“The French Fifth Republic”

The lictor's fasces depicted here is a symbol deeply rooted in Roman history, which has become emblematic of the French Fifth Republic. Traditionally, a lictor was a public officer in ancient Rome responsible for carrying fasces of rods bound around an axe. This symbol embodied the magistrate's authority and their power to punish or protect.

The birth and development of the United Nations strengthened the need to symbolize the French Republic with an emblem. Indeed, when the United Nations Assembly Hall was built in New York, each country had to be represented by a seal. In 1953, a commission met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to define France's emblem for the UN Assembly Hall in New York. The commission adopted the project by artist Robert Louis, which reads: "Azure, with a lictor's fasces placed vertically, over two oak and olive branches crossed saltirewise, all in Gold, bound by a ribbon of the same, bearing the motto in Sable letters Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity).

The lictor's fasces, used in the context of the Fifth Republic, consists of an axe surrounded by bundles of rods. It is often associated with the President of the French Republic and is depicted on official insignia such as presidential medals. This symbol evokes the authority of the State and the executive power of the president in managing national affairs. The central part of the motif depicts fasces made up of long, thin branches bound around an axe by straps. The fasces are covered by a shield engraved with the initials RF (République française). Oak and olive branches surround the motif. The oak symbolizes justice, the olive peace.