Variations on a Theme: Pierre de Chaignon La Rose and the Cross in National Colors

The arms of Cardinal Gibbons (1834-1921) as painted and devised by la Rose for Gibbons' elevation as the Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore in 1910, and appearing in La Rose (1911). 

Among the many coats designed by Pierre de Chaignon La Rose (1872-1941), there stands out one unique device, or ordinary, that he used in multiple ways for both American Episcopal and Roman Catholic institutions.  The cross in "national colors" was among his most used ordinaries in devising coats of arms for these institutions.  For some background on La Rose, please see my previous post here.  In this post, I will explore in chronological order this theme of the cross in "national colors" as the main ordinary in several of his designs.  I've cited my sources at the end of the article as several of these coats will be new to many enthusiasts of heraldry.  I also wish to thank Joe McMillan of the American Heraldry Society and NEHGS Committee on Heraldry for his editorial review of this article.

Berkeley Divinity School (1906)

The earliest such example of the cross in national colors comes from the arms of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale which la Rose designed in 1906.  Berkeley is an seminary of the Episcopal Church attached to Yale Divinity School.  For La Rose's commission, Berkeley was not yet affiliated with Yale.  Berkeley would officially join the Yale Divinity School in 1971. 

The arms of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale devised by la Rose in 1906.
Image source: Berkeley Divinity School website.

According the The Living Church (1906), la Rose reworked an existing coat that had been in use by the school but needed to conform the design to heraldic norms.  The arms of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale are blazoned: "azure, a cross gules fimbriated argent, in dexter chief a star of eight points of the last.  Crest: that of the Berkeleys which is a mitre gules bordered and stringed or, bearing a chevron between ten crosses pattees, six in chief and four in base, all argent."  

Banner of arms for Berkeley Divinity School.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Furthermore, the article notes that the motto adopted by the school is, "the Vulgate version of II Corinthians 10:16, In illa quae ultra sunt (to the regions beyond)."  A fitting motto for a seminary.

Archdiocese of Baltimore (1910)

By 1910, la Rose landed perhaps one of the most important heraldic commissions of his young career when James Cardinal Gibbons was elevated to America's premier see of Baltimore (see image above).  

Coat of arms, the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

According to La Rose (1911), the blazon for the Archdiocese of Baltimore is, "quarterly azure and argent, a cross bottonnée throughout quarterly of the second and gules, in dexter chief a star also of the second" (pg. 4).  This coat is the first known Roman Catholic coat that La Rose devised.  It's highly likely that Gibbons knew of la Rose as a leader in the field due to his portfolio of Episcopal diocesan heraldry.  Additionally, La Rose (1911) illustrates the new arms for then Archbishop of Boston and future Cardinal, William Henry O'Connell (1859-1944).       

Banner of arms for Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

There seems little doubt that the commissions from Gibbons and O'Connell effectively launched la Rose's career within the growing Roman Catholic Church in America, for a virtual explosion of requests for Roman Catholic diocesan coats would ensue.  

Episcopal Diocese of Maryland (1916)

The arms of the Diocese of Maryland as painted by la Rose. 
Image Source: Diocesan Convention of Maryland (1916).

Not long after la Rose's commission for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he devised arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, headquartered in Baltimore, and it's new cathedral.  Again, la Rose used the cross as the main ordinary of the field.  While not distinctly a "cross in the national colors," I thought it important to show the evolution of his thought process.  

The Cathedral League of Women consulted the architect of the new Cathedral of the Incarnation, Bertram Goodhue, who referred the group to la Rose (Diocesan Convention of Maryland, 1916, pg. 24).  Note that Goodhue was a partner with Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) of Boston, la Rose's main partner in crime for receiving heraldic referrals from many Episcopalian organizations.  

Banner of arms for the Diocese of Maryland.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

During the diocesan convention held in November of 1916, the convention officially adopted la Rose's design, which DeKay (1993) gives as, "quartered argent and gules, a cross counterchanged, bearing a pheon in the chief; quarter 1, paly of six, or and sable, counterchanged bendwise for Maryland" (pg.42).  La Rose completed another important commission in Baltimore for the Episcopal Diocese that same year with the arms of it's new cathedral.

Cathedral of the Incarnation (1916)

The seal of the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation, Baltimore, MD. 
Designed by la Rose in 1916. Image Source: DeKay (1993).

Earlier in May of 1916, the Cathedral League of Women presented their first gift of heraldry to the Diocese of Maryland, a seal for the new Cathedral of the Incarnation (The Living Church, 1916, pg. 150).  DeKay (1993) gives the blazon as, "quarterly argent and gules, a cross counterchanged with a pheon of the second in the first quarter" (pg. 106).  

