The Russian coat of arms depicts a double-headed eagle. However, sometimes in Russia you can encounter unusual eagles with three heads, claws, and wings. They are especially common in the country’s former capital, St. Petersburg.

When a sculpted double-headed eagle crowns a tall spire and can be seen from various angles, a problem arises: from certain angles, the eagle can appear single-headed. To avoid this, such an eagle is sometimes made three-headed, with three wings and claws.

The eagle’s heads are positioned at a 120° angle to each other, and the wings are similarly positioned. In this case, from any angle, the eagle appears double-headed to the viewer, just like on the coat of arms. Photos by: Alexander Nikulin.

You can see these three-headed eagles in St. Petersburg in the following places:

• The tower of the A.V. Suvorov State Memorial Museum,
• The tops of the rostral columns at the entrance to Trinity Bridge,
• The small towers of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood,
• The decorative bronze railing around the Alexander Column, designed by Auguste de Montferrand (12 three-headed eagles),
• The telegraph tower of the Winter Palace,
• The spire of the Armorial Corps of the Grand Peterhof Palace.

Each head and claw of the eagle has its own meaning.

In its first claw, the eagle holds a symbol of earthly power – the scepter, the successor to the royal staff, a symbol of monarchical authority.

In its second claw, the eagle holds a symbol of heavenly power – the imperial orb, the “sovereign apple” – symbolizing the Kingdom of Heaven, the authority over which belongs to Jesus Christ and is partially “delegated” to the Orthodox Tsar through the rite of anointing.

In its third claw, the eagle holds a symbol of justice, divine wisdom, and truth – a double-edged sword, representing the ruler’s right and duty to protect his subjects.

Tags: Saint Petersburg city

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