Last modified: 2025-02-22 by 
klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: melo(gouveia) | nabais | portugal modern | blackbird | star(5-point) |
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The commune either has not yet proper symbols or they are unknown.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 Feb 2025
There is no flag information available. The commune probably had no proper flag.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Feb 2025
![[Melo commune CoA (until 2013) Samnitic shield]](../images/p/pt-gvamn-me1).gif) image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Feb 2025 |
![[Melo commune CoA (until 2013) Iberian shield]](../images/p/pt-gvamn-me2).gif) image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Feb 2025 |
These arms are blazoned as Argent a Shield of Portugal modern, flanked by two trees Vert, with two blackbirds respectant Sable perched on their tops. The exact representation varies a lot, and the trees are often depicted as Proper (i.e., with brown trunk).
Meaning:
The blackbirds (Latin: Turdus merula_) on these arms are canting, as its Portuguese common name, "melro", is one of the possible etymologies
for the surname whence the toponym derives.
Hiperglobal webpage used to display the most typical scroll, as always, and showed for this coat of arms an image matching the given blazon (with fully green trees) with elements likely cliparted from other comunal herakldry images (see right image above). This image was however picked by the official municipal website to identify this commune.
Different representations of these same arms can be found, as said, in several of the historic armourials.
The latest of which is Ralf Hartemink´s webpage (see left image above).
Source: Hiperglobal webpage
This toponym derives from the surname "Melo", a widely used and ancient one, too, dating from around the 9th century (the recyprocal case, of surnames deriving from toponyms, is more frequent, and indeed that of the encompassing municipality, Gouveia, is one of those). The historical coat of arms of the Melo lineage is one of the most revered and esteemed among Portuguese genealogists — Gules six plates within a bordure Or and a double cross Or throughout:
See here and this photo.
As there is a tradition of variants of this basic design — e.g., it being Argent instead of Or as used for the Castlilian branch of this lineage, and the equally revered arms of the Almeida lineagehere, , which are the same but with bezants instead of plates. I would guess that a colour variation of this design has been suggested, unsuccessfully, to replace the historical one.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Feb 2025
In spite of its historicity, the presence of the national arms in this coat of arms, especially as its main element, is surely the reason it had never been officialised, as that is proscribed by the current law and previous practices of the CHAAP. As such, determinations about the style of scroll and coronet and, indeed, of any flag these arms are used on, refer only to however the communal government iself chose to depict and use it.
As said, this commune never had its coat of arms approved by the CHAAP, although the town status of its seat settlement and its past municipal status would have qualified it for such already in the 1930s, and more so in the 1990s, when communal coats of arms started to be wholesale granted.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Feb 2025
Up until 1834, Melo was the seat of a standalone municipality and had town status. Some, but not all, pre-1911 sources spell it "Mello", implying that the "e" has always been [ɛ]. Melo was one of the 12 communes of Gouveia Municipality affected by the 2013 changes. It had 498 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 7,26 km².
Source: here
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Feb 2025
There is no flag information available. The commune probably had no proper flag.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 Feb 2025
![[Nabais commune CoA (until 2013)]](../images/p/pt-gvamn-nb).gif)
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 Feb 2025
Shield Argent a mound of two coupeaux Vert charged with a barrulet wavy Azure fimbriated Argent, over all an archway Or surrounding a representation of Saint Mary Proper nimbed Or and clad Gules with mantle Azure, standing on a cloud Bleu Celeste bearing four cherubs Proper and holding Baby Jesus Proper nimbed Or, in chief an estoile Azure flanked at dexter by a tree Vert trunked Brunâtre, at sinister a grape bunch Or leafed Vert.
br>Sources: Hiperglobal webpage
Gouveia municipal webpage
this image
António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 Feb 2025
This commune never had its coat of arms approved by the CHAAP; therefore determinations about the style of scroll and crown, and of any flag these arms are used on, must rely only on its local use. It is anyones guess why these arms haven´t been approved by the CHAAP the presence of two unheraldic colours and two Or charges on Argent being likely motives.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 Feb 2025
Nabais was one of the 12 communes of Gouveia Municipality affected by the 2013 changes. It had 405 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 7,19 km².
António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 Feb 2025
back to Gouveia Communes click here
