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Kvilda, Czech Republic

Prachatice okres, South Bohemian Region

Last modified: 2009-08-15 by jarig bakker
Keywords: kvilda | st. stephen |
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[Kvilda flag] by Blas Delgado Ortiz, 11 Oct 2001
adopted 27 Mar 2000 See also:

Kvilda municipality flag

Image after Petr Exner's Vexilologický Lexikon prapory obcí ČR (2000) - Kvilda, Prachatice district, South Bohemian region - adopted 27 Mar 2000.
The flag of the village of Kvilda is at this website. The stripes' ratio is 3:1:1:1:3.
Jan Zrzavy, 26 Jul 2002

Kvilda Coat of Arms

[Kvilda coat of arms] image from this website, reported by Jan Zrzavy, 26 Jul 2002

What's the item in the lower part of the Coat of Arms?
Jarig Bakker, 26 Jul 2002

A silver stone, attributed to St. Stephan.
Jan Zrzavy, 28 Jul 2002

St. Stephen was one of the seven deacons, appointed by the Apostles to distribute goods among the poor people of the first Christian commune. He was accused of blasphemy and after a sham-trial was found guilty and stoned to death, see Acts 6, 7.
His attribute is a stone, painted by van Eyck as a "dalmatic" pressed together (a dalmatic was the tunic, in which the deacons were dressed) - just like the stone on the Kvilda Coat of Arms.
St. Stephen was one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages, about whom many legends were told. One of them has it that he was a servant at the court of Herod. During a lavish meal a roast chicken stood up from a plate and said: "Christus natus est" (Christ has been born). Herod was furious and had Stephen stoned.
Source: "Heiligen van alle tijden", by Clemens Jöckle, 1995.
Jarig Bakker, 29 Jul 2002

St. Stephen was the first Christian martyre. His death in Jerusalem (c. year 37) started a violent persecution against the Christians. Stephen is called in French Étienne (but Stéphane is also used). However, the Greek root "stephanos" (crowned) has been preserved in the name of the inhabitants of Saint-Étienne (the supporters of the famous Green football team in the 70s), called Stéphanois. The root "stephanos" is also used in mycological terms such as "Stephanoascus", a yeast-like fungus with "crowned" asci, asci being specific spore-producing structures.
Ivan Sache, 29 Jul 2002