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Montreal (Quebec)

Last modified: 2005-07-30 by phil nelson
Keywords: quebec | montreal | rose | fleur-de-lis | thistle | shamrock | saint george cross | ship |
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[City of Montreal (Quebec - Canada)]
by Luc-Vartan Baronian

See also:


City flag

Montreal's flag is a banner of the shield ; the lys, the rose, the shamrock (trefoil) and the thistle represent respectively the French, the English, the Irish and the Scots of Montreal. The cross is emblematic of the Christian motives and principles which governed the founders of the city. There is no evidence that it represents St George, see the official site : http://www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/symboles/symboles.htm
(You can click on English if you don't read French, but a few pictures are missing in English).
Luc-Vartan Baronian, 20 June 1997


Probably the cross does represent St. George, derived from England flag.
Sebastia Herreros, February 1997


That's what I'm not sure of... You see Montreal's first Arms were White with a red X-cross (St-Patrick style) In each quarter a flower : the red rose for the English, the thistle for the Scots, the shamrock for the Irish. Exception the lowest one with a beaver for the French.

The arms were changed for a "St-George's cross" and the beaver replaced by a fleur-de-lys in the FIRST canton, to give the French their rightful place they said...

The flag is based on the new arms.

It would surprise me that at the same time, one would bring the French element to a dominating place and replace the cross for St-George's... unless St-George is also Montreal's saint...

And also the fact that I've never read that it was St-George's cross in a description reinforces my view.
Luc-Vartan Baronian, February 1997


In the quarterly "Heraldry in Canada" vol. XV, No.2, June 1981, published by The Heraldry Society of Canada, p.28, in an article about the new logo is this description:

"The arms that the city has used for a century and a half are adoptive, but at least the shield is good heraldry, bearing the Cross of St. George and having the heraldic symbols of the four founding races,