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Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec (Canada)

Ville de Saint-Hyacinthe

Last modified: 2020-07-18 by rob raeside
Keywords: saint-hyacinthe | quebec |
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[Rimouski flag] 1:2 image by Eugene Ipavec
Source: Canadian City Flags, Raven 18

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Saint-Hyacinthe

Saint-Hyacinthe is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 53,236. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie region, and is traversed by the Yamaska River.

Flag in use at:
https://www.google.com/maps/
Olivier Touzeau, 7 June 2020


Current Flag

Text and image(s) from Canadian City Flags, Raven 18 (2011), courtesy of the North American Vexillological Association, which retains copyright. Image(s) by permission of Eugene Ipavec.

Design

The flag of the City of Saint-Hyacinthe has a blue field with the city’s coat of arms in the centre, nearly the full height of the flag. Below the shield is SAINT-HYACINTHE running three-fifths the length of the flag in yellow sans-serif letters outlined in black.

 The simple shield has a horizontal top and simply-curved sides forming a pointed “U” shape. It is divided into four quarters. The first is white, with a fleur-de-lis in blue; the second is red, with a mill wheel in white; the third is red with a diagonal wavy band in white running from upper right to lower left; and the fourth is white, with a harrow drawn with black lines. Surmounting the centre is a smaller shield of the same shape in yellow with a Patriarchal cross (two crossbars, the upper one smaller) in blue. A seven-towered mural crown in yellow is above the shield. Flanking both sides of the shield are branches with green maple leaves, tied at their base with a red ribbon which forms loops at the centre and splits into forked ends. Surmounting the juncture of the maple branches is a scroll in golden yellow, inscribed UT AMORE ET VIRTUTE RIVIVISCERE in black serif letters, and also splitting at its ends.
Luc Baronian, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Symbolism

The city’s documentation interprets the arms:
The mural crown represents the importance of the city. The shield bears a Patriarchal cross, indicating that Saint-Hyacinthe is a centre for religion [it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe] and education. The fleur-de-lis represents the French origins of the population. The mill wheel demonstrates the strength of industry and commerce. A river represents the Yamaska River and a harrow recalls the agriculture of the Maskoutaine region. The Latin motto translates as “We live again through love and courage”, as a reminder of past hardships.

The maple leaves are green, their traditional colour in Québec heraldry. The mural crown is a traditional symbol of civic authority.
Luc Baronian
, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Selection

Unknown.
Luc Baronian, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011

Designer

Unknown. The arms were created by the Collège canadien des armoiries, a commercial heraldic design firm founded in 1954 and active in creating Québec municipal heraldry in the late 1950s.
Luc Baronian, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011


Other Flag

[Rimouski flag] 1:2 image by Eugene Ipavec
Source: Canadian City Flags, Raven 18

The City of Saint-Hyacinthe also uses a logo flag. In proportions of 1:2, it has a green field on the left and fourteen horizontal stripes in black and blue on the right. These sections are separated by a curved line in white that runs from the lower edge (one-third of the distance from the hoist) to the upper edge (over nine-tenths the distance from the hoist); the line broadens toward its centre and forms a very shallow backward “S”. In the upper left of the green section, one-half the height of the flag, is a stylized “H” in white outline, with similar curved lines in its centre. In the lower right of the black and blue section is Saint-Hyacinthe la jolie UN CHOIX POUR LA VIE (meaning “Lovely Saint Hyacinthe—a choice for life” in French) in white serif letters on three lines. Above and below the lettering are white lines which double in thickness at their central thirds.
Luc Baronian, Canadian City Flags, Raven 18, 2011