Vladimir Coat of Arms: a look in retrospect

The object of the study is the question of the origin of the modern coat of arms of the city of Vladimir, which played one of the key roles in the formation of the city of Moscow as a political, cultural and national center of Russia. A similar question has been raised repeatedly in science over the past century, however, the main message has not changed much over the past time, and defines the Vladimir coat of arms as the hereditary emblem of the local branch of the Yurievichs, based on the abundance of lion symbols on the walls of the Vladimir-Suzdal cathedrals. At the same time, the limitations of heraldry and the coat of arms of the countries involved in the orbit of the Catholic Church in the XII-XIII centuries are not taken into account, and the existence of the princes of pre-Mongol Russia is not taken into account. The methodology of the Vladimir Coat of Arms research includes the study of its origin and symbolism. The method is based on a historical approach, the study and analysis of the works of scientists. The study of white stone architecture, church decoration and princely signs of the Vladimir-Suzdal land of the XII-XIII centuries. The analysis of heraldic sources, such as the work "Titular" of 1672, was carried out. The scientific novelty lies in the approach and collection of all available information on this issue. The coat of arms expresses the specific qualities of the lion leopard and is the bearer of an idea, an aspiration, a "retrospective imprint" of the future cultural and political capital, Moscow. The main conclusion of the conducted research is a separate sign system for marking property and documentation. Thus, studies of the official coat of arms of the city of Vladimir do not allow us to trace its existence earlier than the second half of the XVII century. The huge time gap between the years of construction of the Vladimir-Suzdal cathedrals and the moment of the first appearance of the lion leopard on the emblem of the city of Vladimir is completely ignored. Due to the great importance of this center for the history of Russia, modernity requires a new understanding of the fact of the origin of the Vladimir coat of arms with a broader view of the issue under study.