Granted between 1806 and 1808
Blazon: Azure a mountain chain and field, thereon the Archangel Michael crushing a snake, all proper, in his dexter hand a sword argent, in his sinister a shield or a cross of the last
This is one of the worst snake depictions I’ve ever seen! It’s supposed to be proper, and it is really not, and for some reason, it has a dog head? And a very weird tail loop? It’s terrible! Ahem. Anyway. I assume that St. Michael the Archangel was chosen as the heraldic emblem of the province as a reference to the Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo, which is the oldest European shrine devoted to the saint. It has been a pilgrimage destination since the mid-600s. I can’t date the grant of arms exactly, which irritates me, but it was apparently granted by Joseph Bonaparte. This would had to have been in his role as King of Naples and Sicily, which at least narrows it down to a two-year window.
European Heraldry 