On May 7, 1780, 244 years ago, Catherine II officially granted a coat of arms to Saint Petersburg. The coat of arms of Saint Petersburg traces its history back to the times of Peter the Great. By the early 1710s, the city and the Ingermanland (later Saint Petersburg) Governorate were associated with an image of crossed keys and a sword (symbols of the apostles Peter and Paul), placed on a column topped with a crown. Later, this pictogram was depicted on the flag of the Neva Regiment and on Peter I's personal seal. At the same time, in 1712, another symbol was developed for the Saint Petersburg regiments - a golden flaming heart under a golden crown and a silver princely mantle. In 1722, Peter I established a special heraldic office that was tasked with creating coats of arms, including for cities. Soon after, a new emblem appeared for the flag of the Saint Petersburg Regiment: a golden scepter with crossed marine and river anchors on a red field, which later became the coat of arms of Saint Petersburg. The scepter indicated the city's capital status, while the anchors characterized it as a maritime and river port. In 1729, Count B. Minich compiled a heraldic register, in which the coat of arms of Saint Petersburg was presented with some clarifications: the scepter was topped with the state coat of arms - a two-headed eagle, and above the shield was placed the Imperial Crown. This coat of arms, along with others, was presented to the Military Collegiate and received the highest approval. On May 7, 1780, Catherine II formally endorsed the existing and Senate-approved coat of arms of Saint Petersburg with a special decree. Thus, the empress officially granted the coat of arms to "Peter's city," and a charter "For rights and benefits" was issued depicting the coat of arms: "On a red field, two silver anchors crossed with a golden scepter above them." The anchors are positioned diagonally with their flukes upward. One of the anchors is two-fluked - a maritime anchor, the other is four-fluked - a "river cat". The scepter is topped with a two-headed eagle. In the granted charter, Catherine the Great mandated all city officials to use the coat of arms in all city affairs. For a long time, the emblem remained unchanged. Only in 1856, Alexander II approved changes to the Petersburg coat of arms presented by Baron B. Kene. The coat of arms differed from the previous one in that the heraldic shield was crowned with the Imperial Crown and the azure (blue) ribbons of the Order of Saint Andrew, behind which were depicted two crossed scepters, symbolizing the equality of the two capitals - Petersburg and Moscow. This coat of arms was elevated to the status of a gubernatorial coat of arms in 1878. This design of the capital and gubernatorial coats of arms remained until the 1917 revolution. In Soviet times, imperial symbols were removed from the city's coat of arms, then Leningrad. In 1991, in connection with the return of Saint Petersburg's historical original name and all symbolism, the coat of arms of Saint Petersburg, granted by Catherine the Great, was officially approved. The modern version of the city's coat of arms on the Neva was adopted on April 23, 2003, and has practically not changed compared to the original version. Although some attributes were added, the original idea was completely preserved.