Flag of Horta

The flag of Horta has eight blue and white triangles, with a very unusual coat of arms in the centre: it is divided into four parts and topped by a ducal crown. Horta is the town of the island of Faial, in the Azores.

How it came about

The coat of arms is from 1865. King Luís I granted it by decree of 3 May of that year, to reward the inhabitants of Horta who had supported the liberal cause in the wars against the absolutists. He also gave them the title of “most loyal”.

The flag bears those arms on a gironnied ground: eight triangles, which in the Portuguese system indicate a town. The sources consulted do not give the date on which the flag was established.

How it has changed

The arms of 1865 remain in force. In 1947 a heraldic commission proposed changing them, but the town council did not accept.

1. 1865

   Arms granted by Luís I: a shield with four quarters, which gather the quinas of Portugal, the bust of Pedro IV, a book with the date 29 April 1826 and a castle with a goshawk.

2. 

   1947-1948

   Proposal not adopted. The heraldic commission imagined a plain blue flag with a new coat of arms: a beech tree with two pitchers of hydrangeas and a goshawk above.

3. 

   Today

   Blue and white gironnied flag with the arms of 1865. It keeps the original coat of arms and adds the town ground.

What it means

• Blue and white

  the colours of the flag of the Azores and also those of the current flag of Angra do Heroísmo.

• Quinas

  those of the flag of Portugal, in the first quarter.

• Bust and book

  the bust is of Pedro IV, who abdicated in 1826, and the book carries the date of the Constitutional Charter, 29 April 1826.

• Castle and goshawk

  the silver castle, with the goshawk of the Azores perched on top.

• Arm with a sword

  it tops the ducal crown.

Fun facts

1. A coat of arms with many parts

   In 1947 the heraldic commission said that municipal coats of arms should not be divided into quarters, because that is proper to families. It proposed a different one, but it was not adopted.

2. A hydrangea and a beech tree

   The coat of arms proposed in 1947 alluded to the names of the island and of the town: the beech tree to Faial, and the pitchers of flowers to Horta.

Localisation