Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Ar. a cross gu. betw. four eagles displ. sa”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Mantia family of Italy.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Ar. a cross gu. betw. four eagles displ. sa”

The Mantia arms were recorded in Italy, c. 1775.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Venice.
Venice ran on trade, and its great families were merchants before they were anything else. The city kept a formal list of its noble houses, and a name on that list carried arms as a matter of record.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
In the Italian states, coats of arms were often used by noble families to show their status and history. These symbols were passed down through the generations to all legitimate male descendants. Younger branches of a family usually kept the original design but sometimes added small changes to distinguish their specific line from the main branch.
The surname Mantia has deep roots in the Italian peninsula, with historical records confirming that members of the family were established in the city of Venice by 1775. While the name is often associated with the southern regions of Italy and Sicily, its presence in Venice suggests that the family was part of the active merchant and professional classes that defined the city during the late eighteenth century. Venice was a major hub for trade and culture at this time, and families living there were frequently involved in the complex maritime and administrative networks of the Venetian Republic. By settling in such a prominent urban center, the early Mantia family likely participated in the vibrant social and economic life that characterized the final decades of the republic before its fall. This history reflects a family that was well-positioned within the shifting political landscape of northern Italy during a period of significant transition.
Greek term referring to prophecy, divination, or an oracle.
