Heraldry

 

Badge: for use by anyone named Ravignat, from any branch anywhere in the world, with permission from the bearer Mathieu Ravignat, as granted to him by Her Majesty the Queen of Canada Elizabeth II through the Canadian Heraldic Authority.

Blazon

A lion’s face Gules jessant-de-lis per pale Or and Sable within a belt Sable edged, buckled and inscribed with the Motto in letters Or;

Symbolism

The principal colours, black and gold, appear in the arms of the Holy Roman Empire, its medieval fiefdom of Namur, and the village of Andenne, these places being respectively the earliest location of the name Ravignat, the source of the name in Belgium.

The red lion refers to the etymology of the name, old Germanic for “son of a powerful warrior”. It symbolizes courage and readiness to defend, and is also the main charge on the coat of arms of Belgium, Namur and Andenne. Red is also the main colour on the arms of the Seigneur de Bierwart, Bierwart being the place where the name Ravignat was first recorded.

The fleur-de-lis jessant (that is issuing from the mouth of the lion) is a reference to the Franks, their language and the ancient origins of the name.

Motto

This Latin phrase means “Courage in love and battle”.

 

Coat of arms borne by individuals

As granted by Her Majesty the Queen of Canada Elizabeth II through the Canadian Heraldic Authority

 

Gilles Éric Ravignat

Blazon

Arms

Paly Or and Sable a lion rampant Gules;

Crest

Issuant from a coronet of maple leaves and fleurs-de-lis Or, an eagle’s head Sable beaked and langued Gules;

Motto

FORTITUDO IN AMORE ET PROELIO;

Symbolism

Arms

The principal colours, black and gold, appear in the arms of the Holy Roman Empire, its medieval fiefdom of Namur, and the village of Andenne, these places being respectively the earliest location of the name Ravignat, the source of the name in Belgium, and the modern village of Mr. Ravignat’s Belgian family.

The red lion refers to the etymology of the name, old Germanic for “son of a powerful warrior”. It symbolizes courage and readiness to defend, and is also the main charge on the coat of arms of Belgium, Namur and Andenne. Red is also the main colour on the arms of the Seigneur de Bierwart, Bierwart being the place where the name Ravignat was first recorded.

For the Canadian branch of the family, the lion is linked to the ancestor Ernest Ravignat, who, as a stone mason in the early 1900s, carved heraldic lions at several Canadian public buildings.

Crest

The maple leaves and fleurs-de-lis of the coronet symbolize Canada and French as the mother tongue of the Ravignat family. A fleur-de-lis was also the main charge used on the arms of the Seigneur de Bierwart. The eagle alludes to Mr. Ravignat’s father, Raymond Ernest Ravignat, who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War and is in the style of the eagle of the Holy Roman Empire.

Motto

This Latin phrase means “Courage in love and battle”.

 

Damien Raymond Ravignat

(The Arms of Gilles Éric Ravignat debruised by a three-point label Gules; Damien will inherit the Arms following Gilles’ death)

Mathieu Gérard Ravignat

Blazon

Arms

Paly Or and Sable a lion rampant Gules charged with a crescent Or;

Crest

Issuant from a coronet of fleurs-de-lis and escallops Or a demi-lion guardant Sable holding in the dexter paw a rose Gules barbed and slipped Vert;

Symbolism

Arms

The crescent distinguishes his arms as the second branch of the family.

Crest

The fleurs-de-lis in the coronet identify the family’s francophone heritage. Scallop shells symbolize a pilgrimage. The lion evokes the lion in the arms of the medieval fiefdom of Namur, in present-day Belgium, from where the Ravignat family originates. The rose in a fist is the international symbol for social democracy, alluding to Mr. Ravignat’s ideals as a Canadian parliamentarian.