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Jaksic (Pozega-Slavonia, Croatia)

Općina Jakšić

image by Željko Heimer, 14 August 2009

Overview
Coat of Arms

See also:

Other sites:

Collection of Croatian Local Flags at FAME

Overview

Jakšic is a community in the Požega-Slavonia County less then 10 km east from Pozega, with almost 4,500 inhabitants in 10 settlements - about 2000 of them in the village of the same name.
The coat of arms and the flag may be see on the community web site (coat of arms in the header, flag hoisted on the community building here).
It seems that the symbols were designed by Heraldic Art from Rijeka, but they are not included in the company materials that I have seem - which probably means that they were adopted rather recently - say about 2008 (they are shown on the web site since at least November 2008).
The coat of arms of Jakšic is: azure a chalice or covered with a purificator argent.
The local church in Jakšic is consecrated to St. Barbara. One of the traditional attributes of St. Barbara depicted in art is a chalice - she is usually depicted as lady standing by three-widowed tower, holding a chalice and a palm branch and also with some cannons by her side. This last is due to her being patron of artillerymen. She is also patron of masons, woodcutters, mathematicians, miners, military engineers and those afraid of lighting and "anyone who works at risk of sudden and violent death".
The purificator called in Croatian "kaležnjak" - literally meaning more or less "the thing that goes together with a chalice"
In any case, it seems that the choice of this symbols by Jakšic is to honour its patron.
The flag is blue with the coat of arms bordered yellow in the middle of it.
Željko Heimer, 14 August 2009

From the he Catholic Encyclopedia - see 'Adjuncts of the chalice' here: "The purificator (purificatorium or more anciently emunctorium) now consists of a rectangular piece of linen usually folded twice lengthwise and laid across the top of the chalice. It is used for wiping and drying the chalice, or the paten, or the priest's lips, e.g. after the ablutions. (...).
The pall is a small square of stiffened linen ornamented with a cross, which is laid upon the orifice of the chalice to protect its contents from flies or dust."
The drawing seems to depict a supple piece of cloth, not a stiffened one. So the thing is probably a purificator. Pictures at <www.stjosephlnk.org>.
Jan Mertens, 14 August 2009

Coat of Arms

image by Željko Heimer, 14 August 2009