Reformation Era Geneva Coat of Arms Poster

This is the original coat of arms for the city of Geneva during the time of the Protestant Reformation. It displays the Imperial Eagle and a Key of St. Peter (symbolizing the status of Geneva as Reichsstadt, or a self-ruling city). The full heraldic achievement of Geneva includes a crest in the form of half a sun inscribed with IHS (for Jesus Hominum Salvator which translates to “Jesus is the Savior of men”). Below the shield is a scroll or banner with the motto Post Tenebras Lux, which translates “Light After Darkness,” one of the well-known mottos of the Protestant Reformation.