Last modified: 2003-05-31 by ivan sache
Keywords: gironde | cestas | boars: 2 (brown) | beehives: 2 (white) |
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Source: Personal observation in situ by Pascal Vagnat
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Cestas is a city of ca. 15,000 inhabitants located south-west of Bordeaux.
In the Roman times, Cestas was called Ad Sextum. The sixth milliary column on the Road of Salt (from Bordeaux to the Atlantic Ocean) stood in Ad Sextum.
Ivan Sache, 8 January 2002
The flag of Cestas is white with the municipal coat of arms in the
middle and the writing VILLE DE (city of) and CESTAS placed above and
below the shield, respectively.
The coat of arms is quartered, 1 & 4 or a boar's head briwn, 2
& 3 gules a beehive argent, with St. Roch placed in the middle of
the shield.
According to the municipal
website, the etymology of the city name did not inspire
the coat of arms of the city.
In the Middle-Ages, Cestas was located on one of the numerous
pilgrimage trails which led to Santiago de Compostela. One of the
numerous saint patrons of the pilgriums and saint patron of Cestas
was St. Roch, who is portrayed in the center of the coat of arms.
The boar's heads stand for strength and tenacity.
The beehives are locally called bournak. The inhabitants of
Cestas were famous for the honey they brought to the market
Porte-Neuve in Bordeaux.
Note that the coat of arms shown on the municipal website has yellow
and green quarters, whereas it has yellow and red quarters on the
flag.
Ivan Sache, 8 January 2002