Pillars with Fleurs de Lys Fireback

With Fleurs de Lys (lilies), partially truncated after the French Revolution as fleurs de lys represented royalty and aristocracy throughout Europe. The pillar refers to the club of Hercules, his favorite weapon. It symbolizes power. Since antiquity the ‘Pillars of Hercules’ are also the name of the promontories at both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. Hence they also symbolize the frontier between the known and unknown world (Nec Plus Ultra, "nothing further beyond"), and later they also became symbols for the opposite, i.e. taking risks and confronting the unknown (Plus Ultra, ‘further beyond’). In the Spanish royal coat of arms they represent for the overseas possessions. Read more: A brief overview of the history of the fireback