Pays de Nantes (Traditional province, Brittany, France)

Bro Naoned

Last modified: 2003-05-31 by ivan sache
Keywords: pays de nantes | bro naoned | ermine (black) | ship | wave (blue) | wave (green) |
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by Michel Bolloré

• Presentation of the province
• Description of the flag
• Variant of the flag

See also:

• France
• Brittany: Index of all related pages
• Pays de Retz (Traditional district, Brittany, France)

Presentation of the province

The province of Nantes (Bro Naoned in Breton) is a province of the south-east of Brittany. It corresponds to the department of Loire-Atlantique. Nantes was the ducal capital of Brittany. The French State decided in 1941 to separate the department of Loire-Atlantique from historical Brittany. The separation remained when the Regions were introduced.

Michel Bolloré, 12 January 2000

Description of the flag

The flag of the province is partially based on the municipal flag of Nantes. The vessel is the symbol of the city. The ermine spots represent Brittany. The blue wave is an image of the river Loire (Liger in Breton), which flows through the city.

The flag was designed by Philippe Rault.

Michel Bolloré, 12 January 2000

Variant of the flag

by Raphaël Vinet

Raphaël's version of the flag differs from P. Rault's by the colour of the wave symbolizing the river Loire. P. Rault explicitely states that the wave is blue. However, the municipal arms of Nantes shows a vessel with ermine sails (placed in the vertical red stripe of the flag of the Pays de Nantes) on a green sea. Therefore, Raphaël's choice is not illogical.

Ivan Sache, 28 October 2002