Last modified: 2018-06-08 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: aldeia das dez | stars(10) | rose(yellow) | cross(calvary) | scimitar |
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![[Aldeia das Dez commune]](../images/p/pt-ohpad.gif)
2:3 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 May 2018
It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain yellow field.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 May 2018
Shield Azure with base wavy of Argent and Azure, a cross calvary Or, beneath the cross a scimitar Argent bladed Or in fess, in chief a heraldic rose Or seeded Gules and barbed Vert, the whole flanked by two columns of five 6-point stars Or. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll with inscription in black capitals "ALDEIA DAS DEZ".
Meaning:
The commune's name means "village of the ten", referring, as far as I understood, to ten local women, which found a treasure in Monte do Colcurinho. They kept it a secret and separated the pieces to different places and due to the legend their descendants even today keep it a secret, as the valour of the treasure is higher than its material, whatever that means. A brief summary in Portuguese can be found here. The golden stars (5+5 = 10) thus refer to the ten women and their parts of the treasure. The base wavy is referring to Alva River. The scimitar might refer to St. Batholomew, the local patron saint.
Aldeia das Dez was created in 1543. To the commune also belonged Piódão, one of the 12 Aldeias Históricas de Portugal (=historical villages of Portugal). The commune was dissolved in 1594 and became a part of nearby Avô, was however restored in 1603.
Due to its floral decorations of the streets the village is also known as Aldeia das Flores (= village of the flowers).
Sources: this webpage and German WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 May 2018
These ten stars stand for the toponym (with the additional twist that the feminine article in "das" is matched by the grammatical gender of the word for star(= "estrela").
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 May 2018
Published in the official journal Diário da República: III Série on 9 October 1997
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 May 2018
Aldeia das Dez Commune is one of the 16 communes of Oliveira do Hospital Municipality; it had 531 inhabitants in 2011 and covers 18.1 km².
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 15 May 2018
back to Oliveira do Hospital Communes click here