Last modified: 2024-10-19 by 
klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: se(braganca) | sta. maria(braganca) | meixedo(braganca) | paschal lamb | wayside cross | saltire | dog | castle |
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![[Sé, Santa Maria e Meixedo united commune]](../images/p/pt-bgcss.gif)
2:3, image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Sérgio Horta, 25 Feb 2024
It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a field quartered of blue and yellow.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2024
![[Sé, Santa Maria e Meixedo united commune #1]](../images/p/pt-bgcss1.gif) 2:3, image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Sérgio Horta, 25 Feb 2024 |
![[Sé, Santa Maria e Meixedo united commune #2]](../images/p/pt-bgcss2.gif) 2:3, image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Sérgio Horta, 25 Feb 2024 |
![[Sé, Santa Maria e Meixedo united commune #3]](../images/p/pt-bgcss3.gif) 2:3, image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Sérgio Horta, 25 Feb 2024 |
It is very likely that variants of this will be found, either with reduced toponym (see left image above), or with tighter text on one line (see central image above), or with the longer scroll (see right image above).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2024
![[Sé, Santa Maria e Meixedo united commune]](../images/p/pt-bgcss).gif)
image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Sérgio Horta, 25 Feb 2024
Shield Or a wayside cross Sable flanked by two dogs respectant Sable emphasized Argent, in base a single-tower castle Sable with port and windows Azure. Mural crown Argent with four visible towers (town rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case serifed letters "UNIÃO DAS FREGUESIAS DE SÉ, SANTA MARIA E MEIXEDO". The scroll is of the the most usual style with the text unusually set in two lines (split as "DE SÉ"), the upper one in smaller type.
Meaning:
The cross is a symbol for the fact, that Bragança had been seat of a bishopric. The entity was established by Pope Paul III in 1545 on demand of the Portuguese King Dom João III as Bishopric of Miranda with seat in Miranda do Douro. The seat was transferred to Bragança in 1770 by Pope Clement XIV and the entity became a subdivision (suffragan) of the Archbishopric of Braga. It was renamed to Bishopric of Bragança and Miranda in 1780 and to Bishopric of Bragança-Miranda in 1996.
The dogs refer to the legend of "dogs of Meixedo" (Portuguese: cães de Meixedo), which is also a nickname of the inhabitants of Meixedo.
The castle is a representation of the local castle and furthermore of the Medieval history of the city and of its heritage. That castle had been classified as a national monument by a decree on 16 June 1910.
As often happens, the symbols in the current arms are taken from each of the three predecessors as follows:
1)Sé represented by cross
2)Santa Maria represented by castle
3)Meixedo represented by dogs
We witness again the unexpected case of a 4-tower crown in a commune, which goes against the relevant law but is yet stated to be so in this legal text ("mural crown according to the law"); it seems to be one more of those Comissão de Heráldica da Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses (CHAAP) habits adopted to fix one of the many glaring mistakes in that law.
The exact depiction of the castle is not stylised but naturalistic see here with photos against the letter of the law and yet a common practice, likely chosen to meet with expectations (or even demands) from the local government.
The communal heraldry page furthermore reveals that a mural crown with four towers had been chosen due to the fact that it is an urban commune (Portuguese: freguesia urbana). Maybe it contradicts the prescriptions of the law, but in the end it somehow passed the examination by the Comissão de Heráldica da Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses (CHAAP).
Sources:
1) Sérgio Horta´s webpage
2) communal heraldry page
3) English WIKIPEDIA
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2024 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Oct 2024
Published in Diário da República: II Série on 16 January 2023, see here
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2024
Sé, Santa Maria e Meixedo is one of the eight communes of Bragança Municipality created by a merger during the 2013 changes. It had 22 689 inhabitants in 2021 and covers 35,69 km².
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2024
![[Sé (Bragança) commune (until 2013)]](../images/p/pt-bgcss-se.gif)
2:3, image by Sérgio Horta, 29 June 2016
It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain yellow field.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 June 2016
![[Sé (Bragança) commune CoA (until 2013)]](../images/p/pt-bgcss-se).gif)
image by Sérgio Horta,
Shield Azure, a wayside cross Argent, flanked by two 5-point stars Or, in chief a Paschal Lamb couchant, nimbed Or.
Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "BRAGANÇA - SÉ".
Meaning:
The Paschal Lamb in the arms of the former Sé Commune is an attribute of St. John the Baptist, patron saint of the commune. The stars are attributes of Our Lady Queen, patron saint of the cathedral.
Source: this webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 June 2016 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Oct 2024
Published in Diário da República: III Série on 21 December 1999
António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 June 2016
Sé Commune was originally based in one of the two Catholic parishes of the city of Bragança. It was one of the pre-2013 communes of Bragança Municipality; it had 17913 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 10,7 km².
Source: Portuguese WIKIPEDIA
António Martins-Tuválkin, 29 June 2016
![[Santa Maria (Bragança) commune (until 2013)]](../images/p/pt-bgcss-sm.gif)
2:3, image by Sérgio Horta, 28 June 2016
It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain red field.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 June 2016
![[Santa Maria (Bragança) commune CoA (until 2013)]](../images/p/pt-bgcss-sm).gif)
image by Sérgio Horta, 28 June 2016
Shield Argent, on a saltire Gules four castles and on its core a representation of the domus municipalis, all these Argent with port and windows Azure, in chief a wreath Vert. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "SANTA MARIA - BRAGANÇA".
Meaning:
The red saltire on silver is the basic armourial element of the House of Bragança; the communal arms add to it tokens of local history.
Source: House of Bragança
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 June 2016
Published in Diário da República: III Série on 11 April 1997. The arms were designed by Luís Moreira, a heraldrist at the Gabinete de Estudos e Projetos de Heráldica Administrativa (GEPHA).
Source: Portuguese WIKIPEDIA
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 June 2016
Santa Maria Commune was originally based in one of the two Catholic parishes of the city of Bragança. It was was one of the pre-2013 communes of Bragança Municipality; it had 3940 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 13,5 km².
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28 June 2016
![[Meixedo (Bragança) commune (until 2013)]](../images/p/pt-bgcss-mx.gif)
2:3 ,image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 30 June 2016
It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain green field.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 30 June 2016
![[Meixedo (Bragança) commune CoA (until 2013)]](../images/p/pt-bgcss-mx).gif)
image by Sérgio Horta, 30 June 2016
Shield Argent, two plum tree branches Vert fruited Purpure set in fess, and in chief a saltire couped Azure, in base a dog passant Sable emphasized Argent. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "MEIXEDO - BRAGANÇA".
Meaning:
The word "meixedo" is local/archaic synonym of regular Portuguese for "ameixial", meaning "plum grove"; the plum tree branches are therefore canting. The saltire in the arms of the former Meixedo commune is an attribute of St. Andrew, the local patron saint. The dog refers to the legend of "dogs of Meixedo" (Portuguese: cães de Meixedo), which is also a nickname of the inhabitants of Meixedo.
Source: this webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 30 June 2016 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Oct 2024
Published in Diário da República: II Série on 26 May 2009, see here
António Martins-Tuválkin, 30 June 2016
Meixedo Commune, a rural area to the NorthNorthwest of Bragança city, containing only one settlement, the namesake village, distant less than 5 km from the nearby city centre, was one of the pre-2013 communes of Bragança Municipality; it had 163 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 11,5 km². In 2013 it was merged with the communes of Santa Maria and of Sé (the two urban communes that comprised the city of Bragança and a narrow rural outskirt)
Source: Portuguese WIKIPEDIA
António Martins-Tuválkin, 30 June 2016
back to Bragança Communes click here
