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Secretary of the Commonwealth Candi Mundon King

Seals of the Commonwealth

The Great Seal of the Commonwealth

The Great Seal of Virginia

For nearly 250 years, the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia has authenticated the official acts of our government and carried a message that defines the American spirit—Sic Semper Tyrannis— thus always to tyrants. Adopted by the Virginia Convention on July 5, 1776, the Seal was born in the same revolutionary season that gave Virginia its Declaration of Rights, its first Constitution, and its first elected governor, Patrick Henry. It remains, in word and image, a standing promise that virtue will always rise over tyranny.

Headshot of Secretary Candi Mundon King

As Secretary of the Commonwealth and Keeper of the Seals, I am honored to serve as custodian of this emblem and to share its story with the people of Virginia. 

—Candi Mundon King, Secretary of the Commonwealth and Keeper of the Seals

An Emblem Born of Independence

In the spring and summer of 1776, the Virginia Convention met in Williamsburg and set in motion the founding acts of an independent Commonwealth. While many of the founders were in Philadelphia debating the Declaration of Independence, a smaller body of Virginians was at work shaping the new government at home. Over the course of that revolutionary session, the Convention ratified the Virginia Declaration of Rights, adopted the first written Constitution of Virginia, and elected Patrick Henry the Commonwealth's first governor. 

On July 5, 1776, the Convention completed its work with one further act: an ordinance to create a great seal for the independent Commonwealth. A committee led by George Wythe — signer of the Declaration of Independence and Virginia's first law professor — retired to the library at the College of William & Mary, and after four days emerged with a design. The Convention approved it at once. Dies for the new seal were engraved in Paris, and Virginia had its emblem. 

The description adopted in 1776 has changed remarkably little in the centuries since, and is set down today in the Code of Virginia. 

The Obverse: Virtue Over Tyranny

Front Virginia State seal in blue

The front, or obverse, of the Seal depicts Virtus, the Roman goddess of virtue, presented as the genius — the guiding spirit — of the Commonwealth. Dressed as an Amazon, she rests a spear point-downward in her right hand and holds a sheathed sword in her left, her head erect and her face upturned.

Beneath her foot lies the figure of Tyranny—represented as a fallen man: his crown toppled beside him, a broken chain in one hand and a scourge — a whip — in the other. The imagery is deliberate. Virtue has not merely defeated a ruler; she has cast down the instruments of oppression themselves.

Above the figures is the single word Virginia. Below, on a curved line, is the Commonwealth's motto:

Sic Semper Tyrannis—Thus always to tyrants.

This image — virtue triumphant over a felled king — would later become the design of the Virginia flag, set against a field of deep blue.

The Reverse: Liberty, Eternity, and Plenty

Virginia State seal reverse in blue

The back, or reverse, of the Seal carries a second scene, one less often seen because it never became part of the flag. Here stand three goddesses, each representing a promise the Commonwealth makes to its people:

  • Libertas, the goddess of liberty, holds a wand and a pileus — the cap of a freed citizen — signifying freedom and self-rule.

  • Aeternitas, representing eternity, holds a globe and a phoenix, symbols of endurance and rebirth.

  • Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, holds a cornucopia of plenty in one hand and a stalk of wheat in the other, signifying Virginia's abundance.

Above the three figures appears the word Perseverando — "by persevering." The original 1776 design carried a different inscription, Deus nobis haec otia fecit ("God has given us this ease"); in 1779 the General Assembly replaced it with the single, resolute word that endures today.

Why a Seal?

The use of an official seal to authenticate documents reaches back to antiquity, to ages when a recognized symbol could speak for an authority even where few could read. A seal pressed into wax or paper certified that a document was genuine and carried the full weight of the government behind it. 

In colonial Virginia, the official seal changed with each new monarch who ascended the English throne, bearing the royal arms and, for a time, the Latin phrase En Dat Virginia Quintam — a declaration that Virginia was the fifth realm of the Crown, alongside England, Scotland, Ireland, and France. After the 1707 union of England and Scotland, the phrase was amended to name Virginia the fourth realm. 

The seal adopted in 1776 broke entirely with that tradition. In place of a sovereign's arms, Virginia chose virtue itself — and a warning to anyone who would rule by force. 

