New Bishop of the Church of Sweden

[Marcus Karlsson]

Thanks, Chris. It is all the external ornamentation that confuses me. And, of course, I had not even thought about the Lutherans.

Not so strange as not all Lutherans have an episcopal structure. In Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark the old organizational structure was kept after the Reformation. Thus the Diocese of Skara count as having been founded in the 11th Century AD. The first use of Diocesean Arms combined with those of the Bishop is not known until the 1510s, when Bishop Vincentius used a shield with a diocesean Arms next to one with his personal arms. At tis time the diocesean Arms showed a Crozier and Palmfrond in saltire. The modern diocesean Arms created in 1969 are instead inspired by the lesser Chapter Seal from the 1480ies. The Stars allude to Our Lady Patron of the diocesean Cathedral.

[steven harris]

Swedes don't usually impale. Most if not all bishops with arms have their personal arms quartered with those of the see.

I rather like the quartering option. It does a better job of keeping the individual shields (that of the diocese and the bishop) in the correct proportions. Impalement, although the norm here, tends to elongate everything.

Thinking for a moment of the married bishop who carries two shields, one impaled with his diocese, and one impaled with his wife

I wondered if he could perhaps quarter instead, with diocese in I, bishop in II and III, and wife in IV - but that may lead to a misunderstanding about the role of the mis'ess within the diocese - along the lines of lèse majesté. Never mind