Arms of Gilles Éric Ravignat
Arms of Gilles Éric Ravignat
Blazon
Paly Or and Sable a lion rampant Gules;
Symbolism
The principal colours, black and gold, appear in the arms of the Holy Roman Empire, its medieval fiefdom of Namur, and the village of Andenne, these places being respectively the earliest location of the name Ravignat, the source of the name in Belgium, and the modern village of Mr. Ravignat’s Belgian family.
The red lion refers to the etymology of the name, old Germanic for “son of a powerful warrior”. It symbolizes courage and readiness to defend, and is also the main charge on the coat of arms of Belgium, Namur and Andenne. Red is also the main colour on the arms of the Seigneur de Bierwart, Bierwart being the place where the name Ravignat was first recorded.
For the Canadian branch of the family, the lion is linked to the ancestor Ernest Ravignat, who, as a stone mason in the early 1900s, carved heraldic lions at several Canadian public buildings.
Crest of Gilles Éric Ravignat
Blazon
Issuant from a coronet of maple leaves and fleurs-de-lis Or, an eagle’s head Sable beaked and langued Gules;
Symbolism
The maple leaves and fleurs-de-lis of the coronet symbolize Canada and French as the mother tongue of the Ravignat family. A fleur-de-lis was also the main charge used on the arms of the Seigneur de Bierwart. The eagle alludes to Mr. Ravignat’s father, Raymond Ernest Ravignat, who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War and is in the style of the eagle of the Holy Roman Empire.
Motto of Gilles Éric Ravignat
Blazon
FORTITUDO IN AMORE ET PROELIO;
Symbolism
This Latin phrase means “Courage in love and battle”.
