Eight red and white gironnies with a blue coat of arms of towers, the Virgin and waves: the flag of Faro, capital of the Algarve, was published in 1987.
Every fact about the flag, each with what it means.
Normal flagFIAV symbol: the form of the flag.
CivilFIAV symbol: who may fly the flag.YesIt carries the coat of arms on the cloth.The flag in the words of vexillology and heraldry.
It is a rectangular field with a 2:3 ratio in red and white gironnies, with the coat of arms of the city in the centre. The coat of arms is blue and stands out against the ground.
Each element and how many of the 1,390 flags in the catalogue carry it. In yellow, the rarest.
Every date in its story, at a glance.
The shape of eight gironnies is the one Portugal fixed in 1930 for city flags
Flag and coat of arms were published in the Diário da República (III Série) on 12 May 1987
How it was born, how it has changed and what it means.
The flag of Faro has eight red and white gironnies and, in the centre, a blue coat of arms with two towers, the Virgin and the waves of the sea. Faro is the capital of the Algarve, at the far south of Portugal, and its coat of arms speaks of walls, of faith and of coast.
Flag and coat of arms were published in the Diário da República (III Série) on 12 May 1987. Flags of the World points out that the symbols existed before, perhaps from the thirties, but there is no record confirming it.
The shape of eight gironnies is the one Portugal fixed in 1930 for city flags, copying that of Lisbon. One curious detail: the coat of arms of Faro is blue, green, white and gold, and red does not appear on it. I did not find out why the flag is red and white.
I did not find any earlier documented flag, nor old images of the coat of arms. The only certain thing is the publication of 1987.
Before 1987
There may be older symbols, possibly from the thirties, according to Flags of the World. Their drawings are not known.
Blue coat of arms
it is the ground of the coat of arms.
Wall with two towers
the fortifications of the city, with the quinas of Portugal on each tower.
Virgin
the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception between the towers, with a golden halo.
Eight-pointed star
in gold, in the upper right corner.
Green and silver waves
the water, because Faro is on the coast of the Ria Formosa.
Mural crown of five towers
it marks that it is a city.
The coat of arms is blue, silver, green and gold, but the flag is red and white. Heraldry of the World does not explain the origin of the arms.
A plain version exists, only with the gironnies. Flags of the World says it has been seen flown upside down, because it is almost never used.
Test what you have read about the flag of Faro.
Sources consulted:
Flag image: GumSkyloard, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain.
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