The coat of arms of San Marino probably originated in the fourteenth century. The official establishment took place on 6 April 1862 by a Decree of the Supreme Council; the same act introduced the crown on top of the shield. The official description of the coat of arms is: 'The official coat of arms of the Republic is surmounted by a closed crown, the symbol of sovereignty The shield is azure, three mountains vert, towers argent, windowed, embattled and masoned sable, surmounted by ostrich plumes argent. The shield is surrounded by two branches vert, overlapped in saltire below the shield, one of laurel, the other of oak, fructed or. On a ribbon argent the motto LIBERTAS in capital letters sable.' (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)