Banner of arms for the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Diocese of Maryland.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Episcopal Missionary District 

of the Philippine Islands (1913-1916)

The seal of the Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.  Image is from DeKay (1993).

Addition as of 8-15-23:  As my research on la Rose progresses, I have found another coat of arms within the theme of the "cross in national colors," used by the Missionary District of the Philippine Islands of the Episcopal Church.  The district was formed in 1901 and its status changed in 1937--dates that fit within la Rose's lifetime.  With limited access to the district's complete series of journals online, I have pieced together some information to inform my attribution to la Rose.   

According to the missionary district's annual reports that are accessible, the years being 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, and 1913, there is no use of the seal or mention of its adoption.  However, a very interesting fact surfaced in my review of these documents.  

Banner of arms for the Episcopal Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

In Missionary District of the Philippine Islands (1913), noted Boston architect Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860-1951) is mentioned twice for preparing architectural designs for St. Luke's in Manila (page 11 and 36).  La Rose and Sturgis worked together in 1910 when la Rose designed the arms for the Brookline Public Library in Brookline, MA.  Please click here to read my analysis of the arms of Brookline Public Library.  It is likely that if Sturgis needed a coat of arms for his architectural rendering for St. Luke's, la Rose would have been enlisted.

Datewise, we can presume these arms were likely designed after 1913 and very probably around 1916 given la Rose's unique design for the Diocese of Maryland and it's cathedral as noted above.  Other than The Rev. John A. Nainfa, S.S. (1878-1938), no one else in the US was designing arms using the quarterly-counterchanged cross. 

A colored rendering of the seal of the Missionary
District of the Philippine Islands,
image is from Wikipedia.  

Moreover, the cathedral for the missionary district is named the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. John and located in Manila.  The silver/white star in the coat is very likely a reference to either the Philippine's status vis a vis the US or the Blessed Virgin Mary, a method of la Rose to employ a charge or colors to reference the patron saint of the see's cathedral or its dedication.  In my data of now over 200 corporate coats, I have 19 diocesan coats designed by la Rose where he uses a charge or certain tinctures as a reference to the patron saint of the see's cathedral.

Finally, the mitre used within the vesica piscis is unique to la Rose.  In a letter from September 3, 1912 to The Rt. Rev. David Hummell Greer (1844-1919), Episcopal Bishop of New York, la Rose provides sketches for possible arms for the Diocese of New York to consider.  As he closes the letter to the bishop, la Rose addresses the mitre he prefers to use as the external ornament placed above the shield:

"The mitre on my drawing [proposed coat of arms for the Episcopal Diocese of New York] is copied with very slight modification from those on the roll of peers dated 1515 in the Herald's College [College of Arms, London], a type which has crystallised and become now practically their official heraldic form for a mitre, and here we are concerned only with the mitre from the point of view of heraldry, not of archeology or liturgies" (Letter from Pierre de Chaignon la Rose to the Right Reverend David H. Greer).

Having seen la Rose's painting for New York, it is the exact same mitre used for the Diocese as Maryland as can be seen above.  La Rose would adorn countless diocesan coats with this exact mitre.  Data does not lie!  Thus, I proudly give la Rose credit for the arms of Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.  DeKay (1993) gives the blazon as, "quarterly gules and argent, a cross counterchanged, in dexter chief a mullet of the second" (pg. 87).

Please click here to read my full analysis of the arms for the Episcopal Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.

Catholic Church Extension Society (1918)

The arms of the Catholic Church Extension Society devised by La Rose in 1918, and appearing in La Rose (1918).

Two years later, La Rose (1918) illustrates the newly devised arms for the Catholic Church Extension Society and provides the blazon as, "argent, a cross gules cottised azure, charged in chief with a star or" (pg. 192).  

La Rose further notes that, "the Right Reverend President of the Society, Monsignor Kelley, desired the arms to express, in the abstract conventions of heraldry, simply the Catholic Faith, the United States, and Our Lady's patronage.  That this is done by means of the Cross in the national colors and the star of Our Lady should be clear to readers" (pg. 192-193).  

The arms of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll)
devised by John A. Nainfa, S.S. (1878-1938) in 1918. 
Nainfa was a dedicated partner early on with la Rose.
Image from La Rose (1918).

Additionally, La Rose (1918) illustrates the newly devised arms of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, a.k.a. the Maryknolls, and notes that these arms were designed by his Sulpician friend, The Rev. John A. Nainfa, S.S.  

The blazon la Rose offers is, "argent, a cross quarterly azure and gules" (pg. 193).  La Rose goes on to state, "here the same idea--the Cross in the national colors--is carried out with admirable directness and decorative simplicity" (pg. 193).  Ever the humble designer, la Rose continues, "another version [of the cross in national colors] still may be seen on the arms of the See of Baltimore as impaled on the coat of His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons" (pg. 193).  A clear reference that la Rose was the first to express this design heraldically.     

