Nisa Municipality (Portugal)

Last modified: 2005-08-26 by antonio martins
Keywords: nisa | coat of arms | castle (yellow) | cross: são bento | crescent: points to hoist | quinas | star: 6 points (white) |
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• About the flag
• Version without the coat of arms
• Presentation of Nisa

• Municipalities of Portugal
• Portugal

About the flag

It is a quite typical portuguese municipal flag, with the coat of arms centered on a plain yellow background. The coat of arms is gules, a castle or masoned sable, door and windows void, under a roman cross patte argent voided gules, this flanqued by two six pointed stars under which, sinister, an eschuteon charged with Portugal ancien, and, dexter, a crescent argent. Mural crown argent with four visible towers (town rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "NOTÁVEL VILA DE NISA". The unusual epithet "notável" ("noteworthy") was attributed for successful borderline defense, if I recall correctly.
António Martins, 31 Jul 1999

The cross is that of the Knights of São Bento, the oldest military order, created in the beginning of the 13th century by Afonso II. (From: Les Guides Bleus — Portugal, Madàre, Açores, 1978)
Jarig Bakker, 01 Aug 1999

Version without the coat of arms

Plain (monocolored) portuguese subnational flags are not allowed to have armless variations: plain flags always carry the coat of arms.
Jorge Candeias, 18 Jul 1999

Presentation of Nisa

Nisa municipality had 9460 inhabitants in 1990, and it is divided in 10 communes, covering 574 km². It belongs to the Portalegre District and to the old province of Alto Alentejo.
António Martins, 31 Jul 1999