3 November 1990. Parliament adopts Moldova's Coat of Arms

In the summer of 1990 year, the Moldovan parliament announced a contest on the working out of the Coat of Arms. After the Tricolour’s adoption as State Flag, the need of a new coat of arms was badly necessary. A communist coat of arms, typical for the Union republics, with sickle and hammer, ears, tractor wheels and grapes, could not be placed on the tricolor flag, as these things were telling about the economic specialization within USSR, without invoking the millenary history and tradition of our nation.    

From the very beginning, painter and drawer Gheorghe Vrabie showed the most serious attitude towards the contest’s goals. He deeply studied the history of the Moldovan medieval heraldry, got into the essence of the issue and objectively reached the work of the greatest heraldry specialist of Bessarabia, famous specialist recognized in the entire Europe Paul Gore.   

The greatest achievement of Paul Gore in the heraldry sector, after the elaboration of the flag of the Moldovan Democratic Republic, was the decisive participation in the working out of the new coat of arms of Romania. In 1921, a heraldry commission specially set up proposed for the adoption of the legislative bodies a new representation of the coat of arms, based on the models suggested by heraldry specialists József Sebestyén and Paul Gore. A few people currently know that Paul Gore is the co-author of the inter-war coat of arms of Romania.  

Paul Gore had detailed education on the science and art of the coat of arms; Gore’s knowledge recommended him for the appointment as member of the Heraldic Council of France, International Heraldry Convention from London, Swiss Heraldry Society, associations Adler from Vienna, Herold from Berlin, Sanct Michel from Bamberg, as corresponding member of the Heraldry Academy from Madrid, etc. Namely the work of Paul Gore inspired Gheorghe Vrabie and this could not be differently. Such a valuable heritage and ideas, which simply had no alternative, could not ignored.   

Out of all projects presented at the contest, the coat of arms by Gheorghe Vrabie was the best reasoned from the scientific viewpoint, the most successful from the graphical viewpoint and the most inspired from the native tradition. This work continued and enriched the achievements of Paul Gore in this field and imprinted a continuity of the national heraldry tradition. Although outstanding personalities of the national culture spoke out for other projects, the coat of arms proposed by Vrabie won in parliament with an overwhelming majority of votes.

This is how the author himself deciphered the symbolism of the new Coat of Arms:

"Moldova’s Coat of Arms represents a square shield, cut in the horizontal part, having red chromatics in the upper side and the blue one in the lower side – with the head of aurochs, with an eight-cornered star between the horns. On the lower side of the shield, on the blue background, the head of aurochs is flanked by a rose with five petals on the right side and by a new moon on the left one. All elements on the shield have the yellow colour. This chromatic element evokes the colours of the State Flag - the Tricolor. The eagle bears a golden cross in its beak, holds a green olive branch in its right claw and a golden scepter in the left one.     

The shield is the symbol of the defensive arm. The golden head of aurochs is the central symbol of the historical Coat of Arms of the Country of Moldavia.    

The eight-cornered star symbolizes the superiority, stability, guide, defence, vigilance, aspiration.  

The rose with five petals is taken over from the heraldry of the first rulers of the Country of Moldavia and symbolizes the evolution, accomplishment, statehood.   

The new moon outlined evokes the letter C of the Latin alphabet and symbolizes the growth.

The eagle with a cross in its beak is a secondary element, representing the support of the shield and has a special role, which signifies the Latin origin of our nation.   

The golden cross worn by the eagle in its beak reminds, by heraldry language, the fact that the Romanic nations became Christians as early as in the beginning of the first millennium, unlike the neighbours, which did it almost one thousand years later.   

The green olive branch tells about the vocation and wish of peace of our nation, suggesting the feeling of mutual respect.

The golden scepter represents the expression of the idea of sovereignty, invoking the rulers’ authority.’’  

The moment when the Coat of Arms was adopted was quite unfriendly. The separatists from the country’s eastern and southern regions were undertaking measures for liquidating the constitutional bodies in the regions. The MPs were extremely divided. Those who wanted to stop Moldova from its way towards independence were categorically against the adoption of such a coat of arms, which clearly estranged us from the empire.   

And nevertheless, after two days of discussions, the Coat of Arms was approved with a constitutional majority of votes. Attending the meeting, Moldova’s great departed poet Grigore Vieru suggestively described that day, saying that ‘’a ray of light got through the dense fog of a sad autumn.’’   

The first president of Moldova, Mircea Snegur, described the situation from that period with maximal accuracy. ‘’ The National Flag and the Coat of Arms were adopted in not at all friendly conditions, as Moldova was still part of the USSR. The hostile part of the Russophile lawmakers was vehemently opposing any initiatives of this kind, i.e. with some national nuances.  The patriots democrats won, who, through the concerned victories, proved their tireless thirst for freedom and stimulated the nearing of the astral moment – the proclamation of the Independence,’’ Mircea Snegur stressed.   

The Coat of Arms, along with the State Flag survived numerous attempts to be changed. Yet, each time, the adversaries and their ideas were not able to cope with the deep scientific arguments, fueled by the power of history and truth. The date of 3 November 1990 marks another important victory on the difficult way towards Independence.