Last modified: 2014-08-09 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: sao joao da madeira | per pale | chief | factory | sheaf | cogwheel | wheat(ear) |
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![[São João da Madeira municipality]](../images/p/pt-sjm.gif)
2:3 image by Sérgio Horta, 16 Oct 2007
It is a quite typical Portuguese municipal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a gyronny background (city rank) of white and black.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Oct 2007
![[São João da Madeira municipality CoA]](../images/p/pt-sjm).gif)
image by Sérgio Horta, 16 Oct 2007
The arms are per pale Argent and Vert on the dexter issuant from the campaign a factory Gules smoling Sable and open Argent and on the sinister a sheaf Or and in chief Sable the word "LABOR"" Or. Mural crown argent with five visible towers (city rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "CIDADE DE S. JOÃO DE MADEIRA".
Meaning:
"São João da Madeira" means "Saint John of the Wood" (or of the timber) - however, nothing pertaining these notions is found in the arms, which illustrate a supposed industrial / agricultural duality: This is surely bogus, since the whole municipal territory was almost totally urban in 1926 (as it is now).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Oct 2007
This flag and arms are used locally without an official sanction, as the Heraldic authority never accepted this design. I guess that before 1984, when the municipal seat was upgraded to city status, similar symbols were used but with trivial differences for town status - quarterly flag background, four towers and word "Vila" in the scroll.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Oct 2007
![[São João da Madeira municipality plain]](../images/p/pt-sjm0.gif)
2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, Apr 2010
São João da Madeira municipality had 21 102 inhabitants in 2001, and it consists of a single commune, covering 8,11 km². It is part of Aveiro District, traditional province and 1999 ref. adm. region Beira Litoral, C.C.R. / NUTS II Norte, and NUTS III Entre Douro e Vouga.
It is the smallest Portuguese municipality, its single commune detached in 1926 from neighbouring Oliveira de Azemeis Municipality (a process that normally brings along several communes as in the recent Vizela case). Currently the urban area sprawls into the neighboring communes in Oliveira de Azemeis and Santa Maria da Feira Municipalities (total urban population is around 40 000 inhabitants).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 16 Oct 2007
![[São João da Madeira commune]](../images/p/pt-sjmsj.gif)
2:3 image by Sérgio Horta, 28 Nov 2007
It is a fairly typical portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on plain green background.
![[São João da Madeira commune CoA]](../images/p/pt-sjmsj).gif)
image by Sérgio Horta,
The arms are Argent a cogwheel Gules encircled by eight ears of wheat Vert each pointing clockwise. Mural crown Argent with three visible towers (commune rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "Freguesia de São João da Madeira".
Flag and arms adopted and published in the official journal Diário da República: III Série in 1997.01.29.
São João da Madeira Commune is the only one in the eoponymous municipality, and it shares its geographic and demographic data (q.v.).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 27 Nov 2007
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