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Virje (Koprivnica-Krizevci County, Croatia)

Last modified: 2003-06-14 by dov gutterman
Keywords: korpivnicko-krizevacka | croatia | virje | st. florian | firemen |
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by Zeljko Heimer, 9 June 2003



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Overview

Virje is a community 10 km south-east of Koprivnica and 5 km NW of Šurdevac with about 5,400 inhabitants. The CoA and the flag are described in the statutes of 2001 issued in the official gazette (avilable on <www.glasila.hr>):  Statut Opcine Virje, 4. listopada 2001. Službeni glasnik Koprivnicko- križevacke županije, br. 11/01, god. IX, Koprivnica, 5. listopada 2001. They must have been adopted somewhat earlier, say about 1997. I saw the CoA on a road sign at the entrance into the town in September 2000. Dov Gutterman located the CoA image at the <www.virje.hr> site on 26 August 1999, together with a number of local flags of various associations. Now we can fill up the info with the flag, too.
According to the Vladimir Šešet, visitor of my site, the coat of arms and the flag are consecrated on 11th November 1994 on the Day of the Community - St. Martin's Day.
The coat of arms is blazoned: In golden yellow triangular shield bordered red, a red cloak cut per bend. The cloak is St. Martin's cloak, St. Martin being the patron of Virje. The cloak has painted a white cross on the inside and it has a circular clasp on the dexter shoulder. The flag is yellow with the coat of arms set near the hoist. The flag and the coat of arms are approved by the Ministry of Administration.
St. Martin is known for his deed of cutting his cloak in two and sharing it with a beggar. In many CoAs (and therefore some flags too) the sceene is shown, usually often with St. Martin sitting on a horse, giving a piece of his cloak to a beggar. You will see him quite a while in Croatian CoA's , being a revered saint in various Croatian regions (but he is also revered in other parts of Central Europe, but also in Northern Italy and Southern France). Over here, he is mostly known as patron of the vine making, St. Martin's Day being the date when traditionally the young vine is baptized and proclaimed ready to be consumated.
Zeljko Heimer, 25 and 26 Febuary 2003

According to Dražen Ernecic: Grbovi i zastave Koprivnicko-križevacke županije, Muzej Grada Koprivnice, 2003. i.e. [ern03], the Ministry approved the design on 7 July 1995. Design was made by Ivica Tišljar.
Zeljko Heimer, 9 June 2003


Coat of Arms


by Zeljko Heimer, 9 June 2003


Flags In The City Site


resized from <virje.hr>, located by Dov Gutterman, 26 August 1999

This is the flag of the local voluntarly fire department, showing the sain patron of firemen
The site is the site of the community of Virje.
Zeljko Heimer, 28 August 1999

That would be St. Florian.  I bought a woodcarving of him in Vienna a few years ago--it purports to protect one's house from fire
Joseph McMillan, 29 August 1999

There are more flags on the site: Take a look at <virje.hr/kultura2.html#vrh> and <virje.hr/kultura3.html#vrh>.
Dov Gutterman, 3 September 1999