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Florianópolis, Santa Catarina (Brazil)

by Joseph McMillan

About the Flag

About the Flag of Florianópolis

Florianópolis is the capital of the state of Santa Catarina, in southern >Brazil, on the island of the same name (Santa Catarina, not >Florianópolis). At the site http:// www.guiafloripa.com.br/cidade/hino.htm is the following information on the flag and arms:

The flag of the Florianópolis municipality was created by law number 1409 of 17 March 1976, in the same year we were celebrating 250 years of political-administrative emancipation, for the purpose of symbolizing our municipality. Its characteristics are: a white rectangle, of 8 units by 11 units, cut by two red stripes, which are the colors of our state. These stripes are placed in the upper and lower extremities of the white rectangle, which has at the center the municipal coat of arms, created by law number 1408 of 15 March 1976, excluding the supporters of the shield.

The new coat of arms of the Florianópolis municipality is composed of a shield of Portuguese type, divided horizontally with a golden rising sun on blue field. In the base, three wavy bars of silver represent the sea. The island [of Santa Catarina] is symbolized by a golden escutcheon in the center of the shield, bordered in red and containing the Cross of the Order of Christ which represents the Azores and their people, the settlers of the island. Above the shield, there's a golden mural >crown, symbol of fortified cities as Desterro [previous name of Florianópolis--ed.] was. The coat of arms rests on a blue scroll, having at the center the word "Florianópolis, preceded by the date 1726, the year when the Municipality was founded with the rank of town and when the first municipal executive was installed, and followed by the date 1823, the year when the municipality was upgraded to the rank of city.

On the right side of the arms [as a supporter not shown on the flag--ed.] is a representation of the bandeirante Dias Velho, founder of Desterro (the old name of Florianópolis), and on the right side a representation of an officer of the Infantry Regiment of the Line of the Island of Santa Catarina, inexplicably nicknamed the "Green Belly Regiment," dressed according to the regulation uniform of the Portuguese Army.

The new coat of arms of Florianópolis was created by municipal law number 1408 of 15 March 1976, according to the suggestions of a commission composed of Professors Oswaldo Rodrigues Cabral, Vitor A. Peluso Jr., and Carlos Humberto P. Correa.

Dov Gutterman, translated by Jorge Candeias, 16 January 1999

The Cross of the Order of Christ has never been, to the best of my knowledge, a symbol of the Azores in Portuguese heraldry. It's much more connected with Madeira. Also [the association of the mural crown with a fortified cities] is quite dubious. At least in Portuguese heraldry, mural crowns are simple replacements for the previous crowns (royal or ducal), having nothing to do with fortifications.
Jorge Candeias, 16 January 1999