Oslo
countiescoat of armssaintblue
The coat of arms of Oslo displays the figure of St. Hallvard seated on a throne, holding arrows in one hand and a millstone in the other, with a naked woman at his feet. St. Hallvard is Oslo's patron saint, martyred in 1043 while trying to protect a woman from attackers. The blue field represents the Oslofjord. The arms date back to the 14th century, making them among Norway's oldest municipal heraldic symbols.
Oslo was known as Christiania (or Kristiania) from 1624 to 1925, renamed by King Christian IV after a devastating fire when he rebuilt the city closer to the Akershus Fortress.
Adopted: 1924
