Flag of Angra do Heroísmo

The flag of Angra do Heroísmo is a field gyronny in blue and white: eight sectors coming out of the centre, four blue and four white, alternating. In the centre is the coat of arms, crowned by a mural crown of five towers.

How it came about

Angra do Heroísmo is a city on the island of Terceira, in the Azores archipelago. It regained the liberal arms of 1837 around 2013.

How it has changed

It has had two lives. The liberal arms were those of 1837; the city regained that design around 2013. It is a rare case of a flag that returns to its original form after a century.

What it means

• Gyronny

  eight sectors, four blue and four white, alternating, all coming out of the centre. Like a pie cut into eight slices.

• Coat of arms

  in the centre, crowned by a mural crown of five towers.

• Ropes

  cordon and tassels in blue and white, with a golden staff and lance.

Fun facts

1. Eight slices, like a pie

   The description explains the word “gyronny” with an image: the field is divided into eight sectors coming out of the centre, like a pie cut into eight equal slices. It is one of the clearest definitions of a heraldic term there is.

2. A flag that returns to its origin

   The liberal arms were established in 1837, during the liberal revolutions. Angra do Heroísmo regained them around 2013. It is a rare case: a city that recovers its original design a century and a half later.

3. The mural crown of five towers

   Above the coat of arms there is a mural crown of five towers, the mark of Portuguese cities. The blue and white ropes, with the golden staff and lance, are ornaments of the crown.

Location