oat of Arms


Parti: au 1er d'azur, à l'écusson d'azur bordé d'or, chargé d'un autre écusson d'argent et accompagné de huit croisettes d'or (Brèze); au 2e écartelé a) et d) d'azur, à six besants d'argent, au chef d'or (Saint-Vallier); b) d'azur, semé de fleurs de lis d'or, au franc quartier senestre d'argent, chargé de trois croissants mal-ordonnés de gueules (par concession royale); c) d'argent, emmanché de sable.

Per pale azure on an inescutcheon of the field a bordure or an inescutcheon argent all between eight crosses crosslet of the second and quarterly first and fourth azure six plates a chief or second azure semy de lis or a sinister canton argent three crescents 1,2 gules third per fess dancetty argent and sable.

The arms are those of Diane de Poitiers, for whom Henri II built the château at Anet. Her arms show those of her husband, Brèze, impaled with those of her own, themselves a quartering of family arms and those granted by Henri II. The family of Diane de Poitiers was Saint-Vallier; the arms of Ruffi, marquis de Contron, Kingdom of Naples, passed to the family by marriage.

The second quarter of the sinister coat bears the attributes which Henri II personally granted to Diane. The crescents are a reference to the goddess Diana, whose symbol is the moon.

The commune has adopted her arms and, unusually, has retained the lozenge used by female armigers. The dexter coat is dimidiated, with half of the inescutcheon and three and two halves of the cross crosslets visible.

French blazon does not always use the dimidiated form in the English way, and from a reading of a coat per pale, it is not always possible to give an accurate blazon.

The French blazon for the per fess dancetty coat follows a different principle from the English, which partitions the shield into separate pieces. The French assume that the filed is covered or draped. This principle is applied consistently in French blazon in expressions such as mantelé and chaussé