National Student Council 

of the Episcopal Church (1919)

Addition as of 10-3-23:  In 1919, la Rose cleverly devised arms for the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church using a cross in national colors--his first such design for a national Episcopal-affiliated organization. (National Student Council of the Episcopal Church, 1920 March, 12).  

The arms of the National Student Council
of the Episcopal Church
appearing in Morehouse (1941), page 27.

According to Turner (2010), the National Student Council was formally organized in May 1918 by the Conference of Episcopal College Workers to function as an advisory council of students to the Presiding Bishop (32).  In 1935, the Church Society for College Work, also an Episcopal-affiliate, would be established separately from the student council and organized to assist college ministry in a variety of ways including fundraising (Turner, 2010, 34).  Both groups, it would appear, used the same coat of arms.

While the above image is hard to image in full color, I believe la Rose pulled together several elements into this design to clearly identify the owner as a quasi-academic institution within the Episcopal Church.  At this point, remember, the Episcopal Church did not have any national symbols and thus the bordure with the bishop's mitres was the best option.  The inscribed and open book identifies the academy and employs a fitting motto, "for Christ and the Church."

The blazon for the arms of the National Student Council of the Episcopal Church/Church Society for College Work is: argent a cross gules cotised azure, over all an open book with two clasps or thereon inscribed PRO CHRISTO PER ECCLESIAM and on a bordure azure eight bishop's mitres argent.  

Foreign Mission Sisters of St. Dominic (1923)

A beautiful full color emblazonment of the arms of the Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic from Conning (2023 September 13).  Image courtesy of the Maryknoll Mission Archives, September 2023.

By 1923, we see more examples from the Maryknolls, devised by both Nainfa and la Rose.  The Field Afar, the official organ of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, published two coats of arms in their September edition--the previously shown arms of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (which la Rose credits Nainfa for the design in the Ecclesiastical Review) and the new arms of the Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic (now simply, the Maryknoll Sisters of Saint Dominic). 

Banner of arms for Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

The Maryknoll Mission Archives posted an article on September 13, 2023 regarding these arms and included full colored emblazonments.  Please click here to read the Maryknoll Mission Archives article.

As a result of their post, I wanted to dig a little deeper in the story surrounding these two distinctive arms.

For an analysis regarding these two corporate arms, please click here to read my article.

The arms of the Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic carry the gyronny of eight representing the order's ties to Saint Dominic as well as the new Maryknoll cross of national colors.  The blazon is:  gyronny of eight argent and sable, a cross quarterly azure and gules. 

Article from The Field Afar, September 1923, page 254.  Click image to enlarge.

Catholic Students' Mission Crusade (1924)

The Catholic Students' Mission Crusade (CSMC), founded in 1918, would grow to become one of the most successful youth movements of the 20th Century for evangelism.  The CSMC became a dynamic force within the church and modeled itself on the imagery of the crusades in order to help inspire young women and men to help conquer the world for Christ (Endres, 2007).  And what respectable crusader would go without bearing arms?  Enter Pierre de Chaignon la Rose.

The banner of arms of the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade designed by la Rose in 1923. 
Source: United States Patent Office (1924).

Banner of arms for Catholic Students' Mission Crusade.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

The Catholic Students' Mission Crusade
Paladin Leader Award.
Source: Author's private collection.

While the CSMC used a rather unattractive coat of arms by 1923, the banner designed by la Rose would play a role in the right of initiation (Endres, 2007).  As such, la Rose was contacted to devise a banner of arms for the CSMC.  At some point, likely in the 1930's, the older version of the arms were dropped in favor of la Rose's design, albeit with the inscription cognoscetis veritatem, or "know the truth," from John 8:32 added to the open book.  These new arms would be used for the neck jewels of the order. 

The arms of the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade are blazoned: quarterly argent and azure, a cross quarterly gules and the first, thereupon an open book or inscribed Cognoscetis Veritatem (Know the truth, John 8:32).  The patent for the banner of arms was filed on December 31, 1923.  

Catholic University of America (1933)

Perhaps one of la Rose's most well-known arms appeared in 1933, a truly national design for the Catholic University of America located in Washington, DC.  La Rose literally reversed his design scheme of the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade, added a crescent in the first quarter, and a different inscription upon the open book.  And voila!  The arms of Catholic University.

The arms of The Catholic University of America.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Catholic University of America are blazoned: quarterly azure and argent, a cross quarterly of the second and gules charged with an open book or thereupon inscribed Deus Lux Mea Est (God is my light), in the first quarter a crescent of the second.  It's a lovely design.

Banner of arms for the Catholic University of America.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024. 

