Mural crown
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In Hellenistic culture, a mural crown identified the goddess Tyche, the embodiment of the fortune of a city, familiar to Romans as Fortuna. The high cylindrical polos of Cybele too could be rendered as a mural crown in Hellenistic times, specifically designating the Mother Goddess as patron of a city.[1] The mural crown became an ancient Roman military decoration that later became a heraldic motif.
The Roman corona muralis (Latin: "walled crown") as used in antiquity was a golden crown, or a circle of gold intended to resemble a battlement, bestowed upon the soldier who first climbed the wall of a besieged city or fortress to successfully place the standard of the attacking army upon it.[2] The Roman mural crown was made of gold, and decorated with turrets[3], as is the heraldic version. Being one of the highest orders of military decorations, it was not awarded to a claimant until after a strict investigation [4]. The rostrata mural crown was assigned as naval prize, similar to naval crown.
The term is also used in heraldry to denote a crown modeled after the walls of a castle. In recent times, mural crowns have been used in opposition to royal crowns; they are typical of Italian medieval and modern Communes. A mural crowned lady, Italia Turrita, is a symbol of Italy. In Italy, communes have a mural crown on their coat of arms, golden and with five towers for cities, silver and nine-towered for the others; also some provinces and military corps use it. The coat of arms of the Second Spanish Republic had a mural crown. Most Portuguese (and Brazilian) municipal coats of arms contain a mural crown, with three towers signifying a village, four towers representing a town, and five towers standing for a city. Similarly, the Romanian municipal coats of arms contain a mural crown, with one or three towers for villages and communes, five and seven towers for towns and municipalities.
After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I, the single-headed eagle of the coat of arms of Republic of Austria began to wear a mural in the place of the former royal Austrian and Hungarian crowns that adorned the double-headed eagle of former coat of arms.
[edit] Examples for the use in heraldry
 The coat of arms of the commune of Assisi, Umbria |
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 The coat of arms of the commune of Bevagna, Umbria |
 The coat of arms of the commune of Città di Castello, Umbria |
 The coat of arms of the province of Livorno, Tuscany. Italian provinces normally use a gems crown. |
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 The coat of arms of the commune of Piombino, Tuscany |
 The coat of arms of the commune of Massa Marittima, Tuscany |
 The coat of arms of the province of Padua, Veneto. Italian provinces normally use a gems crown. |
 The coat of arms of the province of Verona, Veneto. Italian provinces normally use a gems crown. |
-Stemma.png/97px-Cittadella_(PD)-Stemma.png) The coat of arms of the commune of Cittadella, Veneto |
 The coat of arms of the commune of Monselice, Veneto |
 The coat of arms of the commune of Cento, Emilia-Romagna |
 The coat of arms of the commune of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna |
-Stemma.png/93px-Lugo_(RA)-Stemma.png) The coat of arms of the commune of Lugo, Emilia-Romagna |
 The coat of arms of the commune of Faenza, Emilia-Romagna |
 The coat of arms of the commune of Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna |
 The coat of arms of the commune of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna |
 The coat of arms of the province of Catania, Sicily. Italian provinces normally use a gems crown. |
 The coat of arms of the commune of the Acireale, Sicily |
 The coat of arms of the commune of the Zafferana Etnea, Sicily |
 The coat of arms of the commune of the Randazzo, Sicily |
 The coat of arms of the commune of the Militello in Val di Catania, Sicily |
 The coat of arms of the commune of the Fiumefreddo di Sicilia, Sicily |
 The coat of arms of Malta includes a Mural crown |
 The coat of arms of all of the Berlin boroughs include a mural crown, Mitte as an example |
 The mural crown as used in Swedish heraldry |
 The coat of arms of the Spanish Republic included a Mural crown. |
 The mural crown normally used for Italian towns/cities. |
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 The mural crown normally used for Italian comunes. |
 The coat of arms of Italian police. |
 The coat of arms of Carabinieri. |
 The coat of arms of Italian Air Force. |
 The coat of arms of Italian Army. |
 The coat of arms of Italian Navy, with a rostrata mural crown, similar to naval crown. |
 Shoulder insignia for major of Carabinieri. |
 The coat of arms of São Paulo city, Brazil. |
 The coat of arms of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. (municipality, county capital) |
 The coat of arms of Târgovişte, Romania.(city, former capital of Wallachia) |
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 The coat of arms of Anenii Noi, Moldova. (city, county capital) |
 The coat of arms of Chernivtsi, Ukraine (city, oblast capital) |
[edit] References
- ^ The mural crown as an indicator of the personification of a city was thoroughly explored by F. Allégre, Étude sur la déesse grecque Tyché (Paris 1889), pp 187-92.
- ^ Aulus Gellius, Noctes Attici, V.6.4; Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, XXVI.48
- ^ muri pinnis according to Aulus Gellius
- ^ Livy. l.c.; cf. Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Augustus 25.
