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Coat of Arms
" FIDUCIA FORTIS 1968"
 Heraldry
is essentially a system of recognition by hereditary devices
developed among the knights of mediaeval Christendom. The majority
of the symbols employed in heraldry have their own technical terms
with French and Latin used principally in the
description.
The establishment of the
Armorial Bearings and Supporters of the Central Bank of Malta was a
lengthy process involving registration in the official records of
the College of Arms in the United Kingdom. By authority delegated to
them by the Sovereign since the fifteenth century, three officers of
the College, that is, the Kings of Arms, grant arms in a document
called Letters Patent.
The Armorial Bearings of the
Bank were duly established by Letters Patent. A
formal application, known as a Memorial, was lodged in 1969 with
the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, at the College of Arms.
This was
done through the Windsor Herald of Arms, acting on behalf of the
Bank. This Memorial gave details of the Bank's constitution,
its
history and the law under which it was set up. Evidence of this was
provided by the Central Bank of Malta Act 1967 and the Bank's
Bye-Laws.
Once the Memorial had been
submitted and agreement reached regarding the design, the Letters
Patent were prepared on a large piece of vellum, or fine parchment,
on which were shown the Royal Arms, the Arms of the College
of Arms,
and those of the Earl Marshal. The text of the Patent was hand
engrossed, and contains a formal description of the Bank's
Arms illuminated by hand. The document is officially signed and
sealed by the King of Arms.
A preliminary sketch for the Armorial Bearings
of the Bank was made by the well-known Maltese artist,
Chevalier Emvin Cremona. The College suggested certain re-arrangements
of the original design, and on the basis of these exchanges
a final version was prepared and sent to the United Kingdom.
It contained, in Latin, the motto, "Fiducia Fortis"
- "In Confidence Strength," and "1968",
the date of the Bank's foundation.
In
designing the Armorial Bearings, the artist sought to capture an
element which was not only original but also expressive of
the
spirit of Malta. The Bank's arms incorporate items then
found in the official arms of Malta. These include the mural crown
surmounting the crest - symbolic of Malta's historic role as
a
fortress; the Maltese national colours, red and white, on the
shield; the George Cross, awarded to Malta for bravery in April 1942
by King George VI, and reproduced on the Bank's shield by authority
of the Prime Minister of Malta; the dolphin on the head of
the key,
a fish known in classical Mediterranean literature and often
appearing as a prime heraldic figure; and the laurel and palm
branches, symbols of honour and peace, respectively, supporting the
mural crown. The horizontal key on the shield is appropriate
to the
Armorial Bearings of the Bank, the governing financial
institution in Malta and a key to economic progress and
security.
The two supporting Knights of
Malta are a unique feature. The granting of supporters to Armorial
Bearings is a privilege allowed only to major institutions.
In the
Bank's case they have a very special significance. The Knights
represent confidence and strength, the two virtues which are
incorporated in the Bank's motto. They also symbolise some of the
greatest pages in the Country's long military history, when
for more
than two-and-a-half centuries Malta was ruled by the Order of the
Knights of St John of Jerusalem. The plumed helmet of a knight
which
surmounts the shield also has a special connection with Malta. It
is modelled on one found on a monument in the sixteenth-century
Co-Cathedral of St John in Valletta, built by the Knights.
The official copy of the
Bank's Armorial Bearings contains colours reflecting Malta's
historic past. The Knights on either side of the shield are of a
steely blue colour. The feathers composing the plume on each helm on
the Knights' heads are in red and white, while the blades, quillons
and the pommel of the two-handed swords, together with the cords and
tassels hanging from them are in gold. This is also the colour of
the mural crown above the crest.
A black and white design of
the Armorial Bearings was first used in the Bank's Annual
Report for 1970. A library painting of the final
version of the Armorial Bearings and Supporters was displayed
at the
official inauguration of the Bank on 13 February 1971. An embossed
fibre-glass version in colour now hangs in the Bank's
Board
Room.
The Central Bank of Malta Logo
Upon euro adoption on 1 January 2008, the Central Bank of Malta
became a member of the Eurosystem. To mark this event, the
Central Bank of Malta decided to adopt a new logo incorporating
the term ‘Eurosystem’ in Maltese. This is the established
practice with all the euro area national central banks which,
together with the European Central Bank, form the Eurosystem.
The logo displays the Bank’s coat of arms alongside the
term ‘Central Bank of Malta’ in its English and
Maltese language versions, as displayed above. The two versions
are separated by the term ‘Eurosistema’, indicating
the Bank’s membership in the Eurosystem.
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