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A theme emerges from the Diocese of Pennsylvania!
Top: Diocese of PA, Washington Memorial Chapel
Bottom: St. Paul's Episcopal Church Chestnut Hill, St. George's Ardmore
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
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Once I began to see this bordure theme emerging from several coat of arms that I've discovered recently, I had to share. Of course, it all began with Pierre de Chaignon la Rose (1872-1941) and his commission for a seal and coat of arms for the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.
In 1906, the Diocese of Pennsylvania officially adopted its coat of arms designed by la Rose and blazoned: Argent, on a cross Gules three open crowns in pale Or a bordure Sable charged with eight plates. These were early days for the up-and-coming designer and quite a coup to land such a commission. The preceding year helped forge a heraldic path forward in the Episcopal Church after designing arms for the Diocese of Quincy, its cathedral of St. John, and the Diocese of Massachusetts. By now, la Rose was certainly making a name for himself in the world of American ecclesiastical heraldry.
From the 1906 convention journal we learn the following:
"It was deemed wise to represent (1) England, of whose national Church our own is the offspring, and especially as the Episcopate derived from the English Church was first found in America in the person of Bishop White, the first Diocesan of Pennsylvania. (2) Sweden, whose people founded a number of parishes that are now the monuments of the early history of the Anglican Church in this State. (3) William Penn, the founder of this Commonwealth, who guaranteed its religious freedom, and from whose followers many of the most devoted of the Church's supporters of later generations were, and are, descended.
"The Committee, therefore, presents for your consideration what, in the terms of Heraldry, would be described as 'Argent, on a cross gules, three open crowns in pale or; a bordure sable charged with eight plates. The shield ensigned with a mitre, and resting upon a key and crosier in saltire.' This means, as may be seen by reference to the drawing, a white shield, bearing a red cross, upon which appear three golden crowns; the whole surrounded by a black border with eight white (or silver) discs upon it.
"Its significance may be described thus: The white shield, with its red cross, is the shield of Saint George, and stands for England and her Church. It is also distinctly ecclesiastical, and symbolic of the Christian faith.
"The three golden crowns are the principal charge on the Arms of Sweden, and so proclaim the existence of the Old Swedes' Parishes that are scattered throughout the Diocese. Finally, the black border, with its white discs, is taken from the Arms of the Penn family. In this instance it has been used as a border. not only for the purpose of decoration, but to distinguish it from the coats recent]y adopted by the Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, where the Penn charge is used in its original form.
"The whole Coat of Arms, as thus proposed, is heraldically correct, and seems to be satisfactory from a decorative standpoint, while, at the same time. to a trained herald, it tells its story without confusion" (Diocese of Pennsylvania, 1906, 144).
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Arms of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
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Through the see's arms, la Rose refined his ability to combine multiple meanings into one clear design--a skill he would master in time.
So, we now have bordures and plates galore!
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Comparing the arms of Washington with Washington Memorial Chapel
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
In Valley Forge, we find a lovely coat of arms for the Washington Memorial Chapel which manages to really shake things up a bit with those old two bars and three stars. Literally, just invert everything! Blazon for the arms of the Washington Memorial Chapel: Gules, two bars and in chief three mullets Argent a bordure Argent charged with eight pellets.
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Arms of St. George Episcopal Church in Ardmore, PA
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
Another excellent example of our bordure theme with fantastic differencing can be found in the arms of St. George's in Ardmore. Blazon for the arms of St. George Episcopal Church in Ardmore, PA:
Argent, on a cross throughout Gules a dragon fess ways armed and langued Vert pierced in the breast with the spear of St. Michael Or on a bordure Sable eight torteau edged of the field charged with a cross saltire Argent. I would love to know the designer of these arms!
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Arms of St. Paul's Episcopal Church Chestnut Hill
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
One late comer, but equally worthy, are the arms of St. Paul's in Chestnut Hill. Again, excellent differencing and completely avoiding the use of Paul's attributed (undifferenced) arms. Well done. Blazon: Azure, a sword in pale with point to chief Argent hilt and pommeled Or surmounted by an open book edged with three clasps Or thereon inscribed Spiritus Gladius on a canton Gules a lamb Argent a bordure Sable charged with eight plates.
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Arms of Church of the Good Shepherd, Rosemont
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
Working on securing a blazon for the arms of Good Shepherd in Rosemont, a lovely coat of arms and a lovely parish!
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Arms of the Philadelphia Divinity School
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025 |
Lastly, I stumbled upon a nearly extinct coat of arms, those of the Philadelphia Divinity School (PDS) which merged with Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lovely and simple arms, very similar to those Ralph Adams Cram designed for the Groton School earlier in the 1900s.
Blazon for the arms of the Philadelphia Divinity School: Argent, a cross Gules on a chief Azure three open books edged with three clasps Or.
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Comparing designs, L-R: Groton School, PDS, and Hodgson Hall (Sewanee)
Rendered by Chad Krouse, 2025
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Comparing the arms of PDS with two other known designs reveal similarities with nuanced differences. The tincture of the chief, along with edging and number of clasps for the books, distinguish all three. Groton's arms have a sword and crown on the cross.
The arms of Groton School (seen above on left) were designed in 1902 by Ralph Adams Cram (1863-1942) and blazoned: Argent, on a cross Gules a sword in pale with point to base hilt enfiling a crown Argent on a chief Sable three open books edged with two clasps Argent.
The arms of Hodgson Hall at the University of the South were designed by Dr. J. Waring McCrady in 2018 when he designed armorial flags for all the undergraduate residence halls at Sewanee. While no official blazon can be found at present, here is our working one: Argent, a cross Gules on a chief Purpure three open books edged with two clasps Argent.
Works Cited
Diocese of Pennsylvania (1907). Journal of the convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Pennsylvania. [Philadelphia]: Published by order of the convention. 144.
