Last modified: 2015-02-21 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: alter do chao | per fess | fleur-de-lis(golden) | fountain | castle | quina |
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![Alter do Chão[Alter do Chão municipality]](../images/p/pt-alt.gif)
2:3 image by Jorge Candeias,
It is a fairly typical Portuguese municipal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a field quartered of yellow and red.
Jorge Candeias, 20 June 1998
The coat of arms has a 4-towered mural crown, a typical scroll that reads "VILA DE ALTER DO CHÃO" and the shield is horizontally divided silver over black. The silver filed is charged with a red castle with three towers and black door and windows, flanked by two “quinas”. The black field is charged by a golden fountain (with blue flowing water), flanked by two golden fleurs-de-lis. Quite a nice coat of arms, in my humble opinion.
Meaning:
Trying to guess the meaning of the coat of arms, I’d make the educated guess that there are or where somewhere in the municipality some thermal facilities (the fountain seems to reflect that), the castle, as usual, symbolizes some sort of fortifications (I seem to recall that there is even today a castle there), and the fleur-de-lis may have something to do with the french invasions. If somebody has more info, please come forward.
Jorge Candeias, 20 June 1998
![[Alter do Chão municipality plain]](../images/p/pt-alt0.gif)
2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, Apr 2010
Alter do Chão belongs to the district of Portalegre, old province of Alto Alentejo, future region of Alentejo. The municipality has an area of 361.6 km² and only about 4200 inhabitants in 4 communes. I don’t know much on it’s economy, but I suppose it’s rural, as usual in this part of the country.
Jorge Candeias, 20 June 1998
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