Last modified: 2024-09-14 by 
klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: viseu | castle(red) | apple tree | hornblower |
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![[Viseu municipal flag]](../images/p/pt-vis.gif)
2:3, image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998
The flag is gyronny of eight of red and yellow (city rank) with the municipal coat of arms in the centre.
Source: Sérgio Horta´s webpage
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998
![[Viseu municipality plain]](../images/p/pt-vis0.gif)
2:3, image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 1 Apr 2010
The flag is gyronny of eight of red and yellow.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 1 Apr 2010
![[Viseu municipality CoA]](../images/p/pt-vis).gif)
image by Sérgio Horta, 13 Nov 2007
Shield Argent, a castle Gules, with port and windowa Or, with a hornblower blowing Or, dressed Sable, headdressed Argent and of complexion of the same, on top of the dexter tower, and an apple tree Vert, fruited Or, stemmed Sable, on the sinister tower. Mural crown Argent of five vivible towers (city rank) and white scroll reading "CIDADE DE VISEU" in black capitals.
Meaning:
No clues about the meaning of the apple tree nor the hornblower; the castle, as usual, stands for the local castle.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998
I believe there is no British [nor German] heraldry equivalent to the French "ajouré" and the Spanish "aclarado" [portuguese "iluminado"] — only «with windows and gate x» (where "x" is the hue).
Santiago Dotor, 17 Dec 1998
![[Viseu municipality old CoA]](../images/p/pt-vis1).jpg)
image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Sept 2024
The old coat if arms has, like many arms before 1931, a shield parted per pale. It is a French Baroque shield with frame work Argent. The dexter half displays the arms of Portugal, Argent an orle Gules charged with seven castles Or ordered 3:2:2, in centre five inescutcheons Azure in cross, each one charged with five plates in quincunx, the so called quina. The sinister half displays the actual arms of Viseu, issuant from base of water Azure a landscape proper with wood and mountain, in front at dexter an embattled two-level tower Maron with port and windows Sable and a horn blower on its top, at sinister a tree Vert trunked Sable. The shield is topped by a white embowed scroll with black inscription "ANTIQUA ET NOBILISSIMA" (= the old and most noble (city)) with the "ET" in smaller letters. The scroll is superimposing a big red 5-point star on top of the shield. The shield is superimposing branches of laurel and olive, both Vert, the olive fruited Sable.
Star and branches are just decorative ornaments and probably not part of the pattern.
The image was depicted on a commercial screen on occasion of the day of the municipality on 21 September 2013.
Source: I spotted those arms in nearby Guarda on 29 September 2013.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Sept 2024
Published in Diário da Governo: I Série on 13 June 1940
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Sept 2024
Viseu is a 508 km2 municipality in the Viseu district and in the old province of Beira Alta, with 83 940 inhabitants in 1998 in then 25 communes. The number of inhabitants increased to 100 105 until 2022. The municipality covers an area of 507,10 km². The number of communes was reduced to 16 by the 2013 mergers.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 Dec 1998 and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 9 Sept 2024
back to Municipalities of Portugal click here 100 105