Gallery of Living Catholic Authors (1937)

Another example of the cross in national colors comes by way of the arms of Gallery of Living Catholic Authors.  Founded in 1933 and led by Sister Mary Joseph, S.L., Ph.D., the purpose of the gallery was threefold:  providing a Catholic literary hall of fame, creating awareness of contemporary Catholic literature, and to be a repository of letters, photographs, manuscripts, and books all for future research and scholarship (Joseph, 1945, pg.75).  The Gallery used Cram for its building design and that's likely how la Rose got involved with designing their coat.

The arms of the Gallery of Living Catholic Authors designed by la Rose in 1937.  Image is courtesy of the Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Georgetown Library, August 2023.

La Rose designed these arms in 1937, and this coat is hands down my all-time favorite design of his (La Rose, 1937).  The blazon for the arms of the Gallery of Living Catholic Authors is: quarterly gules and argent, a cross throughout quarterly argent and gules, in saltire two feather quills counterchanged over all an open book edged with three clasps or thereon inscribed In Principio Erat Verbum (In the beginning was the word, John 1:1).  

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (1938)

The arms of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine designed by la Rose in 1938.

Towards the end of la Rose's life, he used the cross in national colors for another national Catholic organization, the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine which adopted the following arms in 1938: argent, a cross quarterly quartered gules and azure void of the field thereupon an open book with three clasps or inscribed Deus Est (God is).  

These arms fascinate me.  Just when you thought la Rose may have exhausted a cross of national colors, we get these arms.  

The Episcopal Church (1938-1939)

The coat of arms of The Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

Addition as of 10-3-23:  Like a dramatic film, la Rose saves the best example of the cross in national colors as one of his final acts as a herald.  To read the complete and untold story of the evolution of the Episcopal Church's arms, please click here.

History has incorrectly attributed the design of these arms to William M. Baldwin (d.1942), a layman from the Diocese of Long Island.  It is my view that the confusion stems from creator of the flag versus the actual coat of arms the flag was based upon.  There is no doubt that Baldwin physically made the flag that would be adopted for the Episcopal Church, but he did not design the church's arms.  Baldwin, however, deserves much credit for his perseverance in keeping the issue of the need to adopt arms front and center in the mind of the church.  For this dedication alone, the Episcopal Church owes much thanks to Baldwin.

   

Even my own church history professor and co-editor of An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church (2000), The Rev. Dr. Donald S. Armentrout (1939-2013) got it wrong too (174).  To be fair, many of the works cited here are old and long out of print--digitization and the internet were not so well established at the time of Slocum and Armentrout's book.  Thankfully, we now have those digitized resources to accurately attribute la Rose as the herald responsible for the arms of the Episcopal Church. 

Since these arms were adopted during the 1940 General Convention held in Kansas City, Missouri, it is very likely that la Rose created his design around 1938-1939 in order to give time for the vetting process.  

Baldwin's hand-sewed flag presented at the 1940 General Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.  Image is from Diocese of Long Island website.  Note how the cross gules is not centered.

General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church (1940) provides a description offered by the chair of the Joint Commission on Flag and Seal:

"On accepting the chairmanship, I felt the wisest course of procedure would be to secure expert advice in this highly technical field so as to avoid the glaring heraldic errors appearing on some of our diocesan shields. 

"Accordingly, I consulted Mr. Pierre deC. laRose, of Harvard University, a member of its Standing Committee on Arms, and recognized as probably the leading authority on ecclesiastical heraldry in this country.  He has graciously and generously given of his time and thought and his opinions have received the hearty approval of your Commission. 

"Of the design we are submitting, Mr. Ralph Adams Cram writes: "I am very pleased with this. I can give it my full approval." Another of our most expert members in this field, Major Chandler, writes: "I am sure any delineation-shield, seal or flag-which Mr. laRose may make will be unassailable heraldically and any composition of which Mr. Cram approves will be beyond question artistically" (287).

While the reader will certainly recognize Cram, Chandler is a new name in the world of heraldry.  Major George M. Chandler (US Army, Retired), was a lay member of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC's 51st annual convention in 1946, where he ushered through the adoption of la Rose's 1908 design for the diocese's arms.  It also appears, based on my searching online, that Major Chandler may have also designed the arms for the Beta Theta Pi national fraternity--if this is indeed the same individual.  Nonetheless, Egleston & Sherman (2019 May 19), Hertell (1941), and Luce (1958) all concur citing la Rose as the herald behind the Episcopal Church's arms.  

Banner of arms for The Episcopal Church.
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2024.

The arms of the Episcopal Church, in so many ways, is the perfect final act for this thematic analysis, for in this one coat of arms we see la Rose at the height of his heraldic powers.  Perhaps no ecclesiastical corporate coat in the US today could be more recognizable than the arms of the Episcopal Church--providing clear identification of its owner while giving the church a widely beloved symbol.  Well done.   

