Blazons of Towns in Pskov Oblast

The coat of arms of the Pskov Oblast was adopted on December 28, 2018. Its description: "In the azure field at the top, a flesh-colored right hand blessing downward from the clouds; at the bottom, a leopard walking on green ground with shadow (gold) spots, a silver chest, a red tongue, silver claws, and teeth. The shield is crowned with a special type of territorial crown. The motto «Let's work hard for our Fatherland» is inscribed in gold letters on a blue ribbon."

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The motto is based on a phrase uttered by the Pskov's prince Dovmont (Daumantas of Pskov, baptized Timofey) in 1266 when gathering a military force against the Lithuanian prince Gerdenis (Gerdine de Nailse): this is a quote from a chronicle tale. Dovmont attacked Lithuanian lands with 270 Pskov warriors, capturing Gerdenis' wife and two sons. Gerdenis gathered an army of 700 men and began pursuit, but fell into an ambush organized by Dovmont and was forced to flee.

The old coat of arms of the Pskov Oblast was adopted on February 27, 1995. Its description: "On a blue and light blue field, a golden leopard walking, accompanied at the top of the shield by a blessing hand of natural color emerging from a silver cloud. The shield is crowned with an imperial crown and surrounded by golden oak leaves connected by St. Andrew's ribbon."

The Heraldic Council of the Pskov Region received a letter from the Pskov Diocese stating that the two-fingered gesture has now lost its symbolic significance for modern people and would therefore be difficult to understand. During preliminary consultations, members of the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation pointed out that an open palm is already used on the approved coat of arms of Pskov, so the choice should be made in favor of the two fingers depicted on the coat of arms of the Pskov province of 1856. However, both Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov's "Tsarsky titulyarnik" (Tsar's Book of Titles) of 1672 and Burkhard Christoph Minich's "Znamenny gerbovnik" (The Book of Regimental Banners) of 1730 depict an open palm on the Pskov coats of arms. It turns out that the two-fingered variant existed on the coat of arms for just over 50 years, while the blessing gesture in the form of an open palm existed for more than two centuries.