Description
The Roman goddess of virtue stands with her foot atop a figure representing tyranny in the official seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Latin motto for the Commonwealth, Sic Semper Tyrannis, or “thus always to tyrants,” is displayed along the bottom of the seal. An ordinance issued by the Virginia Convention on July 5, 1776, called for the creation of a seal for the independent Commonwealth of Virginia. Designed by renowned Virginia lawyer and statesman George Wythe, the seal has remained largely unchanged since 1779.