The blazon adopted during the 1940 General Convention is: "argent a cross throughout gules, on a canton azure nine cross crosslets in saltire of the field" (General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 1940, 288).

___________________

Summary

If the reader has maintained a count of arms designed by la Rose within this theme of a cross in national colors, there are 13 (if you count Nainfa's design for the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, you would have 14).  To summarize, the armorial bearings designed by la Rose falling within this theme are as follows:  

1. Berkeley Divinity School (1906)
2. Archdiocese of Baltimore (1910)
3. Episcopal Diocese of Maryland (1916)
4. Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation (1916)
5. Episcopal Missionary District of the Philippine Islands (1913-1916)
6. Catholic Church Extension Society (1918)
7. National Student Council of the Episcopal Church (1919)
8. Foreign Mission Sisters of Saint Dominic (1923)
9. Catholic Students' Mission Crusade (1924)
10. The Catholic University of America (1933)
11. Gallery of Living Catholic Authors (1937)
12. Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (1938)
13. The Episcopal Church (1938-1939)  

All told, this theme is an important one within my data of now 250 coats of arms designed by the herald.  Moreover, this theme illustrates the myriad of ways in which la Rose could use the colors of red, white, and blue to render dignified corporate arms in a purely American style.  I find this fact both impressive and suggestive of the herald's deep capacity to create perspicuous heraldry.

For now, that's all I've been able to identify within this theme of arms bearing a cross in national colors.  I suspect more are out there, buried deep within archives and libraries.  

Works Cited

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (1961).  Manual of the Parish Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, (10th ed.).  Confraternity Publications. 

Conning, S. (2023 September 13).  Coats of arms.  Maryknoll Mission Archives website.  https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/coats-of-arms/

DeKay, Eckford. (1993).  Heraldry in the Episcopal Church.  Acorn Press.

Diocesan Convention of Maryland (1916).  Journal of the one hundred and thirty-third annual convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Maryland.  Diocese of Maryland.

Egleston, C.L. & Sherman, T. (2019 May 19).  A flag and a seal: Two histories.  In C. Wells (Ed.), The Living Church, 258(9), pp. 16-17. 

Endres, David. (2007). Under the cross and the flag: The Catholic Students' Mission Crusade and the American quest to Christianize the world, 1918–1971. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation].  The Catholic University of America. 

General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church (1940).  Journal of the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church.  W.B. Conkey Company, pp. 286-288.   

Hertell, E.S. (1941).  Our church's flag.  In C.P. Morehouse (Ed.), The Layman's Magazine of the Episcopal Church, no.15, 14-15.

Joseph, Mary (1945).  Gallery of Living Catholic Authors. Gallery of Living Catholic Authors, 2.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1937 July 18).  Letter from Pierre de Chaignon la Rose to the Reverend Sister Mary Joseph.  Unpublished letter.  Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Georgetown Library.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1918).  Some examples of Catholic corporate heraldry.  In H.J. Heuser (Ed.), The Ecclesiastical Review, 58(February), pp. 189-198.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1912 September 3).  Letter from Pierre de Chaignon la Rose to The Right Reverend David H. Greer.  Unpublished letter.

La Rose, Pierre de C. (1911).  The arms of his Eminence Cardinal Gibbons. In H.J. Heuser (Ed.), The Ecclesiastical Review, 5(45), 2-11.   

Luce, J.H. (1958).  The history and symbolism of the flag of the Episcopal Church.  Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 27(4), 324-331.

Missionary District of the Philippine Islands (1913).  Journal of the tenth annual convocation of the Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.  Missionary District of the Philippine Islands.

Morehouse, C.P. (Ed.) (1941 September).  The Layman's Magazine of the Living Church, 20, 27.

National Student Council of the Episcopal Church (1920 March).  1919 annual report of the National Student Council, bulletin 6.  National Student Council of the Episcopal Church.

Slocum, R.B. & Armentrout, D.S. (Eds.) (2000).  An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A user-friendly reference for Episcopalians.  Church Publishing, Inc., 174. 

The Living Church (1906, July 14).  Berkeley Divinity School.  The Living Church, 35(11), 389.

The Living Church (1916, May 27).  Maryland.  The Living Church, 55(4), 150.

Turner, B.W. (2010).  Pro Christo Per Ecclesiam:  A history of college ministry in the Episcopal Church [Unpublished master's thesis].  Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia. 

https://issuu.com/janus532/docs/cmthesis/19

United States Patent Office (1924).  Official gazette of the United States Patent Office, 325, 280.

