Last modified: 2011-01-22 by eugene ipavec
Keywords: villardeciervos | zamora | stag (white) |
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The municipality of Villardeciervos (474 inhabitants; 8,432 ha) is located in the north-west of the Zamora Province, 80 km west of the provincial capital.
Villardeciervos is built on the foot of a rock known as Peña del Castro (The Castle's Rock), already settled during the Age of Iron. At the time, some 100 people lived inside a small citadel. Around 20 BC, the area was conquered by the Romans and the inhabitants of the citadel relocated down in the plain: remains of mines indicate that a Roman settlement existed on the today's site of Villardeciervos. The settlement, located on the way linking Braga and Astorg, was of strategic significance.
Nothing is known on the modern village before 1155, when it was mentioned as Vilar de Cervos, owned by the Cistercian monastery of Moreruela; on 4 October 1163, Pope Alexander III granted protection to the monastery, including the "barn" (estate) of Vilar de Cervos. In 1305, the whole village and its mines were granted to the monastery. In the 14th century, Alonso Pimentel, third Count of Benavente, overtook the possessions of the declining monastery, including Villardeciervos. On 24 August 1499, the Counts of Benavente transferred the copper mines to Pedro Sarmiento; his descendant Diego José de Oca was listed in 1752 as the Dean of Villardicervios and Betanzos.
Source: Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 10 Dec 2010
The flag and arms of Villardeciervos are prescribed by a Decree adopted on 2 June 2005 by the Municipal Council, signed by the Mayor on 29 September 2005 and published on 6 October 2005 in the official gazette of Castile and Leon, No. 194, p. 17,079. The symbols are described as follows:
Municipal flag: Rectangular flag with proportions 2:3, made of three horizontal stripes in proportions 1/4, 1/4 and 1/2, the upper red, the middle white and the lower green with a white stag ["ciervo"] jumping.Coat of arms: Per fess, 1. Gules a town argent masoned sable, 2. Vert a stag saillant argent. The shield surmounted with a Royal crown closed.
Source: http://bocyl.jcyl.es/boletines/2005/10/06/pdf/BOCYL-D-06102005-17.pdf
Ivan Sache, 10 Dec 2010