^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Municipality of Pilas (Seville Province, Andalusia, Spain)

2:3
image by Ivan Sache with coat of arms from the municipal website, 07 Jul 2009

Introduction
Description
Coat of Arms

See also:

Introduction

The municipality of Pilas (12,988 inhabitants in 2008; 4,594 ha) is located 30 km west of Seville, on the border with the Province of Huelva.

The Roman historian Pliny mentions Pillas, a rural region famous all over the Empire for its olive oil; remains of ceramic and pottery confirm that the site had already been settled by potters in the Prehistoric times. The first urban settlement, however, was organized by the Moors in the late 11th century around an Almohad qubba (square mausoleum surmounted with a cupola), later incorporated into the Hermitage of the Virgin of Belén, built in 1580.

In 1248, King Alfonso X the Wise changed "the Moorish name of Pillas for Torre del Rey" (also written Tor, meaning the King's Tower). After the resettlement and the share of the Moorish territories, a small village emerged in the 15th century; its wealth was mostly made by the trade of olive oil and tiles in Seville, subsequently of soap, exported to America. In the beginning of the 16th century, the village had three streets and some 20 inhabitants. Oil remained in the 16th century the most significant production of Pilas; during his official visit in Seville, King Philip II was offerred Pilas soap. The merchants used a river port on the Guadiamar, recalled in the toponymy by the Port's Road ("Camino del Puerto").

Luis de Medina y Garvey (1870-1951) is to be credited the industrialization of Pilas, funding the modernization of oil production, wine cellars, timber industry and tanneries. He developed the production of grape marc oil and of soap from olive oilcake (sold under the "Santa Amelia" brand), founded the transport company "Auto-Pileño" and introduced electricity in the town in 1921. He also introduced new crops, such as grain, tobacco and cotton.

Source: Municipal website

Ivan Sache, 08 Aug 2009

Description

The flag of Pilas was approved by the Municipal Council on 8 July 2004 and submitted to the General Directorate of Local Administration, which confirmed it by Decree on 13 July 2004, published in the Andalusian official gazette (Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía, BOJA) No. 155 on 9 August 2004.

The relevant parts of the Decree are the following:

1. Parts and elements of the flag. 1.1. The flag is: Per the official model, the flag shall be made of silk and taffeta, following the technical description given in paragraph 2. 1.2. The coat of arms of the town is included in the flag: The flag shall mandatory include the coat of arms of the town, with its unique field and tinctures and crown, all or, fading into the background, blue, of the same colour as the flag, outlining its shape and arms in gold, and with the lower circle of the crown lit intaglio with light reflects. The coat of arms shall be in the center of the upper stripe, being located on 37 u[nits], 12 u from the upper edge and 10 u from the upper border of the golden stripe. The central vertical axis of the coat of arms shall be placed 56 from both vertical borders. 1.3. The staff: Shall be of wood or cane, with finial, hilt and heel.

2. Shapes and dimensions. It shall be rectangular and elongated, extending from the hoist to the fly (sic). Its exact proportions shall be: The length one and a half the hoist. It shall be made of a blue rectangle charged with a golden stripe in the lower part, so that the three following stripes appear: for a total height of 74 u, the upper, blue stripe shall be 59 u; the golden stripe shall be 10 u; and the lower, blue stripe shall be 5 u.

The flag should be registered on the Andalusian Register of Local Entities, with its official written description and graphics (as originally submitted, but unfortunately not appended to the Decree).

Source: BOJA No. 155, pp. 17,701-17,702, 09 Aug 2004

Ivan Sache, 09 Aug 2009

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of Pilas was approved by the Municipal Council on 22 December 2003 and submitted to the General Directorate of Local Administration, which confirmed it by Decree on 12 April 2004, published in the Andalusian official gazette (Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía, BOJA) No. 82 on 28 April 2004.

The relevant parts of the Decree are the following:

1.Parts and graphic elements. 1.1. The crown: Made on the model of St. Fernando of Sevilla's [King Fernando III the Saint] royal crown, surmonting the shield, inscribed in a rectangle, made of: - a golden circle set with jewels surmounted with eight trefoils (five visible) in turn with eight small spheres (four visibles), charged with pearls. - a sawn-off cone-shaped base divided in two parts by three annulets and charged in the lower part with the caption "A QUINE YO PUS NOMBRE TOR DEL REY," set in the upper part with nine jewels. All the horizontal zones of the crown are made or bordered by segments of identical ellipses whose axes are with proportions 70/18. 1.2. The shield: The field is inscribed in a rectangle, oblong and rounded-off in its lower part slightly ending in a point, with proportions 6 in height on 5 in length. The border of the chief is divided in two slightly concave halves, the angles of the dexter and sinister cantons being cut off. The dexter and sinister borders are also concave, with the dimensions as specified in the attached description. In its unique field, centered and issuant from the heart of the shield, is inscribed the main motif, the Pila and, in the zone of the lower point, appears the the Collar of the [Golden] Fleece. The Pila (lit., the basin) or golden fountain, is made of a basin of eight small lobes (five visible) bordered on top and bottom by beadings of semi-circular section. It includes the cup-shaped, upper basin, from which emerges a pipe pouring argent down to the lower basin. The water blue with reflects argent. In the center of each lobe is placed an oval medalion, used to avoid too many arms and fields, charged with attributes alluding to the identity of our town; - the Cross of Santiago, in the middle, gules outlined sable; - the Tower or Fortress, sinister, clay; - the olive tree, dexter, vert and wood colour. The Collar of the Fleece of the Royal Spanish House, or, placed in an arched pattern, under the Pila, is placed at the base of the shield, crossing it dexter to sinister. It is made of B-shaped links. At the base proper is shown, hanging, the Golden Fleece, its head facing dexter.

2. Colour palette. The crown as well as the Pila and the Fleece shall be or with contrast and reflects. The crown's jewels are in turn gules and vert. The background of the shield is blue with darkened borders.

BOJA No. 82, p. 10,215, 28 Apr 2004

The processus of adoption of the flag was initiated by the Municipal Council on 16 April 2002. The municipal majority (PP, 11) approved the proposal, while the opposition either rejected it (IULV-CA, 1) or abstained form the vote (PSOE, 1). The wording of the proposal is the same as in the final Decree.

Source: Minutes of the Municipal Council, 16 Apr 2002

A photo of the flag was published by "Sevilla Press." [The municipal website shows an image with erroneous proportions and lacking the golden outline around the shield, which has been copied blindly on Wikipedia.]

Source: Sevilla Press," 07 May 2008

Ivan Sache, 09 Aug 2009