The coat of arms traces its history back to the medieval principality of
Kievan Rus', where the Archangel Michael was depicted on the seals used by the Kievan
grand princes. Initially the coat of arms of Kyiv featured
Saint George fighting a dragon on an azure field, and this today remains the coat of arms of the
Kyiv Oblast. In the 16th century, a coat consisting of the Archangel Michael clad in white robes, holding a sword and a
shield on a red field was adopted for the
Kyiv Voivodeship. In 1487, along with
Magdeburg rights, the city of
Kyiv received a coat of arms consisting of a hand holding a
crossbow. In 1782, a new coat of arms was approved by the order of
Catherine II of Russia. In the order the coat of arms is described as "Archangel Michael in a short tunic on an azure field". Later on it was decorated with an imperial crown and other ornaments. No original image of the arms has been recovered to date. Some modern drawings of the arms exist, based on the description in Catherine's order. In 1969, and a bow on the red-azure field, containing the word КИЇВ (
KYIV), and such Soviet symbols as the
hammer and sickle and the
Hero City medal. Since 1973 the
horse-chestnut leaves became one of the symbols of the city. In May 1995, the
Kyiv City Council restored the city's original coat of arms depicting the Archangel Michael. ==Gallery==