A Seal Through the Centuries

Since 1779 the Great Seal has remained substantially unchanged, though its details have been refined each time an old die wore out and a new one was engraved. The bearing of the figures shifted in small ways; new seals were cut in 1809 and again in 1856. In the 1856 version, the words Virginia, Perseverando, and Sic Semper Tyrannis first appeared within the space of the figures, and a decorative floral border was added.

The Civil War divided the Commonwealth — and its seal. The government in Richmond continued to use the 1856 seal, while the Restored government of Virginia, formed by Unionists meeting in Wheeling under Governor Francis H. Pierpont, ordered the words "Liberty and Union" added to both faces of its seal in 1861. For a time, two governments used two seals.

In 1873, with the Commonwealth reunited, and the first Black members of the General Assembly serving, the General Assembly directed that new seals be struck — a greater and a lesser one — and that the words "Liberty and Union" appear on neither. In 1903 the Assembly restored the seal's description to essentially the language adopted in 1776, and later acts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have carried that description forward, defining the great and lesser seals and governing their use.

The Motto That Looks Forward

Of all the elements of the Seal, the motto is the most distinctive. Where the other forty-nine states chose mottos of affirmation and aspiration, Virginia alone chose a rebuke: Sic Semper Tyrannis, thus always to tyrants.

It was a bold choice in 1776. The outcome of the Revolution was far from certain, loyalists still lived throughout the Commonwealth, and Virginia was challenging the most powerful nation on earth. The founders who designed the Seal were themselves imperfect stewards of liberty — slaveholders who nonetheless placed a broken chain in the tyrant's hand, a detail that speaks to the unresolved tensions at the heart of the founding.

Centering Women

At the time of its design, women were not guaranteed any rights in the newly formed United States, yet the designers seemed to send a message that women were essential in their quest for freedom. From the defiance of Virtus to the enduring principles represented by Aeternitas, Libertas and Ceres, it is clear that the strength, intellect and contributions of women were inspiring to those founding fathers.

From Inspiration to Action

250 years later, with Virginia’s first woman governor at the helm, the seal challenges us to ensure that the women and girls of the Commonwealth have a seat at the table where decisions are being made.

The Great Seal at 250

On July 5, 2026, the Commonwealth marks the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Great Seal of Virginia. The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Candi Mundon King, together with Governor Abigail D. Spanberger, will commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Seal — honoring a quarter-millennium of an emblem that has authenticated Virginia's official acts through revolution, division, reunion, and renewal.

Today the Seal endures in two forms, a greater and a lesser seal, kept and applied under the authority of the Secretary of the Commonwealth as Keeper of the Seals. Every commission, every proclamation, and every official act bearing its impression connects the present-day Commonwealth to the convention hall of 1776 — and to the promise that virtue will always answer tyranny.

Using the Seals of the Commonwealth

The seals of the Commonwealth are the property of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and their use is protected by law. Under § 1-505 of the Code of Virginia, no person may exhibit, display, or otherwise use the seals — or any facsimile or representation of them — for nongovernmental purposes unless that use is specifically authorized.

To request authorization to use the State Seal, please complete the online registration form:

https://seal.solutions.virginia.gov/

Commercial Use

Under § 2.2-122 of the Code of Virginia, the seals may be authorized for commercial purposes where their use promotes an appropriate image of the Commonwealth, its heritage, and its history, and is carried out in accordance with Virginia law. An applicant is generally deemed qualified to protect and promote the image of the Commonwealth if it holds licenses to produce products associated with museums and sites of major historical importance in Virginia.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth determines the appropriateness of any contract for the commercial use of the seals, including the product to be sold, the marketing used to promote it, and its pricing.

Commercial-use inquiries should be directed to John Byxbe, Department of General Services, (804) 837-4456.

Other Inquiries

For the full requirements governing use of the official seal, please consult the Office's Seal Protocol document. All other inquiries regarding use of the seals of the Commonwealth should be directed to:

Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth

Post Office Box 2454
Richmond, Virginia 23218-2454
(804) 663-7761

References

Primary Sources — Code of Virginia, Title 1, Chapter 5 (Emblems)