Heraldry (Alive again) at Sewanee: The University of the South

Flying heraldry at Sewanee.  The banners of the University of the South on full display inside All Saints' Chapel during a lecture.  Source: The University of the South.

In the summer of 2007, I moved onto the "domain" of the University of the South to begin coursework as a seminarian towards a Master of Divinity degree.  More often referred to as simply, "Sewanee," it's a small iconic university high atop the Cumberland plateau in middle Tennessee.  The Domain encompasses nearly 13,000 acres of beauty.  Described once to me as an "Episcopal theme park," the domain is filled with academic buildings designed in gothic architecture, with several modeled on Magdalene College, Oxford.  The professors wear gowns to class, and the whole place is a haven of the best of the Episcopal Church.  Legally owned by 28 dioceses of The Episcopal Church (a peculiar only in America), Sewanee is wholly an Episcopal university comprised of the College of Arts & Sciences (the undergraduate college), the School of Theology (the seminary), and the newcomer on the block, the School of Letters.  My three years at Sewanee were among the best in my life so far.  I'm proud to have earned my M.Div. from this university.

So much has developed, heraldically speaking, in the past four years at my alma mater that I felt like a post was in order.

While I was a student, there was not much by way of celebrating the unique heraldry of the university.  This was always odd to me, as the place is the perfect setting for coat armour:  the academic and religious processions, the majesty of All Saints' Chapel, and so on.  Thankfully, so much has since changed in the intervening years.     

For a quick recap on the heraldry of Sewanee's heraldry, please click here to read about the heraldry of the University of the South.  

Several years ago when I began writing about heraldry and exploring the armorial bearings of Sewanee, I rendered the arms as banners because I had hopes that one day students and alumni would see the brilliance of Dr. James Waring McCrady's designs for theses arms flying during university rituals.  Click here to read about my designs for the banners of Sewanee.  

The heraldic banner of the University of the South, rendered by Dr. Krouse, Sept. 19, 2014.

Little did I know, then, that one reader would quickly take action!  The Rev. Rob Donahue T'16, was then a seminarian and contacted me through this blog.  He later penned an article, "Sewanee's Treasured Tressure." By March 22, 2016, Donahue had taken my design concept and managed to convince the leadership at the university to move forward with flying heraldry for the celebration of the Second Founding of the University.  Rob was kind enough to give me a shout-out in the the student newspaper, The Sewanee Purple.  Click here to read the article from The Sewanee Purple.

Faculty lining up for an academic procession at Sewanee with the heraldic banners in background.  Source: The University of the South.

Furthermore, Donahue was generous to send me a flag of the School of Theology's arms.  I want to again thank Fr. Rob for his generosity and tenacity for making heraldry come alive at Sewanee!  By the Spring of 2018, the seminary received as a gift from the senior class, a new heraldic banner of the arms of the School of Theology.   

Seminarians surrounding the newly commissioned banner of arms, a gift to the Seminary by the Class of 2018. Source: The University of the South. 

Another exciting development in flying heraldry occured on the Domain by the fall 2018.  Dr. McCrady, the original designer of the Sewanee coats in the early 1980s, re-emerged to design heraldic banners for all the residential houses on campus.  Click here to read the article on the new residence hall banners in The Sewanee Purple.

Inside McClurg Dining Hall: the new 19 banners of the residential halls of the university designed by Dr. J. Waring McCrady, Fall 2018.  Source: The Sewanee Purple.  

 

Click on this link to see photos and rationale of all 19 banners designed by Dr. McCrady.  Allow me to share three of my favorite banners.

The heraldic banner of St. Luke's Hall, the University of the South.  St. Luke's was the original residence of the School of Theology.  Source: The University of the South.

The heraldic banner of Hoffman Hall, The University of the South.  Source: The University of the South.

The heraldic banner of Phillips Hall, The University of the South.  Source: The University of the South.

I'm so thrilled to see my alma mater basking in the glory of heraldry, and even more honored to have played a small part.  Sewanee continues to occupy a special place in American higher education, and the university's armorial bearings further that unique role.  Perhaps it's now time to publish an attractive hardbound armorial detailing all of these arms!

The Arms of Pierre de Chaignon La Rose & International Heraldry Day 2020

The arms of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose, line drawing by Dr. Krouse.

June 10th is International Heraldry Day, a day to celebrate the art and science of coat armour throughout the world.  This day comes at a time in which we find ourselves going into battle on a number of fronts, bearing symbols and mottoes those ancient knights and kings of old would not likely recognize.  This day is a day, I hope, for those heraldry enthusiasts to ask themselves, "how is heraldry relevant in 2020?"  I fear that if all we do is worship the charges and lines of partition of old to spite the battles before us, we risk debasing heraldry's ability to invite us into a deeper and more meaningful conversation about identity, inheritance, and legacy.  I believe this treasured art and science can still be relevant in 2020.    

