Coat of arms

Through its elements, it presents the identity of a school of the Society of Jesus in a specific place: Montevideo.

Having identified these two elements, the geographical and its identity, it shows the attitude of a centre that shapes spirits and promotes a life of understanding among human beings: an attitude of service to others, which is the goal of this school.

That is the reason why, at the bottom of the coat of arms, on top of the Cerro de Montevideo, the motto of the school stands out: UT SERVIAM, which means “so I serve”. In other words, I study, I work, I train my mind and my heart in order to serve others.

Naturally, the motto of the school can lead to various considerations, since the Latin terms (in order to be more in line with the heraldry), contain all the possible variants in this sense: I get ready to perform an act of service.

The top part of the coat of arms, divided in two quadrants, shows the coats of arms of the Houses of Oñaz and Loyola, the Houses and families that, united for a long time due to marriage ties, give birth to Ignatius of Loyola, who is born around the year 1491 in the land of Oñaz and Loyola, in Guipúzcoa.

The Oñaz received this coat of arms after the Battle of Beotíbar, in 1321, from the King Alfonso XI. Mr Oñaz’s seven sons had an outstanding performance in this battle and the king gave them this coat of arms: on a gold background (nobility, bravery, loyalty) seven red bars, representing the blood spilled in the battle by the seven sons of Mr Oñaz.

The Loyola family have a coat of arms that expresses a virtue that belongs to this House and one which was typical of all the Houses, Castles and villages of Vasconia since the 13th century: hospitality. This feeling is expressed by two brown wolves on sable (black) on a silver field. This means that the hospitality of the Loyolas even spreads to the wild animals of the mountain, they host everyone without making any distinction.

The bottom part of the coat of arms refers to the geographical location as mentioned before, through the typical Cerro de Montevideo, crowned by the fortress, on the lookout of the Río como Mar (a river that is as wide as the sea). In the sky, with black letters on a silver banner, we can read UT SERVIAM, the school motto, which prepares students to serve others.