During this past summer, I happened across a peculiar seal and coat of arms set within a vesica piscis for a school I had never heard of before. With my eyes now trained to spot certain heraldic features in order to determine whether or not Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) was the designer behind the image in question, my "la Rose senses" began tingling. The seal and arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School simply knocked me off my chair. I remember asking myself, "where on earth did these arms come from?" In my data of more than 250 designs for corporate arms designed by la Rose, the State of North Carolina has but only a handful. I had my doubts but also hope that I discovered a new one.
Finding previously unknown coats of arms that are likely designed by la Rose is like opening presents on Christmas Day. Not long before my discovery of the seal and arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School, I ran across a previously unattributed set of arms for the Episcopal Missionary District of the Philippine Islands. To learn about how I used data to identify the designer for the seal and arms of the Episcopal Missionary District of the Philippine Islands, please click here.
As my investigation into the newly discovered seal and arms kept finding dead ends, I surrendered to the likelihood I may never uncover any evidence as to the designer and rationale of St. Genevieve's arms. The researcher in me decided to see how data could possibly render a verdict concerning my questions of the designer and rationale.
To that end, I devised a methodology for how to use my data in order to compare the arms in question with the 250 or so known works designed by la Rose and confirmed with sources. Given the volume of the sample size of data, I believe these methods help render data-informed decisions regarding the designer of arms in question. Here is my method:
- Institutional background. When was the institution in question established? If the institution is Roman Catholic or founded by a religious order, has la Rosed worked with these groups previously? Does the date of the institutional founding work within la Rose's heraldic timeline?
- Geographical Artifacts. Are there confirmed arms designed by la Rose within the geographical area in question? What, if any, are the related themes in the confirmed works and those within the arms in question?
- Analysis. First and foremost, is the heraldry perspicuous and good? If there is a blazon for the arms in question, is it simple and match known blazons created by la Rose? For the ordinary, division, and charges for the coat in question, is there anything unique that can found in other known arms? If the arms are contained within a seal, what decorative elements of the seal can be compared to confirmed seals rendered by la Rose? If the seal is in a "wafer style," does it contain a gothic quatrefoil? For seals in either the wafer style or the vesica piscis, are letters rendered in the gothic Lombardic font? Is the name of the institution rendered in either English or Latin?
Application of the Krouse Method
To render a verdict on the seal and arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School, let us apply these established methods and put them to the test. For fun, I am simply labeling this methodology as the "Krouse method."
Institutional Background
St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School was established in Asheville, North Carolina on January 6, 1908 by a Roman Catholic order of sisters known as The Religious of Christian Education which originated in France (Citizen Times 2016, January 6). Currently in my data, I do not have any established or cited arms by la Rose for this religious order. By 1987, the school would merge with Asheville Country Day School (Citizen Times 2016, January 6).
The date of the school's founding fits nicely within the timeline of la Rose's heraldic work, which I define as being between 1902-1940. If the school was opened in 1908, it could be any number of years before The Religious of Christian Education needed a seal to authentic their diplomas. However, we need to use more data to render any judgment as to the designer.
Geographical Artifacts
Next, we need to consider previously known heraldic designs created by la Rose in North Carolina. For this step, we know of three established coats by the herald for the Vicariate Apostolic of North Carolina, Belmont Abbey, and the Diocese of Raleigh. Yet, the data does not show any scholastic coats designed by la Rose within North Carolina--a possible limitation.
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| The arms of the Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina designed by la Rose in 1910-1911, as appearing in La Rose (1911), page 9. |
In La Rose (1911), the herald gives us an illustration of the quartered arms for The Most Rev. Leo Haid, OSB (1849-1924) who served as the Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina. In the arms of Bishop Haid, the first quarter displays the arms for the jurisdiction itself and incorporated pine cones in the design. The fourth quarter displays the newly designed arms for Belmont Abbey that la Rose rendered. The abbey is also located in North Carolina.
La Rose offers this blazon for the new arms of the Vicariate Apostolic of North Carolina: "azure, a lion rampant, his left foot upon a garb and holding in his right fore-paw a staff paleways, the top ending in a cross of three pine-cones, all or; a demi-chaperon at sinister (or a 'point sinister') charged with a bendlet gules" (La Rose, 1911, pp. 9-10).
In La Rose (1911), we learn more regarding the herald's design rationale for the arms of the Vicariate Apostolic:
"The arms of the Vicariate are based upon those of its founder, Pius IX (Mastaï-Ferretti). The Mastaï arms are azure, a lion rampant, his left foot upon a globe, all or. For the globe I have substituted a 'garb,' or sheaf of wheat, from one of the early seals of North Carolina; and as a reminiscence of the pine tree which appears there also I have given the lion a cross-staff ending in pine-cones" (10).
