Editing Nantes (section)

===Heraldry===
[[File:Grandes_Armes_de_Nantes.svg|thumb|alt=See caption|Nantes's coat of arms]]
Local authorities began using official symbols in the 14th century, when the provost commissioned a seal on which the Duke of Brittany stood on a boat and protected Nantes with his sword. The present coat of arms was first used in 1514; its [[Ermine (heraldry)|ermines]] symbolise [[Brittany]], and its green waves suggest the Loire.{{sfn|Historique des armoiries}}

Nantes's coat of arms had ducal emblems before the French Revolution: the belt cord of the [[Order of the Ladies of the Cord|Order of the Cord]] (founded by [[Anne of Brittany]]) and the city's [[coronet]]. The coronet was replaced by a [[mural crown]] during the 18th century, and during the revolution a new emblem with a statue of [[Liberty (personification)|Liberty]] replaced the coat of arms. During Napoleon's rule the coat of arms returned, with bees (a symbol of his [[First French Empire|empire]]) added to the [[Chief (heraldry)|chief]]. The original coat of arms was readopted in 1816, and the [[Order of Liberation|Liberation Cross]] and the [[Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (France)|1939–45 War Cross]] were added in 1948.{{sfn|Historique des armoiries}}

Before the revolution, Nantes's motto was "''Oculi omnium in te sperant, Domine''" ("The eyes of all wait upon thee, O Lord", a line from a [[grace (prayer)|grace]]). It disappeared during the revolution, and the city adopted its current motto—"''Favet Neptunus eunti''" ("Neptune favours the traveller"){{sfn|Historique des armoiries}}—in 1816. Nantes's flag is derived from the naval [[Jack (flag)|jack]] flown by Breton vessels before the French Revolution. The flag has a white cross on a black one; its [[Quartering (heraldry)|quarters]] have Breton ermines except for the upper left, which has the city's coat of arms. The black and white crosses are historic symbols of Brittany and France, respectively.{{sfn|Drapeau de la}}