Bat (heraldry) - The Bat in Official Heraldry

The Bat in Official Heraldry

The coats of arms of certain cities in eastern Spain, like Valencia, Palma de Mallorca and Fraga have the bat over the shield. Also smaller towns, like Catarroja and Novallas, use this symbol.

Formerly the Barcelona city coat of arms had a bat crowning it as well, but the bat was removed at the beginning of the 20th century for unknown reasons. The city of Teruel used to have the bat surmounting the coat of arms' crown. There the bat represents a commemoration of the role of this city in the conquest of Valencia. The bat now rests just below the crown in Teruel's seal.

The use of the bat as a heraldic symbol is prevalent in the territories of the former Crown of Aragon and it is rarely used elsewhere. However, it can be found in a few places, like in the coats of arms of the city of Albacete, in Spain, as well as the town of Montchauvet (Yvelines), in France and Fiefbergen in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Outside of the European continent, the coat of arms of Santa Fe de Antioquia has multiple bats. It was granted to the town in 1545 by Charles I of Castile and Aragon and his mother Joanna of Castile.