Last modified: 2024-09-07 by 
klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: vizela | bridge | minerva | inescutcheon | portugal ancient |
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![[Vizela municipality #1]](../images/p/pt-viz.gif) 2:3, image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Sep 2024 |
![[Vizela municipality #2]](../images/p/pt-viz14.gif) 2:3, image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Nov 2014 |
It is a fairly typical Portuguese municipal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a field gyronny of eight (city rank) of yellow and blue.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Nov 2014 / 3 Sep 2024
![[Vizela municipality]](../images/p/pt-viz_.gif)
1:1, image by Sérgio Horta and Brian Boru, 4 Nov 2014
Banner like flag, but square and with golden and blue fringes, tassels and cord, and golden pole with finial.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Nov 2014
![[ municipality CoA]](../images/p/pt-viz).gif)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Sep 2024
Shield Argent, 3-arched bridge Argent masoned Sable over a base of landscape Vert and rocks Argent (realised as grey), above a couped Minerva (Greek: Pallas Athene, mythical founder of Athens) holding the Gorgon´s head in her left hand, beneath a tiny black inscription "VIZELA ROMANA" (invisible in images), Minerva is flanked by two inescutcheons Azure bearing five plates in quincunx. Mural crown with five visible towers (city rank) and white scroll reading in black capitals "CIDADE DE VIZELA" (see left image on top) or "VIZELA" (see right image on top)
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 4 Nov 2014 / 3 Sep 2024
![[ municipality plain]](../images/p/pt-viz0.gif)
2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 Apr 2010
The plain flag was gyronny of eight (city rank) of yellow and blue.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 Apr 2010
![[Vizela municipality 1998]](../images/p/pt-viz98.gif)
2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin and Jorge Candeias, 20 Mar 1998
![[Vizela unofficial flag]](../images/p/pt-viz!.gif)
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 Apr 1998
[At the municipality refoundation celebrations] there was also another flag in display: a diagonally quartered flag of yellow and blue (yellow in the hoist and fly and blue in the top and bottom), with a thin white bordering and the words "CONCELHO | DE | VIZELA" in white in the blue triangles ("concelho de" in the one at the top and "Vizela" in the one at the bottom).
Jorge Candeias, 20 Mar 1998
A really ugly one, if I may say so. Overall ratio was about 4:5. I didn’t see this one before, and I believe (and hope!) it was not a serious proposal.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 April 1998
![[Vizela municipality (4 towers)]](../images/p/pt-viz0a.gif)
2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 20 Mar 1998
The flag of the new municipality, in use for a long time now, but still not official is a gyronny flag of blue over yellow. The flag, as always, has the arms of the municipality in the centre. This coat of arms, also not official yet, has a silver field with a bridge at the bottom, a Minerva in the centre and two very long white shields (one on each side of the goddess) each with five quinas inside. (Remarkable is the golden 5-towered crown, reserved for Lisboa)
Jorge Candeias, 20 Mar 1998
![[Vizela municipality (5 towers)]](../images/p/pt-viz0b.gif)
2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 20 Mar 1998
In August, the municipality was officially created and an installation comission was nominated. It was another opportunity to see the flag they are using (with golden (!) 5-towered crown, not official yet, though), since they partied again in both Lisboa and Vizela.
Jorge Candeias, 22 Sep 1998
![[Vizela proposed flag]](../images/p/pt-viz1!.gif)
2:3, image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Sep 2024
It is a fairly typical Portuguese municipal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a field gyronny of eight (city rank) of yellow and blue, basically the same flag as that one currently in use, but with a different coat of arms.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Sep 2024
Shield Or with base wavy of Azure and Argent, issuant from base wavy a throughout bridge Sable masoned Argent, on chief a heraldic fountain, surrounded by a laurel wreath Vert fruited Or. Mural crown with five visible towers (city rank) and short white scroll, in Bénard Guedes style, with inscription in black initials "VIZELA".
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Sep 2014
Neither the current flag nor its predecessors nor the proposal have ever been approved officially.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Sep 2024
Yesterday, the Portuguese parliament created a new municipality: Vizela. This puts the number of municipalities in 306. Yesterday there was also a huge display of these flags, both in Lisboa and in Vizela to celebrate the recreation of the municipality.
Jorge Candeias, 20 Mar 1998
This municipality (along with some 800 others) existed until mid 19th century, when a major reform took place. Unlike most of those, the Vizelans kept always alive a strong movement favouring the re-establishment of their municipality. The newly approved municipality of Vizela will consist mostly of communes detached from the
Guimarães municipality, and also some from Felgueiras and Lousada. The official approval will happen not before mid May, together with other new municipalities.
There was another motive for rejoycement: Not only the municipality was (re)created but also the municipality-to-be seat status was upgraded to that of city. Formerly it was a town — and locals more than once have rejected the upgrading: "No municipality, no city!" (Sem concelho não há cidade!). City flags have 5-tower mural crowns and gyronny fields, while town flags have only 4 and quartered fields. However unofficial flags of Vizela are (and as far as I know always were) gyronny, but towers vary, as also the scroll inscription:
"CIDADE DE VIZELA", "VILA DE VIZELA" or "CONCELHO DE VIZELA" (respectively: "city", "town" and "municipality").
António Martins-Tuválkin, 2 Apr 1998
Vizela had 23896 inhabitants in 2021 and covers 24,70 km².
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 3 Sep 2024
back to Municipalities of Portugal click here