Knox Church

The Coat of Arms

Knox Arms

Although church bodies and bishops have used coats of arms since the dawn of heraldry in the 1100's, this grant of arms is the first for an ordinary parish of any denomination in New Zealand.

A coat of arms is the visual equivalent of a name, and so the coat of arms on Knox Church include reference to John Knox and also to other distinctive aspects of its life and history: it is a worshipping community in Dunedin centered on Jesus Christ; it is part of the national Presbyterian Church; its first minister was the remarkable Dr D.M. Stuart; the main church building is an outstanding neo-gothic structure. the design incorporates all of those aspects in visual form.

The white triangular segment represents the spire of the church against a blue sky. Blue and white are also the colours of Scotland and its national church from which the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand and its founders sprang.

The falcon alludes to the Scottish reformer John Knox (c. 1514 - 1572), after whom the church is named. John Knox did not himself have arms, but the arms of the head of the house of Knox, Lord Ranfurly, include a falcon. It is gold on a blue background - the colours of Otago.

the pelican 'in her piety' - sacrificially feeding her young with her own blood (in defiance of zoological reality) - is an ancient symbol of Christ and is also frequently used in the heraldry of Stewarts or Stuarts. it is interesting that a female symbol of Christ has been used for many centuries in Christian iconography.

The stylized rata flowers proclaim the arms as being connected with the south of New Zealand. the rata is a natural version of the burning bush, used as a symbol of Presbyterian churches since at least 1583, and there is a notable rata tree in the church grounds. This is the first time that rata flowers have appeared on an officially granted shield.

The motto, Live in Faith, is a reference to the text from which Dr Stuart preached his first sermon in the original Knox Church in 1860 (John 11:26-27 - "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me..."), to the titles of two works on the history of the parish (They built in Faith, and They Grew in Faith), and to the hymn by the Rev. David Grant which was sung at the special service in 2001, attended by the Governor-General, marking the 125th anniversary of the present church and the completion of the first stage of the redevelopment of the parish's buildings.

New Zealand does not have its own heraldic authority, and so the arms were granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms (the chief herald of Scotland), who has also granted arms to many other Dunedin and Otago institutions.

The arms were designed by Gregor Macaulay, and the official fees for the grant were paid by interested members of the congregation.

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