Some time back in the long thread on Catholic diocesan arms I posted a black and white line drawing of the arms of the Archdiocese of Mobile. The archdiocesan website now has a color version, unfortunately not linkable, but still screen-shootable (if there’s such a term).
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeohzt4/heraldry/RCMobile.gif
I also discovered today that Mobile’s Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception has a very fine coat of arms of its own:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeohzt4/RCMobileBas.JPG
(The image of the arms of the basilica seems to be a photograph of a mosaic emblazonment; the field is not semy of anything, merely Azure.)
The archdiocese website also has the arms of former ordinaries of Mobile. Fr. Guy posted those of the current archbishop some time back in another thread:
Abp. Thomas Rodi (2008-present)
http://www.mobilearchdiocese.org/images/rodi-coatofarms_m.gif
Abp. Oscar Lipscomb (1980-2008 )
http://www.mobilearchdiocese.org/images/lipscomb-coatofarms.gif
Abp. John May (1969-1980; later Archbishop of St. Louis—the arms are from his tenure in that see)
http://www.mobilearchdiocese.org/images/may-coatofarms.gif
Abp. Thomas Toolen (1927-1969; the arms are from the end of his tenure after the Diocese of Mobile was renamed Mobile-Birmingham; the field in dexter base is for Birmingham. Although the see was only a diocese, Toolen was given the personal rank of archbishop.)
http://www.mobilearchdiocese.org/images/toolen-coatofarms.gif
Bp. Edward Allen (1897-1926)
http://www.mobilearchdiocese.org/images/allen-coatofarms.gif
Bp. Jeremiah O’Sullivan (1885-1896)
http://www.mobilearchdiocese.org/images/o
O’Sullivan was the fourth bishop, but his predecessors’ arms/seals are not shown on the website.
The Marian symbolism on the arms of the diocese and cathedral are IMHO wonderful
It just occurred to me that in addition to the Marian symbolism in the Mobile archdiocesan arms,
http://pointclearmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2013/03/client-logo-archmob.jpg
the crescent and three golden roses may also refer to the arms of the man who founded Mobile in 1702, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville (Montreal, 1680-Paris, 1767). His arms were Azure three roses Or on a chief Gules a crescent between two stars Or.
http://www.americanheraldry.org/pages/uploads/Roll/lemoyne.gif
It would be interesting to know if this was intentional.
(Bienville was the younger brother and comrade-in-arms of Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville, the founder and first governor of Louisiana, who bore the same arms.)
Joseph McMillan;100611 wrote:
It just occurred to me that in addition to the Marian symbolism in the Mobile archdiocesan arms,
the crescent and three golden roses may also refer to the arms of the man who founded Mobile in 1702, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville (Montreal, 1680-Paris, 1767). His arms were Azure three roses Or on a chief Gules a crescent between two stars Or.
It would be interesting to know if this was intentional.
(Bienville was the younger brother and comrade-in-arms of Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville, the founder and first governor of Louisiana, who bore the same arms.)
Based on the style and the time period involved I would bet that the diocesan arms are the work of Pierre de Chaignon La Rose. His ecclesiastical designs often referenced the civic heraldry of the place for which they were intended, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it were intentional.
The arms of the see are very, very nice! Quite simple, unique, and still suggestive of the history of the place; and IMO very amenable to impalement with the various incumbents over time. Whoever designed them should be (or should have been) warmly congratulated.