Case in point: my humble attempt in devising an attributed coat of arms for the Black Lives Matter movement.  Click here to read about my design for the attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement.  The idea came to me when I started to ask, how can I help and how can I affect change within my locus of control?  And then it clicked.  I believe heraldry can and does occupy a relevant place in the world, beyond its historical aspects.  Others are free to disagree.       

Originally conceived in 2013, the idea of International Heraldry Day commemorates the approximation of the first date of known coat armour.  The story continues from the registration of arms found over at the Armorial International:

The celebration was started in 2013 within the International Association of Amateur Heralds (IAAH). Tomasz Steifer (Poland), a Fellow of the IAAH described the effort: we propose that this international day of heraldry at 10 June. On that day, in the year 1128, in Rouen was knighted, by his future father in law, Henry I Beauclerc, Godfrey Plantagenet. Suspended during the ceremony on the neck of a young knight shield blue decorated six golden lions, is recognized by most of the heralds, for the first time in history, fully formed coat of arms.

Today, I want to commemorate America's best kept secret, Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941).  A man who single handedly shaped American heraldry in the early Twentieth Century and whose work can still be seen today.  So many know the images, but few know the heraldic genius behind those arms.  From the Schools of Harvard, University of Chicago, Notre Dame, Catholic University, Boston College, Rice University, to lesser know schools such as College of the Holy Cross, St. Ambrose University, and Trinity Washington University, all these institutions still bear the arms expertly designed by la Rose.  Scholastic heraldry aside, he devised arms for 24 dioceses of the Episcopal Church (including the arms of the Episcopal Church itself), and countless arms for Roman Catholic sees, abbeys, and religious communities.  In a sense, la Rose was the brand creator for so many iconic American institutions long before this concept took hold in business literature.   

More recently, several of these institutions have had to address their racial past in connection with their arms and dug into their archives to understand the meaning behind the herald's work--the former Calhoun College at Yale and Harvard's Law School for example.  Click here to learn about the new arms of Grace Hopper College at Yale, and please click here if you would like to learn more about the new arms for Harvard Law. 

La Rose first captured my interest in 2014 when I began my process for assuming arms.  I'm interested in what I call "fringe figures," and la Rose fits that bill nicely.  What do I mean by "fringe figures?"  He lived alone (undoubtedly gay based on my research), positioned himself as the foremost expert in America on heraldry (an arcane subject), and otherwise marched to the beat of his own drum while living on the fringe of Harvard yard.       

La Rose's yearbook photograph from Harvard, Class of 1895.

I've posted before about la Rose's work at St. Edward's Seminary in Washington and Brookline Public Library in Massachusetts.  Click here to learn more about the arms la Rose designed for St. Edward's Seminary, and please click here to learn more about the arms of the Brookline Public Library.  These two represent a drop in the bucket in terms of the scope of la Rose's heraldic work.  Piecing together his life and work continues to be a fun challenge; I've worked with numerous archives and even found a treasure trove of some of his best work.  In sum, I've identified 192 coats of arms that he devised for institutions around the world.  Sadly, most of these institutions don't readily know who devised their arms, much less the rationale behind them.  Even worse, marketing departments have managed to obscure the regal emblazonment in favor of a more modern appearance.   

La Rose's bookplate from the Houghton Library, Harvard, 1895.

A late edition to the post, the second known bookplate of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose created by the famous bookplate engraver George W. Eve, dated 1914, courtesy of Joseph McMillan of the American Heraldry Society.  Note the absence of the rose charge and the addition of a crest, coronet, and supporters.

I wanted to render his own arms, as I've yet to encounter any digitized versions on the web.  I discovered an emblazonment of his arms on a bookplate at the Houghton Library, Harvard, dated 1895.  The 1895 bookplate rendering is simple and very much keeping in his style and ethos.  

Based on the hatching, I've worked out the following blazon.  The arms of Pierre de Chaignon la Rose are blazoned: Azure, a lion rampant Or langued Gules and charged on the shoulder with a rose of the third barbed and seeded proper, holding in dexter arm a sword proper.  Motto:  Fortiter et Suaviter (Firmly and gently).  The only other known image is chiseled onto his tombstone at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.  Thus, I'm pleased to finally have La Rose's arms rendered on the web, albeit a line drawing!

Click here to view my post containing a new digital emblazonment of la Rose's arms based on his 1895 bookplate.  

Note the absence of the rose and the addition of the coronet.  Source: Findagrave.com

It took several tries to get the line drawing proportioned just right.  I played with numerous shield shapes, only to end up using one of his own found in the arms of St. Joseph's Academy (for girls).  The school operated from 1851-1971 in Saint Paul, Minnesota as a Roman Catholic school founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph.  You won’t find these arms anywhere on the web until now!  La Rose devised these arms as: Azure, a semme of Madonna lilies Argent, in pale a sword Or with hilt in base thereupon an open book edged Or and inscribed Suboles Doctrinae Pietas (“Reverence, Scion of Scholarship”).

