Last modified: 2015-07-29 by ivan sache
Keywords: aragon | saragossa | zaragoza | villarroya del campo | wheat spikes: 2 | sunflowers: 2 | crown: royal (open) |
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The municipality of Villarroya del Campo (74 inhabitants in 2009; 1,690 ha) is located 75 km form Zaragoza, on a small hill on the confluence of the brooks Orcajo and Villarroya.
The site of Villarroya was settled in the 5th century BC by the Celtiberians, who built there a group of small houses protected by a stone wall and a ditch excavated in the rock. The ditch was subsequently reused as a path, to dig caves and to keep cattle. Recalling the Celtiberian fortified settlement, the hill was later known as 'El Castillo" (The Castle). The inhabitants of Villarroya picked up stones from the ruined houses to build the hermitage, the church and other buildings, causing the complete destruction of the Celtiberian remains, except a fragment of the defense wall and the ditch.
After the submission of the Celtiberians to the Romans, most of their settlements were abandoned and the Romans set up villas in the plains and valleys; the lack of Roman remains in Villarroya seems to indicated that the place was not resettled at that time. Nothing has remained either from potential subsequent Visigoth and Muslim colonists.
The modern settlement of Villarroya dates back to the 12th century, when King of Aragon and Navarre Alfonso the Battler (1043/74-1134, king in 1104) resettled the area, following the reconquest of the neighboring town of Daroca from the Muslims in 1222. Villarroya was incorporated into the Community of Daroca and remained so until 1837, when the communities were superseded by the modern provinces. Placed under the direct rule of the King of Aragon, later the King of Spain, the Community of Daroca kept some level of autonomy and was never placed under any feudal rule.
In 1835 Villarroya was officially renamed Villarroya del Campo, to differentiate the village from several other places called Villarroya. The Municipal Law, passed in 1845, required 30 families (150 inhabitants) to get the municipal status; a too-small village, Villarroya was incorporated into the neighbouring municipality of Villagoz, from which it eventually seceded on 4 July 1954.
Source: Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 30 Jul 2010
The flag and arms of Villarroya del Campo were unanimuously adopted by the Municipal Council on 14 February 2009. The "EuropaPress" agency reports on 26 July 2009 the validation of the flag and arms by the Department of Territorial Affairs, Justice and the Interior of the Government of Aragon.
The flag is vertically divided red-blue-red, the blue field having a bretessed border of four pieces. Two wheat spikes crossed per saltire are placed in the left red field, while the right red field is charged with two sunflower heads placed vertically.
The flag is derived from the coat of arms, "Gules a fess bretessed azure in chief two sunflower heads or per fess in base two wheat spikes of the same per saltire. The shield surmounted by a Royal crown open."
The red / gules colour (in Spanish, "roja") is canting, referencing the name of the municipality ("roya"). The blue / azure stripe represents the brooks and sources, as well as the old Celtiberian ditch. The wheat spikes and the sunflower heads represents the local agriculture. The Royal crown open recalls that Villarroya was a Royal village, part of the Community of Daroca.
Source: Municipal website, EuropaPress website, 26 Jul 2009
The municipal symbols are based on proposals made by the Ferdinand the Catholic Institution (Institución 'Fernando el Católico,' an autonomous organism depending on the Provincial Government of Zaragoza) upon request of the municipal administration. In the proposal, the point of the coat of arms - and, therefore, the hoist of the flag - is charged with a yellow sunflower head, eventually replaced by the two wheat spikes.
Ivan Sache, 30 Jul 2010
A big image of the municipal coat of arms, credited to Abraham Vázquez, is available on Wikipedia. However, the sunflowers are represented rather as suns with wavy rays than as on the original drawing presented on the municipal website.
Source: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Villarroya_del_Campo.svg
Ivan Sache, 30 Jul 2010
