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Barbate (Municipality, Andalusia, Spain)

Flag of Barbate, as seen on 7 November 2009 in front of a shop - Image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 30 November 2009

Presentation of Barbate
Symbols of Barbate

See also:

Presentation of Barbate

The municipality of Barbate (22,921 inhabitants in 2013; 14,336 ha; municipal website) is located 65 km south-east of Cádiz.
Established on 11 March 1938, as Barbate de Franco, by separation from Vejer de la Frontera, the municipality was renamed Barbate by Decree No. 25, adopted on 25 February 1998 by the Government of Andalusia and published on 7 March 1998 in the official gazette of Andalusia, No. 26 (text). The change in the name was validated by the Government of the Cádiz Province and by the Royal Academy of Cordóba.

Klaus-Michael Schneider & Ivan Sache, 30 November 2009

Symbols of Barbate

The (unofficial) flag of Barbate is white with the coat of arms in its centre.

The coat of arms of Barbate was adopted on 14 September 1981 by the Municipal Council. Designed by José Antonio Delgado y Orellana, the coat of arms is described as follows:

Coat of arms: Per fess [fimbriated or], 1. Gules a mount or ensigned by a cross of the same [brown on the images] charged with a star azure and surrounded in chief in two stars or [brown on the images]. 2. Azure two tunas argent per fess. The shield surmounted by a Duke's coronet.

The upper field shows the modified emblem of the Carmelites, featuring Mt. Carmel and the stars referring to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The tunas recall the almadraba fisheries, shown on Phoenician coins (see Adra).

The first coat of arms of Barbate was granted on 11 March 1950 as "Per fess, 1. Azure a mountain or ensigned by a cross of the same charged with a star azure and surrounded in chief in two stars or, 2. Gules per bend a dragon olf or langued gules at each end surrounded by two Corinthian columns argent and the writing 'PLUS' and 'ULTRA' in letters sable. A bordure or inscribed with the writing 'FRANCISCO FRANCO FUNDADOR DE BARBATE' [Francico Franco, founder of Barbate] in letters sable. The shield surmounted by a Duke's coronet with pearls."

The lower field of the arms represents the personal arms of Francisco Franco.
The Royal Academy of History suggested on 19 November 1965 to adopt new arms, "Per pale, 1. Argent two cauldrons checky or and gules per pale, 2. Argent two tunas azure per fess". The first field represents the arms of the Guzmán, while the second field represents the arms of the Dukes of Medina Sidonia, also Counts of Niebla. Never officially adopted, those arms were never used.
[José Antonio Delgado y Orellana. Heráldica Municipal de la Provincia de Cádiz (1969)]

Klaus-Michael Schneider & Ivan Sache, 30 November 2009