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Vilarinho dos Galegos e Ventozelo United Commune (Portugal)

Last modified: 2016-08-20 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: vilarinho dos galegos | ventozelo | bridge | bells(2) | olive(branch) | weaver's shuttle | vine(plant) | wheat(ear) |
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União das Freguesias de Vilarinho dos Galegos e Ventozelo, Concelho de Mogadouro, Distrito de Bragança


See also:

Former Vilarinho dos Galegos commune (until 2013)

[Vilarinho dos Galegos commune (until 2013)] 2:3 image by Sérgio Horta, 25 Feb 2016

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain white field.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2016

Coat of arms

[Vilarinho dos Galegos commune CoA (until 2013)] image by Sérgio Horta, 25 Feb 2016

Shield Vert, three olive branches Or fruited Sable tied Gules in saltire, in chief two bells Argent strapped Gules with bobbins of the Same, issuant from base wavy Argent charged with a barrulet wavy Azure a two-arch bridge Argent masoned Sable. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (village rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "VILARINHO DOS GALEGOS".
Meaning:
"Vilarinho dos galegos" means something like "hamlet of the Galicians", but this meaning is not apparent in the arms, which instead show tokens of local oleiculture (this commune is one of the very few green dots on northeastern Portugal in this Olea europea distribution map), local history, hydrography and (not so usual) local campanology (editorial note: the art of ringing bells).
More seriously, this might have to do with "Vila dos Sinos", a village that was successively annexed and disannexed to and from this commune a few times in the past. If so, bells, as items of canting heraldry, might show up again in the new arms and flag of the united commune. "vila dos sinos" means "town of the bells" (Bell Town, or even Bellton, if you prefer). Yes, a village named town, maybe to match the nine cities in Portugal which are also named "vila" of something. Incongruous, as in Portugal supposedly the three ranks of settlements (regardless the rank of the local government entity they may be the seat of, or named after) are well-marked and disjunct: City (cidade), town (vila), and village (aldeia). But of course, often reality doesn't conform to this simple scheme, be it in terms of geography as well as, in this case, of toponymy.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2016

Published in Diário da República: III Série on 24 April 2004
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2016


Presentation of Vilarinho dos Galegos

Vilarinho dos Galegos Commune was one of the pre-2013 communes of Mogadouro Municipality; it had 190 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 24.8 km².
António Martins-Tuválkin, 25 Feb 2016


Former Ventozelo commune (until 2013)

[Ventozelo commune (until 2013)] image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 26 Mar 2016

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a plain green field.
Source: information provided by municipal library of Mogadouro
António Martins-Tuválkin, 11 May 2016

Coat of arms

[Ventozelo commune CoA (until 2013)] image by Sérgio Horta, 26 Mar 2016

Shield Argent with base wavy of Azure and Argent, a branch of vine plant Vert fruited Purpure, a wheat ear Vert and an olive branch Vert fruited sable, all tied Purpure, in chief a fessy weaver's shuttle Purpure with filament Or. Mural crown Argent (village rank) with three visible towers and white scroll (in Bénard Guedes style) with inscription in black initials "VENTOZELO".
Source: this webpage
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Mar 2016 and António Martins-Tuválkin, 11 May 2016

Published in Diário da República: III Série on 24 June 2004
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Mar 2016


Presentation of Ventozelo

Ventozelo Commune was one of the pre-2013 communes of Mogadouro Municipality; it had 146 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 24.0 km².
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 26 Mar 2016


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