Eagle of Saint John

The Eagle of Saint John (Spanish: Águila de San Juan) is a heraldic eagle. It is sable, with an or halo and feet of gules.

Traditionally, the four authors of the Gospels have been represented in tetramorphs. The eagle is the creature that represents Saint John the Evangelist, symbolizing the "elevated" or "abstract" character attributed to this Gospel. In heraldry, eagles tend to represent power and respect.

The Eagle of Saint John in its current form was first used by Isabel I, and it was later integrated in the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs.

After the 17th century, the Eagle of Saint John stopped being used by the Spanish institutions. However, it was included as the main element in the Spanish Coat of Arms in 1938, 1945, and 1977, and it was finally eliminated in 1981. Because of its recent use, it is heavily associated with Francoist Spain.

• Escudo de los Reyes Católicos de 1491.jpg

  Coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs.

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  A coat of arms with the Eagle of Saint John in the Alcázar of Segovia.

• Compilacio-constitucions-catalunya-1493.jpg

  The 1494 Constitutions of Catalonia, with the Eagle.

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  Coat of Arms of Ferdinand II of Aragon as Lord of Biscay.

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  The Eagle of Saint John and two lions, in an ornamented version of the coat of arms of Joanna I of Castile.

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  The Eagle of Saint John and a lion in the ornamented version of the coat of arms of Philip I of Castile.

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  The Eagle of Saint John and a lion in the coat of arms of Charles I of Spain.

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  The Eagle of Saint John in the coat of arms of Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England.

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  The Eagle of Saint John in the coat of arms of Mary I of England after her marriage with Philip II.

• Coat of Arms of Philip II of Spain with the Eagle of St. John (1558-1580).svg

  Coat of arms of Philip II used after his marriage with Mary I of England.
  

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  Flag of Spain from 1945 to 1977.

• Escudo Antiguo de Lima.svg

  Coat of arms of Lima.

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  Coat of arms of Valparaíso.

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  Coat of arms of the Boyacá Department.

• Coat of Arms of the 29th Light Infantry Regiment Isabel la Católica (Ornamented variant).svg

  Coat of Arms of the Regimiento de Infantería "Isabel la Católica" n.º 29 (Spanish Army).