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Supetar (Town, Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia)

Flag of Supetar, horizontal and vertical versions - Images by Željko Heimer, 23 November 2013

Presentation of Supetar
Flag of Supetar
Coat of arms of Supetar
Rejected symbols of Supetar

See also:

Presentation of Supetar

The Town of Supetar (3,999 inhabitants in 2001, 3,016 in the town of Supetar) is the largest town on the Brac island, facing Split across the channel.
Supetar was granted the Municipality Status in 1993, upgraded in 1997 to the Town Status.

Željko Heimer, 9 August 2009

Flag of Supetar

The symbols of Supetar are prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi Grada Supetra, adopted on 21 March 2005 by the Town Assembly and published on 22 March 2005 in the Town official gazette Službeni glasnik Grada Supetra, No. 3.
The symbols are described in the Town Statutes Statut Grada Supetra, adopted on 10 August 2009 and published on 11 August 2009 in the Town official gazette Službeni glasnik Grada Supetra, No. 9.

The symbols were publicly presented on a ceremonial session of the Town Assembly and consecrated by His Grace Slobodan Štambuk, Bishop of Hvar, Brac and Vis. [News article Supetar dobio zastavu i grb, 1 July 2005],

The flag is described in the Decision as follows:

The flag of the Town of Supetar is rectangular in shape, with the ratio of its width to its length of 1:2.
The area of the flag is red; in its centre is the coat of arms: the stylized double key of St. Peter, as described in Article 2 of the Decision, which is divided vertically in two equal parts coloured white-red.

The flag is described in the Town Statutes as "in proportions 1:2, red with the coat of arms, bordered yellow, in the middle".

Željko Heimer, 23 November 2013

Coat of arms of Supetar

Coat of arms of Supetar - Image by Željko Heimer, 23 November 2013

The coat of arms is described in the Decision as follows:

The coat of arms of the Town of Supetar is of simple, shield-like shape, containing in its center a symbol: a stylized key of St. Peter, the upper part of which makes it clear that it is a "double key" opening the gates of paradise and of hell. Within the wards of the key is applied the recognizable symbol of an early Christian cross from the stone sarcophagus of the church of St. Nicholas in Supetar.
The body of the key is made by single-tone inversion, to emphasize the double function of the key, and on its bottom part, on the shaft, is applied a protective stylized silhouette of the ornamental mosaic of the parish church in Supetar.
The protective basic colours of the shield divided vertically into two equal parts are white and red.

St. Peter is the namesake and patron saint of the town. The design of the arms is credited to Mladen Grubišić.

Željko Heimer, 23 November 2013

Rejected symbols of Supetar

The town ran in 2004 a public competition for the design of its symbols. Decision Rješenje o osnivanju povjerenstva za vrednovanje radova po objavljenom javnom natječaju za izbor izvedbenog rješenja grba i zastave Grada Supetra, adopted on 20 August 2004 and published on 8 September 2004 in Službeni glasnik Grada Supetra, No. 3, appointed a commission to review the submissions. The commission included the Mayor, a member of the Town Assembly (a physician), an architect, two art historians, an archeologist, and a painter. Their task was to review the submissions and to propose one design to be adopted by the Town Assembly and submited to the Ministry for approval.
The proposed symbols were prescribed by Decision Odluka o grbu i zastavi Grada Supetra, adopted on 22 December 2004 and published on 23 December 2004 in Službeni glasnik Grada Supetra, No. 6.
The proposed symbols were most probably rejected by the Ministry, which eventually led to the adoption of the current symbols.

The proposed flag was virtually a banner of the proposed arms, a red flag with the cross in the centre of the hoist's half. A vertical version, with the cross in the upper half, was also prescribed.

The proposed coat of arms was "Gules an early Christian cross argent". The cross is "as found on a sarcophagus in the church of St. Nicholas in Supetar". Based on the subsequent design of ghe arms, it appears that the "early Christian cross" would be simply a cross pattee coupee, of its most common heraldic form.

Željko Heimer, 23 November 2013