at more thoughtful acquaintance with the new coat of arms the original blasphemy allowed by the donator of the coat of arms, the jealous Catholic should not be surprised. If the coat of arms served only as a certain substitute of the esteemed icon - still all right. But the matter is that its symbolics was represented on the city press which had quite practical application: accumulation of authenticity of signatures of officials on various documents. And it meant, no more no less, that the press with the most sacred for Christians of the whole world faces svyatotatstvenno pierced in the melted sealing wax or wax which within centuries were applied to receiving a print. It is only possible to be surprised that such profanation did not draw to itself attention of sacred inquisition.

There are no reliable data when this the first coat of arms known to us was completely handed over in archive. Most likely, after partitions of Poland some time reigned in the matter certain liberal "interregnum", and used the coat of arms to the statement new. The imperial legislation came round only at the end of the first half of the past century when the new coat of arms of the Kobrin County which was not differing in a flight of fancy and furthermore special grace was approved. This time the heraldic board was divided in half across. And in the top part there was an image of the bison serving by the coat of arms of the Grodno province. In the lower half on a green field the wooden plow symbolizing prevalence of agriculture in county economy raskoryachitsya.

Following chronology of a statement, it should be noted extremely interesting fact. The Polish administration during the pre-war twentieth anniversary did not even do attempts to use Anna Yagellonka's coat of arms. And, apparently, not to think up the best opportunity for restoration of the "link of times" which is so jealously spread in all other relations. On the city press of Kobrin magistrate continued to adjoin peacefully a bison to a plow...

A decade ago in the Russian periodicals special interest in the past symbolics which disappeared since 1917, including in the coats of arms of the cities was shown. To some extent this trend came to Kobrin. At least, at the request of a local city town committee I addressed administration of a number of the Russian cities which were already in time to restore the historical heraldry with request for practical application of the coats of arms. The vast majority of answers was reduced to the fact that the such symbolics was represented on any signs of establishments subordinated to the city and on city transport. At us further Platonic interest of the party management business did not go.

The next agiotage concerning the coat of arms arose in connection with the coming Kobrin's seven hundred-anniversary in 1989. As the most acceptable symbol the stork, so popular with us, was recognized this time. Its silhouette soaring over the schematic image of merge of the Dnepro-Bugsky channel to Mukhavts was approved by the City Council. However it was not legalized by an assembly of the republican "Kings of Arms" inclined to rehabilitate the coat of arms of the Polish queen Anna.

In view of the fact that the possibility of existence of even more ancient coat of arms of Kobrin district relating to the period of the Kobrin principality is not excluded, the staff of our museum conducts intensive searches of that image in archives and libraries of the different cities recently.

In the latest time there was a new solution of a prolonged stamp problem. A certain Minsk organization, having visited about discrepancy with the Kobrin coat of arms, offers the competent assistance, having modestly estimated it only at forty million rubles with some privesk. And it is not about some highly artistic work, and about rather schematic drawing on the set subject. It is thought, that can be without effort and for incomparably smaller sum is executed by one of the local, enough qualified artists.

 A. Martynov

Martynov, A. Kobrinskiye coats of arms / A. Martynov//Kobrynsk_ vesn_k. – 1998. – 23 verasnya.



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