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Monchique Commune (Portugal)

Freguesia de Monchique, Concelho de Monchique, Distrito de Faro

2:3 image by Sérgio Horta, 27 Jan 2014

About the flag
Presentation of Monchique

See also:

About the Flag

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain white background (village rank).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28/29 Jan 2008

Coat of arms

image by Sérgio Horta, 28 Jan 2008
image by Sérgio Horta, 28 Jan 2008

The arms (left image above) are Vert a quill Or and a how Argent set in saltire and in orle a three-knot Franciscan rope Argent. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "FREGUESIA DE MONCHIQUE".
Meaning:
The coat of arms refers to the local importance of the Franciscan order, agriculture and penmanship (There is an article, penned by Guerreiro Vicente (of Portuguese Army Heraldry fame)). These arms were designed by Nuno Campos and Isabel Carneiro originally with all charges Argent (right image above), but the version which was eventually approved by CHAAP (the Portuguese civic heraldry authority) had the quill changed to Or. This event raised up a notch in a tense but quiet feud that has going on in the Portuguese heraldry scene in the last decades, and come to the open enough to be published and criticized in a publicly issued leaflet where the heraldic implications of this case are analyzed and broader considerations about the ways of civic heraldry in Portugal are made at length.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28/29 Jan 2008

Flag and arms adopted and published in the official journal Diário da República: III Série in 2004.03.12.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28/29 Jan 2008

Presentation of Monchique

Monchique Commune is one of the three communes of the synonym municipality (q.v.). This commune had 5375 inhabitants in 2001 and covers 153,17 km².
António Martins-Tuválkin, 28/29 Jan 2008

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