Stone Fleur-de-lis Symbol of Lousiville Kentucky
A stone fleur-de-lis as seen on the Second Street Bridge in Louisville, Kentucky. The fleur-de-lis, was originally a heraldry symbol of French and European nobility. It is also the adopted symbol of Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky, and other regions in the South heavily influenced during the colonial period by the Kingdom of France, such as Louisiana and in particular New Orleans. The city of Louisville was named in honor of King Louis XVI of France, for his assistance to the American colonists during the Revolutionary War.
Fleur-de-lis, is sometimes spelled fleur-de-lys. The meaning in English is lily flower, but the flower most associated with the fleur-de-lis is the Iris pseudacorus, or Iris florentina.