Estrela Commune (Portugal)

Freguesia de Estrela, Concelho de Lisboa, Distrito de Lisboa

Last modified: 2026-07-18 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: estrela | lapa | prazeres | santos-o-velho | weathercock | base(wavy) | shawl | sailing boat |
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• Estrela Commune
• Flag
• Coat of Arms
• Logo Flag
• Former Logo Flags
• Presentation of Estrela
• Former Lapa Commune (until 2013)
• Presentation of Lapa
• Former Prazeres Commune (until 2013)
• Flag
• Coat of Arms
• Presentation of Prazeres
• Former Santos-o-Velho Commune (until 2013)
• Flag
• Coat of Arms
• Presentation of Santos-o-Velho

• Lisboa Municipality
• Portugal
• English WIKIPEDIA

Flag

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a field quartered of white and blue.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 May 2026

Coat of Arms

The arms are equipollé of Azure and Argent and on each Azure spot a four-leaf hackberry twig Or in saltire, on chief a 6-point star Azure, on each flanch a royal crown Or padded and fimbriated Gules, in base a bar gemmel wavy Azure. Mural crown Argent with four visible towers (town rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters ESTRELA - LISBOA.
Meaning: The blue sections, a colour associated with nobility, of the shield symbolise the noble families, who built their palaces here, as well as the maritime activities linked to the fishermen and female fishmongers (Port.:varinas), who settled in the Madragoa neighbourhood; the silver sections evoke the whiteness of some of its monuments, notably the Estrela Basilica and the São Bento Palace, whose façades feature limestone masonry. The equipollé blue-and-silver design recalls building façades clad in glazed ceramic tiles of both colours (Portuguese: azulejos), a reference reinforced by the pattern formed by the four saltire-arranged squares. The nine sections into which the shield is divided also allude to the eighteen convents, which once existed in the parish (9 x 2 = 18).
The leaves of hackberry are representing the most predominant tree species in the commune, as well as the various high-quality green spaces, most notably the Guerra Junqueiro Garden (Jardim da Estrela) and the Tapada das Necessidades, which features an avenue of hackberry trees.
The blue 6-point star (Portuguese: estrela) is a canting element. The name originates from an ancient Benedictine convent dedicated to Our Lady of the Star (Nossa Senhora da Estrela). It also represents the Estrela Basilica, one most prominent and striking local landmarks. The basilica, aka the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was the first church in the world dedicated to the Sacred Heart. It was commissioned by Queen Maria I in fulfillment of a vow she had made upon the birth of Prince José.
The crowns represent the Queens Mariana Victoria and Maria I, who were buried in the parish at the Convent of São Francisco de Paula and the Basilica of Estrela, respectively. They also symbolise the Royal Palaces of Santos and Necessidades (the residence of the Kings of Portugal from the reign of Maria II onwards), as well as the settlement of nobles and members of the bourgeoisie, who commissioned the construction of their palaces here.
The two blue wavy bars in blue are representing the Tejo River, which forms the southern boundary of the commune and via which the fishing and female fishmonger communities arrived to settle in Madragoa. They are also representing the Alcântara Dock, a key arrival and departure point for the great ocean liners, that made history in transatlantic crossings during the first half of the 20th century, and which continues to play a vital role in the operational structure of the Port of Lisboa.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 May 2026 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 8 June 2026

Published in Diário da República: II Série on 15 August 2023, see here. The draft was made by Eduardo Brito and Sérgio Horta.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 May 2026

Logo Flag

It is a logo flag on light blue background, displaying over an uprising embowed white line the belfry of the local church in white and a white inscription "ESTRELA", all surrounded by a white rectangle with rounded corners.
Meaning:
The depicted dome is the clerestory of the local Basilica of Our Lady of the Stars of Montebourg, a formidable shrine for a quite minor Marian invocation, see Portuguese WIKIPEDIA. This, rendered in the singular,become the name of an informal borough/neighbourhood of Lisbon, chosen for the new commune created in 2012 by amalgamation, as said. This logo´s blue and white colours are one of the many influences that shaped the current official flag, as explained by its creator Sérgio Horta
Source: here
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 31 May 2018 and António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 June 2026

Former Logo Flags

It is white logo flag displaying at the hoist side over an uprising embowed blue line the belfry of the local church in grey and a blue serifed inscription "ESTRELA", above a smaller unserifed grey inscription "JUNTA DE FREGUESIA"
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 31 May 2018

Three different other logos of Estrela Commune were seemilingly proposed and rejected: two designed by Vera Moreira and one by Marta Castro.
Sources: here and here
António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 June 2026

Presentation of Estrela

Estrela commune was established in 2012, when the former independent communes of Lapa, Prazeres and Santos-o-Velho merged. It had 20267 inhabitants in 2021 and covered 4,60 km².
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Nov 2014 and António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 May 2026

Former Lapa commune (until 2012)

Lapa Commune probably had no proper symbols. This webpage displays just an empty shield.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Aug 2016

Presentation of Lapa

Lapa Commune was one of the pre-2013 communes of Lisboa Municipality; it had 8000 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 0.7 km².
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 22 Aug 2016

Former Prazeres Commune (until 2012)

Flag

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a field quartered of green and yellow.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Nov 2014

Coat of Arms

image by Sérgio Horta, 29 Nov 2014

Shield Vert over a base of Argent and Azure, a weathercock Or standing on a globe of the same topped by a cross fleury of the same. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading "PRAZERES - LISBOA" in black upper case letters. Meaning: The weathercock stands on top of the tower of the Church of Our Lady of Needs (Nossa Senhora das Necessidades), a landmark in the commune. Its golden colour is symbolising nobility and power, and it reminds on the fact that the royal family had resided here in the Palace of Needs ( Palácio das Necessidades ), which is today the seat of the ministry for foreign affairs. The base wavy is representing Tejo River. Finally the green colour of the shield is representing faith and hope. These virtues are associated with the church and he former convent of Our Lady of Needs, an integral part of this architectural complex, which dates back to 1750.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Nov 2014

Flag and arms adopted and published in Diário da República: III Série on 26 January 1993
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Nov 2014

Presentation of Prazeres

Prazeres was one of the 53 pre-2012 communes of Lisboa Municipality. It had 8096 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 1.6 km².
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 29 Nov 2014

Former Santos-o-Velho commune (until 2012)

Flag

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain blue field.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 3 May 2026

Shield Argent with base wavy of Azure and Argent, sailing on base two vessels respectant Sable rigged Gules, in chief a triangular shawl Sable with fringes of the Same and ornaments Or on its orle. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and short white scroll, in Bénard Guedes style, with inscription in black capitals "SANTOS-O-VELHO".
Meaning:
The shawl represents the traditional fishing community and the female fishmonger profession. The two boats (Portuguese: fragatas/i>) represent the business line that had been dominant in the local economy for centuries, encompassing both fishing and the transport of goods. The wavy bars represent the Teju River as well as the local scenic beauty.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 23 Aug 2016 and António Martins-Tuválkin, 3 May 2026