Additionally, Baumstein (1983) asserts that the pine tree la Rose references above is in fact pointing towards the "Crescat" pine tree found within the earliest known arms for Belmont Abbey in North Carolina (67).
Through the arms of the Vicariate we have a matching theme when considering St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines coat--pine cones. Let us consider the other established coat found in North Carolina.
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| A modern emblazonment of the arms of the Diocese of Raleigh designed by la Rose in 1929. Image source: Wikipedia. |
"The arms of the diocese are based on those of Sir Walter Raleigh (now rapidly becoming known to smokers of a new brand of cigarettes!). In the original coat the lozenges are conjoined to form a 'bend' or diagonal stripe across the shield; for the diocese the bend has been turned into a cross, as was done with the Lafayette and Monterey coats for the sees of those names" (183).
We see a bit of a playful side of la Rose referencing a new cigarette brand. La Rose created the following blazon for the arms of the Diocese of Raleigh: "gules, a cross throughout of eight lozenges argent conjoined, four in pale" (La Rose, 1929b, 183).
Unfortunately, we do not have any matching themes or designs from these diocesan arms. Now, let us move into the third step of the Krouse Method.
Analysis
First and foremost, the vesica piscis and the lettering surrounding the border rendered in Lombardic is a match for la Rose's work. Moreover, when comparing the design work above the shield in the seal of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines--the sacred heart of Jesus--we find similar work in the gothic tracery above the arms for the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation.
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The seal and arms of the Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation in Baltimore, MD, designed by la Rose in 1916. Image is from DeKay (1993), page 106. |
La Rose designed the seal and arms for the Episcopal cathedral in Baltimore, Maryland in 1916 (The Living Church, 1916 May 27, 150). Through the seal for the cathedral, we find an example of la Rose adding decorative elements above the shield for seals set within the vesica piscis style--especially when a mitre is not appropriate.
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| The seal and arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia designed by la Rose in 1913. Image is from the Diocese of Olympia website. |
“It is based upon the voyage of Captain Gray which conserved the Territory of Washington to the United States, just as now the Church will conserve it to the Kingdom of Christ. The sail of the heraldic ship is charged with the arms of George Washington, in honor of whom, of course, the state is named. And to indicate the state rather than the city of Washington, D. C., I have charged the pennant at the masthead with the single star of an American State. Had it been the city I should have used a 'mural crown' instead of a star. So much for the sail and pennant.
"The flag itself is charged with the St. George Cross, which in Ecclesiastical arms is constantly used to symbolize the Anglican Communion. The colors of the whole should naturally fall into a patriotic combination of the American colors. And I think that even without a knowledge of Gray’s voyage and the analogy involved, the whole symbolism of the Diocesan coat will be clear to the least instructed” (20).
During the diocese's convention held in May 1913, the following blazon was officially adopted:
"Azure, an ancient galley under sail with pennon and flag all argent; the sail charged with the arms of Washington—two bars and in chief three stars gules; the Pennon charged with a hurt and thereon a star of the second; the flag charged with a Saint George cross gules" (Diocese of Olympia, 1913, 21).
While the ship in Olympia's arms is not an exact match for the charge used in St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines arms, we now have a precedent for its use. I cannot explain the rationale for using the ship--perhaps as a reference to the religious order's establishment (hint: the answer is in the epilogue).
In terms of the chief for St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School--or the top third of the shield--the technique of using semmé or repeating a singular charge upon the field is a method used in multiple arms designed by la Rose. While the data does not contain any arms when the chief is composed of the repeating pattern, it is possible that St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School's arms represent the first instance for la Rose.
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| The impaled arms of The Most Rev. John Gregory Murray (1877-1956) appearing in La Rose (1929a), page 390. |
In La Rose (1929a) we find an example of la Rose employing a semmé of pine cones for the field in the newly created arms for the Diocese of Portland in Maine--seen above in the arms of The Most Rev. John Gregory Murray (1877-1956). The blazon given by la Rose for the arms of the Diocese of Portland: "azure sown with gold pine-cones, a miller's cross of silver" (La Rose, 1929a, 390).
The herald provides this description for the see's new coat:
"In the arms of the see [Diocese of Portland] the field imitates the ancient coat of France from which the name of the state is derived, the French fleurs-de-lis here being replaced by the pine-cones of the 'Pine Tree State;' the cross is from the arms of the Dukes of Portland" (La Rose, 1929a, 390).
Through the arms of the Diocese of Portland we have clear evidence of la Rose employing a semmé of pine cones. I want to thank The Rev. Pachomius Meade, OSB, a member of the American Heraldry Society, for reminding me of the arms of Portland.
