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Saint-Maurice, Quebec (Canada)

Les Chenaux RCM

Last modified: 2019-12-08 by rob raeside
Keywords: saint-maurice | quebec |
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[flag of Saint-Maurice] image by Olivier Touzeau, 12 November 2019
See also:

The Municipality

The parish municipality of Saint-Maurice (3,300 inhabitants, 91.3 km²)
Olivier Touzeau, 12 November 2019


Flag

White flag with shield.
The flag can be seen in front of the seat of the municipality: https://www.google.com/maps/
Olivier Touzeau
, 12 November 2019

The arms, designed by Reynald Desjardins, a teacher in graphic arts, was unanimously adopted on 10 December 1979 by the Municipal Council.
The French motto, which reads "Labor, Valor, Fraternity", was proposed by Brigitte Blais, winner of a public contest.
http://www.st-maurice.ca/fr/logo-et-armoiries_12.html
Municipal website

The first quarter features two crossed smith's hammers surrounded by three water drops, symbolizing the greater historical achievements of the municipality.
The Radnor forges were once Saint-Maurice's landmark. The union of the two hammers represent force, valiance, commitment to work in fraternity and solidarity to build a parish and live there together.
The Radnor sources were first mentioned by Jean-François Gauthier in a letter dated £1752, subsequently found by a man named Leymarie, which compares the quality of the sources' water to that of the famous French sources. The three drops represent the three words of the municipal motto.
The color of the field is cardinal red, a symbol of daily martyrdom, courage to face life's sad events, soul and spirit highness, unlimited audacity, faith and its aspirations, and work's sacred fire.
The white color of the charges is a symbol of universal peace within fraternity and surrounded by water drops. White also represents the purity and limpidity of the water of the Radnor sources.

The second quarter features half of a stylized wheat spike and half of a fleur-de-lis. The union of the two elements is a symbol of French ethnicity and highlights willingness to build a good image.
The wheat spike, as a symbol of work, evokes the fruit of labor, aspiration to construct whatever the job and to build for the sake of the whole collectivity.
The four grains symbolize the ranks (administrative divisions): Saint-Alexis, Saint-Jean, Sainte-Marguerite, Saint-Félix, joined by the perpendicular line divided in to parts by rank Notre-Dame. The spike's awl represents all the other paths connected to these main roads. The four grains also represent the surrounding municipalities: Mont-Carmel, Sainte-Marthe du Cap, Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes, and Saint-Louis-de-France, to which Saint-Maurice once belonged.
The half fleur-de-lis represents the ethnicity and the demographic a,d geographic belonging.
The green outline around the spike represents immortality, aspiration to a good life and mutual confidence among the inhabitants.
Golden yellow is a symbol of living force, wealth and wisdom, commitment to serve, good humor, eternal youth, hate of scorn, aspiration to do better for oneself and the others, inspiration to assist the good functioning of the community, joy to pour sun into the hearts, power of fraternal links and glory to be united under the same aegis.
The white field is a symbol of purity, faith to live in this beautiful part of the country, pride to share its evolution, coldness when facing adversity, innocence, chastity when facing corruption and triumph to the perfect harmony and living together.

The "nostril" (horizontal stripe) features the motto, in white letters, on a green background representing farming. This "innovative deign" nourishes the charges of the shield and highlights their inter-professional connections.
The green stripe symbolizes the soil's fertile layer, the splendor of the Saint-Maurice lands, and peace of the local people.

"Labor" refers to duly accomplished labor, with love, patience and sincerity. The ancestors used to work very hard. They stood up at 5 AM to manage the farm, clear the land, plow it with horses, sow wheat and cut wood for heating.
"Valor" refers to a family and a parish. Other valuable elements are historical monuments such as the church, the presbytery, the Saint-Maurice convent and more than centennial houses. Personal skills are valuable, too.
"Fraternity" refers to associations such as the Knights of Colomb, the Optimistes, Aféas, and the whole population that meet to speak and to propose activities in the parish for the well-dare and better-living of all.

The lower quarter is composed of brown stripes slanted to the right and separated by thin stripes or. This symbolizes the division of the municipal acreage and the soil's plane surface. All together, the lines represent a plowed field, as a symbol of valiance, labor, work and pain. This reflects the social character of the people of Saint-Maurice who trust in their potential and means.

The shield is surmounted by a stylized "M" that represents life in Saint-Maurice. For a better stylization, the word "Saint" is omitted here. "M3 also stands for "Mauricie".
The "M3's serif enter into the chief cantons to highlight the unity of the people of Saint-Maurice in joy or suffering. It also evokes the links between the ancestral and modern families that composes the municipality.
The brown color stresses the highest quality of the soil for agriculture and horticulture. Brown being a complementary color, composed of yellow, red and black, represents here local pedology and Saint-Maurice's physical dedication to farming.

http://www.st-maurice.ca/Document/ÉLECTION/Armoiries.pdf
Hypotypose des armoiries de la corporation municipale de la paroisse de Saint-Maurice du comté de Champlain
Ivan Sache, 21 November 2019