Vic

Heraldry of the World
Civic heraldry of Spain - Heraldica Española

VIC

Official blazon

Escut caironat quarterat en sautor: 1r i 4t d'or, 4 pals de gules; 2n i 3r d'argent, una creu abscissa de gules. Per timbre, una corona de comte.

Origin/meaning

These arms have been officially granted on 8th June 1995.

These are the traditional arms of the city since medieval times: quarterly, they show the royal arms of Catalonia-Aragon (four pales Gules on Or) and a Latin cross Gules on Argent. Vic, an ancient Iberian town, became a Roman municipality in the 3rd century, named Ausa. In the 5^th century a Catholic diocese was formed in. The Islamic invasion in 718 destroyed the city, that was repopulated by the count-king Guifre el Pelós in 878, who retained the upper city, with the castle that have been built on the Roman temple. The count gave the lower part to the church, to reconstitute the episcopal centre. Since then, the city was ruled by the bishops and the Crown (that's what the arms symbolize), represented by the Montcadas, lords of the castle. In 1356 it became the centre of the county of Osona: the count's crown is shown at the top of the arms.