Queluz e Belas United Commune (Portugal) (original) (raw)

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União das Freguesias de Queluz e Belas, Concelho de Sintra, Distrito de Lisboa

Former Queluz commune (until 2013)
Presentation of Queluz
Former Belas commune (until 2013)
Presentation of Belas See also:
Sintra Municipality
Portugal

Former Queluz commune (until 2013)

[ [Queluz commune (until 2013)] ](../images/p/pt-sntqb-qe.gif)2:3 image by Sérgio Horta and António Martins-Tuválkin, 9 Apr 2010

It is a fairly untypical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a quartered background of green and yellow background, usually meaning (town rank).
António Martins-Tuválkin, 9 Apr 2010

Coat of arms

The arms are Argent an almond tree Vert trunked and eradicated Sable and fruited Or between two crescents Gules their tips pointing inwards and in chief three inescutcheons Azure set in fess and each charged with five plates and in base three barrulets wavy Azure. Mural crown argent with four visible towers usually meaning (town rank) and white scroll reading in black upper case letters "FREGUESIA DE QUELUZ".
Meaning:
The tree and the crescents refer to the local Arabic heritage: Canting for etym given as "Qa Al Luz" and the two original moorish settlements of Massamá and Queluz. The three quinas stand for the Royal Family, who had built the famous Queluz Palace.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 9 Apr 2010

Published in Diário da República: III Série on 2 Mar 2001
António Martins-Tuválkin, 9 Apr 2010

Presentation of Queluz

Queluz Commune is one of the 11 communes of Sintra Municipality (q.v.); it had 26 248 inhabitants in 2011 and covers 2.9 km². It was one of the three communes (with Massamá and Monte Abraão) that make up the namesake city of Queluz - which has no other administrative existence, as these are simply three communes within the Sintra municipality (whose seat is officially a town). Therefore I'd expect for the crown either three visible towers, just like most other urban communes, or five for the namesake city - I cannot understand four. Since 2013 Belas commune was incorporated and united with Queluz to a "united commune". Massamá and Monte Abraão also merged forming another "united commune".
António Martins-Tuválkin and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 25 July 2014

Queluz Commune was one of the pre-2013 communes of Sintra Municipality (q.v.); it had inhabitants in 2011 and covered km².
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 June 2015

Former Belas commune (until 2013)

[ [Belas commune (until 2013)] ](../images/p/pt-sntqb-be.gif)2:3 image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 June 2015

It is a typical Portuguese communal flag, with the coat of arms centred on a field quartered of red and black.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 June 2015

Coat of arms

Shield Gules divided by a cross Or with a fleur-de-lis of the same in each quarter, bordure Azure charged with two wheat ears paly Or at dexter and sinister. Mural crown Argent with four visible towers (town rank)and white scroll with inscription in black initials: "VILA DE BELAS".
Meaning:
According to books of the former municipality of Belas (until 1855), today possessed by Arquivo Histórico de Sintra (Sintra Historical Archive) a field of black and red belonged to the Correias da Atouguia kin, while the golden cross accompanied by four fleurs-de-lis had been the arms of Roberto de Licorne and his descendants, the first Lords of Belas. The two wheat ears are symbolizing the two lordships, into which the town was divided, Carenque in the East and Barota in the West. They are also alluding to the typical local Moorish kind of wheat, called Durazio. The red colour of the flag is symbolizing victory in war and representing life, happiness, blood and strength. Black is the colour of medieval Lisboa, two which the Belas region belonged for ages.
Source: Portuguese WIKIPEDIA.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 June 2015

Presentation of Belas

Belas Commune was one of the pre-2013 communes of Sintra Municipality (q.v.); it had 26 089 inhabitants in 2011 and covered 21.9 km².
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 June 2015

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