Attributes of the Institute

HERALDIC SIGN-EMBLEM OF THE SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC LAW

The circle contains a purpure heraldic shield with the goddess of justice Themis’ golden scales in its field, on diagonals of which there are two golden torches, symbols of the light of knowledge

On top there is a book-codex with heraldic rosette on the frame. In the black part of the shield there are three folios with seven clasps. On the first and the third ones there are black letters “Alpha” and “Omega”, on the central one there is Latin inscription “IUS PUBLICUM,” public law.  The name of the organisation is placed around the heraldic shield in Ukrainian and English. 

The circle in which the heraldic emblem is inscribed is a symbol of perfection, as well as the embodiment of the phrase “research of the range of issues related to public law”

The shield is an essential element of any coat of arms. The colour is related to the fact that the sphere of public law includes constitutional law. The colour of the symbols of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine is purple (dark red), the same colour as the mantle of the judges of the Constitutional Court. 

Ancient culture, from which the European tradition of law originates, considered the goddess of justice and fairness Themis (in the Roman version – Justia) to have several attributes, namely a blindfold for impartiality, the scales in her hands to “weigh” guilt and a sword for punishment in case of proven guilt.

The key symbol of balanced and impartial decisions is the scales.

In symbolism, the torch often stands for the light of truth and knowledge, which is a typical representation of science and research.

A book of the usual form is called a “codex,” a set of pages fastened together, but at the same time, a codex is a set of laws.

The book symbolises the oldest written legal document of the heyday of Rus-Ukraine Ruska Pravda, which represents the connection with the powerful Rus State of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, during which the first legal document on the lands of Ukraine was formed. The frame is decorated with a heraldic rosette of a specific shape.

It is the oldest and longest-used emblem of the Kyivan State and Rus princes. It was first engraved on a pendant from the time of Prince Sviatoslav around 965. Later, in the form of a stylised rose or star, it was used in all the main dynastic branches of the Rus princely family and in the coats of arms of princely families of the late Middle Ages and early modern times. It was also used during the reign of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, with whom Ruska Pravda is associated.

The open folios at the top are a symbol of science. There are seven clasps on the books, because heraldry researchers believe that the seven clasps on the book symbolise the seven main subjects of medieval education, the “seven liberal arts/sciences” (from Latin: septim artes liberalis), namely:

  1. Grammar;

  2. Rhetoric;

  3. Dialectic;

  4. Arithmetic;

  5. Geometry;

  6. Astronomy;

  7. Music.

The folios bear the Greek letters “Alpha” and “Omega”. These are the names of the letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha is the first, omega is the last. The phrase “Alpha and Omega” or “From Alpha to Omega” is interpreted as follows:
  • The beginning and the end (from the beginning to the end) of something.
  • Something in its entirety, completeness, wholeness
  • The most important, the essence of any phenomenon or process.
  • “From the beginning to the end”.

The black (diamond) colour of the shield’s top is heraldically called “diamond”, because a precious diamond is a derivative of coal. The heraldic diamond colour stands for the virtues such as restraint, educatedness and secrecy.

The symbols were created by Honoured Artist of Ukraine Oleksa Rudenko.