The Montenegrin coat of arms is a double-headed golden eagle—symbolizing the unity of church and state—surmounted by a crown. The eagle holds a golden scepter in its right claw and a blue orb in its left. The breast shield over the eagle shows a golden lion passant on a green field in front of a blue sky. The lion is a symbol of episcopal authority and harkens back to the three and a half centuries when Montenegro was ruled as a theocracy.