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Sveta Marija (Medjimurje, Croatia)

Općina Sveta Marija

image by Željko Heimer, 5 October 2009

Overview
Coat of Arms
Previous Coat of Arms

See also:

Other sites:

Collection of Croatian Local Flags at FAME

Overview

Sveta Marija is a community 10 km east of prelog and some 30 km east of Cakovec along the Drava river. The main settlement of the same name has abour 1,800 inhabitants and the surrounding villages might have a few hunderds more. The community seceeded in 1997 from the Kotoriba community.
Željko Heimer, 10 Febuary 2004

The coat of arms of Sveta Marija is adopted on 23rd June 2006: azure a St. Mary's crown or, in chief two fleurs-de-lis argent and in base a lace clapper or with a string argent. (While the version with dark blue backgound seems to be occasionally used [and prefered by the people on the communal web forum], the texts of description I found always talk about light blue shield - so I follow the text.)
The community consists of two towns, the crown refers to St. Mary, patron and namesake of the community and the fleurs-de-lis represent the other one - Donji Mihaljevec. The lace clapper represents the lacework this region is reknown of.
The flag is light blue with the coat of arms bordered yellow in the middle. The ceremonial flag exists that incudes a lacework pattern below the coat of arms.
The symbols were designed by Heraldik art d.o.o. Rijeka, building upon the original ideas as explained on Previous Coat of Arms.
The community of Sv. Marija seceded from the community of Kotoriba in 1997. It is situated 25 km east of Cakovec downstream the Drava river. Until 1953 named Sveta Marija na Muri (sic - the town center is, say, about a km from Drava and about 10 km from Mura river!), then named Marija na Muri until 1991 when it gets current name. Inhabitants 2,500, sopme 1,700 in the place itself (others mostly in Donji Mihaljevac).
Sources:
-"Utvrdena opcinska obilježja ", Medimurje, br. 2670, 27.06.2006.
-"Grb i zastava do Dana Opcine", Medimurje, br. 2653, 28.02.2006. Opcina Sv. Marija, <www.svetamarija.hr>.
Željko Heimer, 5 July 2006

In the official gazette of the Medimurjs County there is the decision adopting the symbols: Statutarna odluka o grbu i zastavi Opcine Sveta Marija, 23.06.2006, Službeni glasnik Medimurske županije, br. 7/06, 30.06.2006.
Željko Heimer, 26 August 2006

The photo of the flag at <www.svetamarija.hr> confirms that the flag field colour is not light blue, but dark blue. I was mislead by a news article previously that claimed that the flag field is "of the same colour", when the journalist probably meant "it is also blue" as the shield of the coat of arms, but failed to indicate that the shades are different.
Željko Heimer, 5 October 2009

Coat of Arms

image by Željko Heimer, 5 July 2006

Previous Coat of Arms

image by Željko Heimer, 10 Febuary 2004

The previous coat of arms of Sveta Marija is designed by local artist Franjo Mustac, around 1998 (my estimation): per fess fringed argent azure a crown or bordered argent and vert a fleur de lis argent.
This design was not confirmed by the Ministry of Administration and the community is in the process of obtaining a new one. However, the designs they were provided by Heraldik art d.o.o. of Rijeka were not satisfactiry to the community assembly, and they decided to call upon the designed of the abovementioned coat of arms to obtain from him a similar design that might be acceptable to the Ministry. The coat of arms is shown on the road signs at the entrances in the community that one that I have seen and photographed is missing the fleur de lis. It is either a variant of it was simply lost...
Currently no flag is adopted.
The fleur de lis as well as the crown refer to the patron and namesake of the community, St. Mary.
Sources: Roadsign at the entrance to the community, my photo 26.05.2002. "Sveta Marija: Najbolji - stari grb", Medimurje, br. 2518, 29.07.2003. <www.medjimurje.com>. "31. sjednica opcinskog vijeca Sveta Marija", 01.08.2003. Opcina Sveta Marija, <www.svetamarija.hr>.
Željko Heimer, 10 Febuary 2004