San Esteban de Nogales (Municipality, Castile and León, Spain)

Last modified: 2013-09-19 by ivan sache
Keywords: san esteban de nogales | león |
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Flag of San Esteban de Nogales - Image by Antonio Gutiérrez (VexiLeón website), 9 February 2011

• Presentation of San Esteban de Nogales
• Symbols of San Esteban de Nogales

See also:

• Spain
• Castile and León (Autonomous Community, Spain)
• León Province (Castile and León, Spain)

Presentation of San Esteban de Nogales

The municipality of San Esteban de Nogales (305 inhabitants in 2009; 3,224 ha) is located in the south of León Province, 70 km of León.

San Esteban de Nogales developed around the Santa María de Nogales monastery, founded in 1150 by Vela Gutiérrez and Sancha Ponce. The primary, Benedictine monastery was abandoned in 1160 after Vela Gutiérrez' death, for an unknown reason. On 20 December 1164, Sancha Ponce transferred all her goods and rights in Nogales to the Cistercian monks of Santa María de Moreruela (Zamora), provided they would build a new monastery.
Today ruined, the Santa María de Nogales monastery is registered on the Spanish Red List of (endangered) Heritage (notice). Marble statues in Italian style, taken from the monastery, are shown in the Museum of the Hispanic Society, New York. In September 2006, a full arch was stolen from the ruins.

Ivan Sache, 9 February 2011

Symbols of San Esteban de Nogales

The flag and arms of San Esteban de Nogales are prescribed by a Decree adopted on 27 January 2001 by the Municipal Council, signed on 29 January 2001 by the Mayor, and published on 9 February 2001 in the official gazette of Castile and León, No. 29, p. 2,306 (text).
The symbols are described as follows:

Flag: Rectangular flag, with proportions 2:3, divided in three horizontal stripes with proportions 2:7, 3:7 and 2:7, the outer stripes purple and the central stripe white with the municipal coat of arms in the middle.
Coat of arms: Quarterly, 1. Azure an apse or, 2. Argent a lion purpure crowned and armed or langued gules, 3. Argent a nut tree [nogal] eradicated vert, 4. Azure, a wooden bridge over waves argent and azure. The shield surmounted with a Royal crown closed.

The first quarter of the arms recalls the former Santa María de Nogales monastery.
The bridge shown on the fourth quarter, made of a structure of alder wood covered with grass (photo), crosses river Eria; it is used during the traditional pilgrimage to the St. George chapel, located across the river.

Ivan Sache, 9 February 2011