Last modified: 2006-02-05 by antonio martins
Keywords: montemor-o-movo | coat of arms | sun (red) | crescent: points to fly (red) | bridge: 3 arches | waves: 6 | hill (black) |
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It is a quite typical portuguese municipal flag, with the coat of arms
centered on a background gyronny (meaning city
rank) of white and red. The coat of arms is argent, a three arched
masonry bridge argent, lined sable, by a river of six wavy fesses, argent
and azure, before a mound sable, topped with a castle azure, opened void,
between a moon and a sun gules, in chief. Mural crown argent with five
visible towers (city rank) and white scroll
reading in black upper case letters "CIDADE DE MONTEMOR-O-NOVO".
António Martins, 21 Mar 1999
The name means «Main hill, the new one» (canting arms), because we have
a Montemor-o-Velho, also. There is a castle in the
city, alright, and also some bridges and streams, but that is usual. As for
the sun and moon, all I can say is that, apart from the obvious moor
connection (but then, what’s the sun?), the Order of
Sant’Iago had it’s purple cross-sword usually placed between a sun and
moon. The cross-sword shows usually as a symbol of links to this order
(mostely in the area around ths municipality) in portuguese civic heraldry,
but the moon and sun could be a variation of it…
António Martins, 21 Mar 1999
Montemor-o-Novo municipality had 18 290 inhabitants in 1990, and
is divided in 10 communes, covering 1232 km2. It belongs to the
Évora District and to the old province of
Alto Alentejo.
António Martins, 21 Mar 1999