The arms of St. Joseph's Academy, devised by La Rose in 1926.

 

La Rose was a fan of placing charge upon a charge, especially with animals.  Below are two examples of his expert hand.  Remember, these are hand painted, no digital software for drawing was available in those days.  The first example is la Rose's proposed coat of arms for the new Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.  He rendered two designs, and the one below is the first.  The Cathedral, sadly, ended up adopting Ralph Adams Cram's design which you can see in use today.  La Rose's design pays tribute to St. John by way of the eagle with the halo and honors the "New Amsterdam" Dutch heritage of New York City by way of the windmill blades. 

The second example comes from the arms of Mundelein College which has since merged with Loyola University Chicago.  La Rose used the "phoenix rising from the ashes" charge in several designs.  The arms of the University of Chicago (adopted in 1909), the arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta (adopted in 1920), and the arms of the Archdiocese of Chicago (approx. 1939) all bear the phoenix as their central charge.  Incidentally, both cities survived disastrous fires, the phoenix becomes an appropriate symbol of resurrection.  And of course, la Rose employs the open book, one of his favorite charges for schools and universities.

The proposed arms of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine #1 by la Rose in 1927, courtesy of the Cathedral's archives.

The blazon for the proposed arms of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine #1 is: Argent, an eagle displayed azure, aureoled or, charged with a full sail of a windmill in saltire of the third.

The gonfanon of Mundelein College by la Rose, courtesy of the Women and Leadership Archives, Loyola University Chicago.

The armorial banner of Mundelein College by la Rose, courtesy of the Women and Leadership Archives, Loyola University Chicago.

The arms of Mundelein College by la Rose, courtesy of the Women and Leadership Archives, Loyola University Chicago.

The arms of Mundelein College are blazoned: Argent, a pheonix displayed rising from the flames gules charged with an open book edged or and inscribed VIA VERITAS VITA, on dexter wing a roundel azure edged of the field charged with a star of the first, on sinister wing a roundel of the fourth edged of the field charged with the monogram BVM of the first. 

Never one to shy away from critique, la Rose often lived his motto with his wicked sharp pen.  He frequently had words with the appalling state of heraldry in America at that time.  I'll close this appreciation with two of my favorite la Rose quotations--both relevant today--which bear our admonition: 

 “The heraldic traps for the unwary are far more numerous than the average amateur suspects.”  Ecclesiastical Review, Feb. 1922, Vol. LXVI, p. 179

“A Prelate would shrink from issuing over his own name an illiterate document, and yet he will tranquilly bear an illiterate coat-of-arms!  But we are gaining rapidly.”  Ecclesiastical Review, Feb. 1922, Vol. LXVI, p. 179-180

Update: The Attributed Arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement

A graffitied image of the attributed arms. Source: Reddit

I want to post an update to a previous one concerning my proposed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement.  Click here to read the original post on my design for the attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement.  I've been simply blown away by the several emblazonments of the attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter movement sent in by readers.  I honestly wondered if anyone actually read my blog, well I have an answer now!  I wanted to share some stylistic interpretations of my blazon.  

Attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement emblazoned by Brian Jeffs.

Attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement emblazoned by Mike Owens.

I like how each one took time to put their mark on the arms.  Brian's dove looks peaceful yet fierce.  Mike's shield composition is on point.  Again, thank you to both of these fine gentlemen for taking time to help this design come alive.

I especially love the graffiti work!  This proves that you can affect change within your locus of control, especially if you get creative with how you can help work towards social justice.  I'm truly humbled.

Earlier this morning I contacted a colleague through Facebook who lives in Canada with a commission to render these arms.  I'll share those as soon as they come in.     

The banner of Black Lives Matter arms, sent in by an anonymous reader.

The banner of Black Lives Matter arms, sent in by an anonymous reader.

I've doodled some more as I was never quite happy with the dove's face.  Here's my revision as of June 10th.  The revised blazon is: Argent a fist couped Sable flaunches Gules masoned of the field, on a chief Vert a demi dove displayed of the first with a halo Or.  I hope this helps the overall color scheme and helps depict the dove of peace more fittingly.  For the dove, I used La Rose's arrangement of heraldic birds.  I mean, he's the best!

The revised arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement by Chad M. Krouse, June 10, 2020.

The attributed arms of the Black Lives Matter Movement, designed by Chad M. Krouse and digitally emblazoned by Dimitri Prica of Canada, 2020.