Last modified: 2015-01-17 by ivan sache
Keywords: villardeciervos |
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The municipality of Villardeciervos (474 inhabitants; 8,432 ha) is located in the northwest of Zamora Province, 80 km west of Zamora.
Villardeciervos is built on the foot of a rock known as Peña del
Castro (The Castle's Rock), already settled during the Age of Iron. At
the time, some 100 people lived inside a small citadel. Around 20 BC,
the area was conquered by the Romans and the inhabitants of the
citadel relocated down in the plain: remains of mines indicate that a
Roman settlement existed on the today's site of Villardeciervos. The
settlement, located on the way linking Braga and Astorga, was of
strategic significance.
Nothing is known on the modern village before 1155, when it was
mentioned as Vilar de Cervos, owned by the Cistercian monastery of
Moreruela; on 4 October 1163, Pope Alexander III granted protection to
the monastery, including the granja (estate) of Vilar de Cervos. In
1305, the whole village and its mines were granted to the monastery.
In the 14th century, Alonso Pimentel, third Count of Benavente,
overtook the possessions of the declining monastery, including
Villardeciervos. On 24 August 1499, the Counts of Benavente
transferred the copper mines to Pedro Sarmiento; his descendant Diego
José de Oca was listed in 1752 as the Dean of Villardicervios and
Betanzos.
Ivan Sache, 10 December 2010
The flag and arms of Villardeciervos are prescribed by a Decree
adopted on 2 June 2005 by the Municipal Council, signed
on 29 September 2005 by the Mayor, and published on 6 October 2005 in the official
gazette of Castilla y León, No. 194, p. 17,079 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:
Flag: Rectangular flag, with proportions 2:3, made of three horizontal stripes in proportions 1/4, 1/4 and 1/2, the upper red, the middle white and the lower green with a white stag [ciervo] jumping.
Coat of arms: Per fess, 1. Gules a town argent masoned sable, 2. Vert a stag saillant argent. The shield surmounted with a Royal crown closed.
Ivan Sache, 10 December 2010