Emblems of Portugal

Throughout its nine centuries of existence as an autonomous political unity, Portugal has created several visual emblems capable of symbolising its nature.
These emblems were intended to be appreciated by the people, serving to foster the idea of a political community endowed with social and cultural coherence, capable of glimpsing a shared past and future.
Some of these visual emblems benefited from a formal nature, derived from the powers that be, such as the case of heraldry. Others, on the other hand, arose more spontaneously from different sectors of society, spreading through informal channels. All, however, fulfilled similar functions in terms of the construction of a Portuguese collective identity.

This book is a study of the different types of images used for this purpose over the centuries, organised according to entries in alphabetical order. It is, therefore, a dictionary of emblems of Portugal, from the Angel of Portugal to Zé-Povinho (Joe Public) and includes the colours (white, blue, green, red, separately or together), the flag, heraldry (in different forms), the Constitution, the crown, the red carnation, several crosses, the dragon, effigies and allegorical figures, companies, the armillary sphere, notable figures, the Barcelos rooster, logos, the currency, Our Lady and honorific orders.
All together, these images form the visual backdrop identifying Portugal.