Additionally, let us consider the shield itself. The shape of the shield used in the arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines does match one of the six known forms used by la Rose.
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| The six known forms of the shield used by la Rose throughout his heraldic work. Digitally rendered by Dimitri Prica, August 2023. |
While the shield's shape is not a primary factor, of course, it can be useful for our purposes. Here I defer to experts as my historical knowledge behind the various shapes is extremely limited.
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| One of six shapes for heraldic shields used by la Rose throughout his heraldic work. Digitally rendered by Dimitri Prica, August 2023. |
In our "green" shield above, we find a perfect match with the shield used in the arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines. Typically, but not always, la Rose used this shield shape in emblazonments for arms he designed in the mid-1910s to 1920s. As an example, I have included the arms for the College of St. Rose which is located in Albany, NY and designed by la Rose in the 1920s (currently waiting on the archives to date these arms). It is likely, therefore, that the seal and arms for St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School was designed during this same time period.
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| The arms of the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY designed by la Rose in the 1920s. Image is from the College of St. Rose website. |
To summarize the findings from our three steps in the Krouse Method, we have the following information to consider:
- Good and perspicuous heraldry for the arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School
- No known blazon can be found
- The institutional date fits within the heraldic timeline of la Rose's work
- A previously unknown religious order, but likely a first for la Rose
- Three known arms by la Rose found in North Carolina
- Matching Lombardic font surrounding the vesica piscis style seal with others by la Rose
- A known example of decorative elements added above the shield within the vesica piscis
- Matching theme of pine cones from a documented coat of arms found within North Carolina
- At least one example of la Rose using a ship under sail as a charge, though the ship's designs do not match
- One known example of la Rose using a semé of pine cones for the field, though no precedence for a chief containing the repeating pattern
- One of six known shapes of the shield is a match for those used throughout la Rose's heraldic work
Following the three steps outlined for our methods, the researcher must now render a conclusion.
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| As more documents become accessible, I've recently discovered the school bore arms as early as 1917. |
Conclusion
Given a thorough review of all known available data, it is my conclusion that the seal and arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School was highly likely designed by Pierre de Chaignon la Rose sometime between 1919-1925. From the image below, we know that the seal and arms were in use by 1924.
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| "The Victorian," the yearbook of St. Genevieve's showing the seal and arms in 1924. |
In cases where schools have closed and their archives lost or scattered, it may be impossible to uncover supporting evidence to prove my claim. Using data collected over the course of 10 years containing 250 known designs by la Rose, however, can help us make an informed decision on these arms with a high degree of certainty. Yet, the researcher must always acknowledge the clear limitations regarding available data.
I want to give special thanks to Mr. Joseph McMillan, the corresponding secretary for the New England Historic Genealogical Society's Committee on Heraldry as well as a former president of the American Heraldry Society, for his kind assistance with the blazon for the arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School.
The blazon for the arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School: gules, a ship under sail flagged and pennoned of St. George on waves of the sea argent, on a chief azure a semé of pine cones of the second.
The hunt will continue to find supporting documentation regarding these arms. If the reader happens to know anything about the arms of St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School, please message me at chad.m.krouse(at)gmail(dot)com. I will certainly attribute any information uncovered as my thanks and appreciation.
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Epilogue
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| The arms of the City of Paris, France whose patron saint is St. Genevieve. Image source: Wikipedia. |
Works Cited
Baumstein, P. (1983). Variations in heraldic insignia at Maryhelp Abbey. In T. Kardong (Ed.), The American Benedictine Review, 34(1), pp. 62-73.
Citizen Times (2016 January 6). Today in history: St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines school opens. Citizen Times. https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/01/06/today-history-st-genevieve-pines-school-opens/78344926/
DeKay, Eckford. (1993). Heraldry in the Episcopal Church. Acorn Press.
Diocese of Olympia. (1913). Journal of the third annual convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Olympia. Ranch Press.
Gowen, H.H. (1941). The Diocese of Olympia. In E.C. Chorley (Ed.), Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 10(1), pp. 31-44.
La Rose, Pierre de C. (1911). The arms of his Eminence Cardinal Gibbons. In H.J. Heuser (Ed.), The Ecclesiastical Review, 5(45), pp. 2-11.
La Rose, Pierre de C. (1929a). Recent episcopal arms. In H.J. Heuser (Ed.), The Ecclesiastical Review, 80(4), pp. 386-390.
La Rose, Pierre de C. (1929b). Recent episcopal arms. In H.J. Heuser (Ed.), The Ecclesiastical Review, 81(2), pp. 181-185.
The Living Church (1916 May 27). Maryland. The Living Church, 55(4), 150.
