The Flag of Lisbon, also known as the Flag of Saint Vincent, is the

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

flag of Lisbon, consisting of a

gyronny In heraldry, variations of the field are any of a number of ways that a field (or a charge) may be covered with a pattern, rather than a flat tincture or a simple division of the field. Blazoning of French adjectives Variations of the field p ...

alternating between black and white defaced with the coat of arms of Lisbon in the center. For civil use the flag is flown without the coat of arms. The coat of arms of Lisbon depict the story of how Saint Vincent came to become the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Lisbon. Portuguese legend states how the body of the saint was bought to the

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

in 1173 whilst on its way to the capital to be interred at Lisbon Cathedral by King Alfonso I. Here, whilst the ship was moored at Portugal's most south-westerly point (modern day

Cape St. Vincent Cape St. Vincent ( pt, Cabo de São Vicente, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacr ...

) two ravens allegedly perched on the ship to keep guard of the corpse. This legend made its way into Portuguese folklore, resulting in the scene being used to represent Lisbon. Draped immediately below is the collar of the

Order of the Tower and Sword The Ancient and Most Noble Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of the Valour, Loyalty and Merit ( pt, Antiga e Muito Nobre Ordem Militar da Torre e Espada, do Valor, Lealdade e Mérito), before 1910 Royal Military Order of the Tower an ...

, which was awarded to the city on 3 June 1920 by President

António José de Almeida António José de Almeida, GCTE, GCA, GCC, GCSE (; 27 July 1866 – 31 October 1929), was a Portuguese politician who served as the sixth president of Portugal from 1919 to 1923. Early career Born in Penacova to José António de Almeida ...

. Beneath the coat of arms there is a white scroll bearing the motto ("Most noble and ever loyal city of Lisbon"). Above the coat of arms there is a golden mural crown with five visible towers, indicating Lisbon's city and capital status. The Flag of Lisbon influenced the design of the Flag of Ceuta.

References

External links

Lisbon on Flags of the World
Flags of Portugal Flags of cities Flags of saints Flag Flag Flags displaying animals Order of the Tower and Sword {{Europe-flag-stub

See also

References

External links