Rio Frio e Milhão United Commune (Portugal)

Last modified: 2024-06-01 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: rio frio(braganca) | milhao | base(wavy) | snowflakes(7) | maize(plant) | calvary | gridiron |
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União das Freguesias de Rio Frio e Milhão, Concelho de Bragança, Distrito de Bragança

2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 July 2016

2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 July 2016

2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 July 2016

• About the flag
• Presentation of Rio Frio e Milhão
• Former Rio Frio commune (until 2013)
• Presentation of Rio Frio
• Former Milhão commune (until 2013)
• Presentation of Milhão

• Bragança Municipality
• Portugal
• Portuguese WIKIPEDIA

About the Flag

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain yellow field.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 July 2016

Shield Azure, a maize plant eradicated Or fruited Argent, flanked by four snowflakes Argent and on a base wavy Argent a barrulet wavy Azure. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters maybe "RIO FRIO E MILHÃO" (left image above) or "UNIÃO DAS FREGUESIAS DE RIO FRIO E MILHÃO" (central image above) or "U.F. RIO FRIO E MILHÃO" (right image above).
Meaning:
The arms combine into a new design the canting elements from both former arms: The snowflakes (cold) and the wavy base (river) of Rio Frio (= cold river) with the maize plant from Milhão (= big corn).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 July 2016

Flag and arms published in the official journal Diário da República: II Série on 23 June 2016
Source: here
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 July 2016

Presentation of Rio Frio e Milhão

Rio Frio e Milhão Commune is one of the eight communes of Bragança Municipality, created anew by the 2013 changes, resulting from the merger of Milhão commune with the Rio Frio commune. The new commune has an accumulated population of 364 inhabitants according to 2011 data and covers 63.5 km².
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 July 2016

Former Rio Frio commune (until 2013)

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain yellow field.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 24 June 2016

Shield Azure, a calvary Or among seven snowflakes Argent set in orle in chief and flanks, in base wavy Argent a barrulet wavy Azure. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "RIO FRIO - BRAGANÇA".
Meaning:
"Rio Frio" means "cold river". Base wavy and snowflakes are canting elements.
Sources: this webpage and

Published in Diário da República: III Série on 22 July 2002
António Martins-Tuválkin, 24 June 2016

Presentation of Rio Frio

Commune was one of the pre-2013 communes of Bragança Municipality; it had 203 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 34.0 km².
António Martins-Tuválkin, 24 June 2016

Former Milhão commune (until 2013)

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain green field.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 24 July 2016

Argent, a maize plant eradicated Vert fruited Or, in chief a gridiron Gules in fess. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "MILHÃO".
Meaning:
The word "milhão" might be interpreted as the augmentative of "milho", "maize". Regardless of the actual etymology of this toponym, the arms feature the latter semantics, in a case of either punning or canting heraldry. The patron of the Catholic parish that was the base for the creation of this commune in 1834 is/was St. Lawrence - his token of martyrdom, the gridiron, is shown in the arms.
Source: this webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 24 July 2016

Published in Diário da República: III Série on 21 August 2009
Source: here
António Martins-Tuválkin, 24 July 2016

Presentation of Milhão

Milhão Commune was one of the pre-2013 communes of Bragança Municipality; it had 161 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 29.6 km².

back to Bragança Communes click here