Fleur-de-lis
Also called fleur-de-lys, lily
French royal heraldry from the twelfth century
Christian symbolsFleur-de-lis meaning
The fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily used in heraldry, especially the royal arms of France. In Christian art it is also a sign of Mary. The scout badge and the mark of New Orleans are later inheritances, not the origin.
A heraldic lily. France wore it. So did Mary. So did a city.
Where it comes from
French kings used the lily on arms and seals from the twelfth century, three of them on a blue field in the classic later form. The association with purity and with the Virgin is medieval Christian symbolism, which is why the same flower sits on churches that have nothing to do with Paris. The story that it “really” depicts a bee from Childeric’s grave is an antiquarian afterthought. New Orleans kept the French flower and made it local. Boy Scouts adopted it in the twentieth century as a directional badge. Each of those is a reuse with a date.
Christian
A lily for Mary
In annunciation scenes the lily is purity, a convention of European Christian art. The heraldic flower and the devotional flower reinforce each other. Neither requires a secret pre-Christian code.
Modern
A city and a badge
When the flower is gold on a blue field in Louisiana, it is French colonial memory. When it is on a scout uniform, it is Baden-Powell’s choice of a north-pointing emblem. Context tells you which century you are in.
Near this
Sources
- French royal arms, twelfth century onward
- Marian iconography of the lily
Named when the entry depends on a text, a date, or a standard. Catalog numbers are not invented.
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symbol.wiki, edited as Sigilla. Last reviewed 2 October 2026. A reading of public tradition, not a ruling.