- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
Gilles Éric Ravignat
Orléans, Ontario
Grant of Arms with differences to Damien Ravignat, Nathaniel Ravignat, Dominique Ravignat, Mathieu Ravignat, Sophia Leila Ravignat and Gabriella Maysa Ravignat, and with a Grant of a Badge to Mathieu Gérard Ravignat
March 15, 2011
Vol. VI, p. 33
Click on each image to enlarge. The blazon and symbolism for each element will accompany the enlarged image.
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;
Badge
For use by Mathieu Gérard Ravignat: 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;
Differenced Arms for Damien Raymond Ravignat, son of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The Arms of Gilles Éric Ravignat debruised by a three-point label Gules; this individual will inherit the Arms of the Recipient following his death;
Differenced Arms for Nathanial Gilles Ravignat, grandson of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The Arms of Gilles Éric Ravignat debruised of a five-point label Gules;
Differenced Arms for Dominique Bonnie Ravignat, granddaughter of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The Arms of Gilles Éric Ravignat with the lion grasping a heart Gules;
Differenced Arms for Mathieu Gérard Ravignat, son of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The Arms of Gilles Éric Ravignat with the lion charged with a crescent Or;
Differenced Arms for Sophia Leila Ravignat, granddaughter of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The Arms of her father Mathieu Gérard Ravignat debruised of a three-point label Gules;
Differenced Arms for Gabriella Maysa Ravignat, granddaughter of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The Arms of Gilles Éric Ravignat with the lion in the Arms charged with a crescent Or and holding a lily flower Gules;
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”.
Badge
The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.
Differenced Arms for Damien Raymond Ravignat, son of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The label of three points indicates that is the heir of the undifferenced arms of his father Gilles Éric Ravignat.
Differenced Arms for Nathanial Gilles Ravignat, grandson of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The label of five points indicates that he will be the second inheritor of the undifferenced arms of his grandfather Gilles Éric Ravignat.
Differenced Arms for Dominique Bonnie Ravignat, granddaughter of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The heart symbolizes that she is the first daughter of her father Damien Raymond Ravignat, and for her also alludes to the traditional Claddagh ring of her Irish Brady heritage through her mother, Jennifer Hendricks.
Differenced Arms for Mathieu Gérard Ravignat, son of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The crescent distinguishes his arms as the second branch of the family.
Differenced Arms for Sophia Leila Ravignat, granddaughter of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The label of three points indicates that she will inherit the arms of her father Mathieu Gérard Ravignat. The crescent of her father also symbolizes for her the Middle-Eastern heritage of her mother, Fidaa Abou-Nassif.
Differenced Arms for Gabriella Maysa Ravignat, granddaughter of Gilles Éric Ravignat
The crescent of her father also symbolizes for her the Middle-Eastern heritage of her mother, Fidaa Abou-Nassif. The lily branch symbolizes purity, and is a reference to her first name: Gabriella is the feminine form of Gabriel, and the Archangel Gabriel is sometime depicted holding a lily.
Background
Canada Gazette Information
The announcement of the Letters Patent was made on November 12, 2011, in Volume 145, page 3515 of the Canada Gazette.
Artist Information
Creator(s)
Original concept of Darrel Kennedy, Assiniboine Herald, assisted by the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Painter
Eva Pilar-Cass
Calligrapher
Shirley Mangione
Recipient Information
Individual