Flag of Barcelos

The flag of Barcelos has eight red and yellow gironnies (triangles), with a very loaded coat of arms in the centre. Barcelos is famous for its ceramic rooster, but the rooster does not appear on the coat of arms described by Flags of the World.

How it came about

Barcelos became a city in 1928. That is why its flag carries the ground of eight gironnies and the crown of five towers, which in Portugal are the mark of cities, just as in Lisbon. We did not find the date or the rule that approved the current flag.

How it has changed

A drawing of the coat of arms without a flag survives from the nineteenth century. It appears in the book As cidades e villas da Monarchia portugueza, of 1865. It is a coat of arms similar to the current one, with the same small shields, the tree, the towers and the bridge. No earlier flag is known.

1. 

   1865

   Coat of arms of Barcelos in a book of municipal heraldry. There is no flag yet.

2. 

   Today

   City flag: eight red and yellow gironnies with the coat of arms and the crown of five towers.

What it means

• Red and yellow

  the colours of the gironnies. The sources consulted do not explain them.

• Blue and silver waves

  the River Cávado, which crosses the municipality.

• Bridge

  according to Flags of the World, it may be a bridge or an aqueduct.

• Three small shields

  two with the quinas of Portugal and one with a red saltire. We did not find what the saltire means.

• White scroll

  «Cidade de Barcelos».

Fun facts

1. The rooster is not on the coat of arms

   Neither the 1865 engraving nor the current description on Flags of the World includes the rooster, which is the most famous symbol of Barcelos.

2. The legend of the rooster that sang while roasted

   According to the legend, a pilgrim to Santiago was condemned by mistake. He told the judge that a roasted rooster would sing if they hanged him, and the rooster sang. The legend is not proven.

Location