Green Templeton College, Oxford - GTC Coat of Arms

GTC Coat of Arms

Green Templeton College's armorial bearings combine elements from both Green and Templeton's original coats of arms, capturing the spirit of each college's history and character.

Its shield comprises two primary symbols: the rod of Aesculapius and the Nautilus shell. The rod of Aesculapius was the principal charge of Green College's coat of arms. In Greek mythology, Aesculapius, the son of Apollo, was a medical practitioner. The serpent coiled around his staff symbolises the healing arts. The Nautilus shell was chosen by Sir John Templeton, as symbolising evolution and renewal, and was adopted by Templeton College in 1984.

GTC's crest depicts an heraldic representation of the Sun behind the astronomical device for Venus(♀), acknowledging the historic transit of Venus across the Sun in 1761, which astronomical event prompted the foundation of the Radcliffe Observatory.

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