Department of France
The arms of Ille-et-Vilaine draw its name: the ermine of Brittany, crossed by two wavy blue bands for the rivers Ille and Vilaine. They were proposed by the heraldist Robert Louis and never officially adopted.
Coat of Arms
Not available
| Department | Ille-et-Vilaine (35), Brittany — prefecture Rennes |
|---|---|
| Arms | Breton ermine with two wavy blue bands, for the rivers Ille and Vilaine |
| Status | Unofficial: proposed by the heraldist Robert Louis |
| Flag | None official; the department uses a logo |
Coat of arms of Ille-et-Vilaine (unofficial) — Ermine, two pallets wavy Azure.
Ermine, two pallets wavy Azure.
The department was created on 4 March 1790 and named, like most French departments, after its rivers: the Ille and the Vilaine. The arms do the same thing in drawing. Each wavy blue band is one of the two rivers, laid on the ermine of Brittany. Name and shield say the same thing: two rivers in Brittany.
The arms are not official. They were proposed by the heraldist Robert Louis, who gave every French department a coat of arms in 1950, in Marques symboliques des départements français. The department has no official flag either.
What the department uses is a logo. The current version, reworked in 2008 by the agency Euro RSCG, replaced the logo used since 1986. It keeps an outline of Brittany and a red disc, and hides an ermine spot in the ampersand of “Ille-et-Vilaine” — a sign of attachment to Brittany.
They are the two rivers that gave the department its name, the Ille and the Vilaine, drawn as wavy blue bands on the ermine of Brittany.
No. It was proposed by the heraldist Robert Louis in 1950 and never adopted. The department uses a logo, and has no official flag.
Yes. Since 2008 the logo has hidden an ermine spot in the ampersand of the name, a sign of attachment to Brittany.
The arms are described from the published blazon and the texts above, not from the drawing.
Last reviewed by the Emblema Mundi editorial team on 1 October 2026.