Why Is The Fleur De Lis So Important to Louisiana? (2024)

FAQs

Why Is The Fleur De Lis So Important to Louisiana? ›

The fleur-de-lis was a symbol of our land from its first discovery. In 1682 when French explorer Sieur de la Salle first claimed the Mississippi Valley for King Louis XVI (Louisiana being a derivative of Louis' name), he planted into the soil a flag adorned in fleur-de-lis.

So why did the Cajuns who settled in France choose to embrace the fleur de lis? The symbol was tied to their faith — most of the Acadians were Catholics — before it was tied to French royalty. The fleur de lis was on many French flags, and the Acadians retained loyalty to their old country.

The fleur-de-lis symbolizes many things, including French royalty and culture, purity, light, virtue, and sometimes chastity. Many of these meanings come from the fleur-de-lis being associated with the Catholic church.

The fleur de lys is the most instantly recognized symbol of New Orleans, and Louisiana. Yet it remains a mysterious emblem veiled by centuries of history. Though we think of the fleur as a modern symbol of New Orleans, artists have been constantly re-interpreting and re-designing, this ancient glyph over the centuries.

It has also become the symbol for the identity of the Cajuns and Louisiana Creole people, and their French heritage.

Because of the large number of Magnolia trees found in Louisiana, the Louisiana Legislature decided in 1900 to make its white blossom the Louisiana state flower. Also known as "sac-a-lait," the white perch is Louisiana's state freshwater fish.

Bobby Jindal signed a law making the fleur-de-lis the official symbol of Louisiana.

Seck said those rules included branding slaves with the fleur-de-lis as punishment for running away. "He would be taken before a court and the sentence would be being branded on one shoulder and with the fleur-de-lis, and then they would crop their ears," Seck said.

Louisiana State Gem: Eastern Oyster Shell

The designated state “gem” is eastern oyster shell.

What plant is Louisiana known for? ›

Louisiana Iris (Iris brevicaulis): Louisiana Iris is the official state wildflower and is a popular choice for gardeners. Louisiana Iris is a stunning native plant that is known for its showy flowers in shades of purple, pink, and white.

Its design is inspired by a lily, and I like lilies; but like any symbol used for hundreds of years, it has some positive history and some really negative history. At one point, the fleur-de-lis was used as a hot iron branding mark of punishment on the right shoulders of runaway slaves in Louisiana.

Its origin story, however, has long been a subject of historic debates. One legend goes that the fleur-de-lis was presented to the Merovingian king of the Franks – Clovis I – and symbolized his purification upon his conversion to Christianity.

The English translation of "fleur-de-lis" (sometimes spelled "fleur-de-lys") is "flower of the lily." This symbol has been described by some as depicting a stylized lily or lotus flower, but other historians attribute its origin to a species of wild iris, the Iris pseudacorus.

"French influence in New Orleans is traceable to the spring of 1682, when the French-Canadian explorer Robert La Salle first passed the future site of the city and claimed the entire Mississippi Valley for France," explained Richard Campanella, an author and geographer with New Orleans' Tulane University.

The Fleur-de-lis emoji ⚜ depicts a fleur-de-lis, an emblem resembling an iris flower and historically associated with France. The fleur-de-lis, including in its emoji form as ⚜, is especially used in connection to regions known for their French heritage, like New Orleans or Quebec, as a symbol of local pride.

One legend goes that the fleur-de-lis was presented to the Merovingian king of the Franks – Clovis I – and symbolized his purification upon his conversion to Christianity. Other stories claim that Clovis adopted the symbol after he got inspired by water lilies and their effortless floating above the water.