Last modified: 2020-07-31 by ian macdonald
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image by Ivan Sache,
31 July 2020
The municipality of Montenegro (59,415 inhabitants in 2010; 42,401 ha) is
located 60 km of Porto Alegre. The municipality is composed of the districts of
Montenegro (seat), Pesqueiro, Vendinha, Fortaleza, Costa de Serra and Santos
Reis.
Montenegro was first settled in 1730-1740 by Antônio de Souza
Fernando, Bartolomeu Gonçalves de Magalhães and Antônio José Machado de Araújo.
The first house was erected in 1785 by José de Araújo Vilela; it was built of
stone and covered with tiles, something very infrequent at the time. The house
was later inhabited by Simas' son-in-law, Tristão José Fagundes, who is
considered as the founder of the town of Montenegro.
Montenegro was first
known as Porto das Laranjeiras, the 2nd district of Triunfo. State Law No. 630
promulgated on 18 October 1867 renamed it to São João de Monte Negro. This name
refers to the São João hill, a black mount located in the center of the town,
locally known to shelter a sleeping giant.
The municipality of São João
de Monte Negro was established on 4 August 1873. Elevated to the rank of
"cidade" by State Decree No. 2,026 issued on 14 October 1913, the municipality
was renamed to São João de Montenegro, and, eventually, to Montenegro by Decree
No. 7,199 issued on 31 March 1938.
The river port of Montenegro, designed
in 1904 by Álvaro de Moraes, was a main place of disembarkation for colonists
coming from Porto Alegre and heading to the new colonies set up in the
highlands.
The railway station inaugurated in 1910 was the reference site of
the trade roads heading to Porto Alegre from Santa Maria, Uruguaiana and the
states of Paraná and São Paulo. Completely revamped in 1940, the station is now
the town's Cultural Station, housing the municipal painting collection.
The
Mauricio Cardoso power plant, inaugurated on 22 May 1938, once supplied the
towns of Montenegro, Porto dos Pereiras, Porto do Maratá, Pareci Novo and São
Sebastião do Caí with electricity produced by coal and firewood combustion.
Elder remember that their houses quaked when the plant was operated, except on
Saturday when it was closed. The plant, eventually closed in 1955, is now used
as the seat of the Municipal Chamber.
Tannin industry, based on black wattle
plantations, was established in Montenegro in 1946.
http://www.montenegro.rs.gov.br/
Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 31 July 2020
The flag and arms of Montenegro are prescribed by Municipal Law
No. 1,897 promulgated on 15 September 1971.
Article 6.
The municipal
flag of Montenegro, designed by the heraldist Arcinoé Antonio Peixoto de Faria,
shall be quartered by a cross, with blue quarters formed by four white stripes
superimposed with red stripes of one unit, arranged two by two in the horizontal
and vertical dimensions, superimposed by a central white lozenge charged with
the municipal coat of arms.
§1. In compliance with the Portuguese and
heraldic traditions, and their inherited canons and rules, municipal flags have
to be divided in eight, six, four or three quarters, the flag being here
quartered by a cross symbolizing the Christian spirit of Montenegro's people.
§2. The coat of arms applied on the flag represents the municipal government
while the white lozenge on which it is applied represents the town as the
municipal seat. The stripes represent the spread of municipal power all over the
territory, the quarters represent the rural estates scattered over the municipal
territory.
Article 7.
In compliance with heraldic rules, the municipal
flag shall have the official dimensions adopted for the national flag, 14 units
in width on 20 units in length.
Article 19.
The coat of arms of
Montenegro, designed by Valter Spaldinn and revised by the heraldist Arcinoé
Antonio Peixoto de Faria, is described as follows:
A Samnit shield
surmounted by an eight-towered mural crown argent. On a field argent divided by
fess wavy azure an anchor gules surrounded by two oranges proper. A chief azure
a cross argent outlined gules surrounded by the Latin words "Agnus Dei". The
shield supported dexter and sinister by smoking chimneys gules charged in base
with cogwheels argent and branches of black wattle proper. Beneath the shield a
scroll gules inscribed in letters argent the toponym "MONTENEGRO" surrounded by
years "1867" and "1873".
The coat of arms has the following symbolic
interpretation:
a) The Samnit shield, used to represent the arms of
Montenegro, the first style of shield introduced to Portugal under French
influence, was inherited by Brazilian heraldry to evoke the colonizing race and
main builder of the nation;
b) The mural crown surmounting the shield is the
universal symbol of coat of arms of domains; argent (silver) with eight towers,
five visible in perspective, it classifies the town as of second rank or county
seat;
c) Argent (silver) is an heraldic symbol of peace, friendship, work and
prosperity, purity, and religious feeling.
d) The fess wavy blue (azure) that
divides the shield's field represents river Caí, whose right bank was before
1867 the site of emergence of a settlement named Porto das Laranjeiras,
subsequently transformed into the town of Montenegro; this is represented on the
arms by the anchor gules (red) placed in the center and surrounded by two
oranges proper, recalling the primitive toponym "Porto das Laranjeiras"
[Oranges' Port].
e) Blue (azure) is a symbol of justice, nobleness,
perseverance, zeal and loyalty; gules (red) is a symbol of dedication, patriotic
love, audacity, intrepidity, courage, and valiance.
f) In chief azure (blue),
a cross argent (silver) surrounded by the Latin words "Agnus Dei" forms the
symbol of São João de Montenegro, established as part of the municipality of
Triunfo on 18 October 1967.
g) As outer ornaments, smoking chimneys gules
(red) charged in base with cogwheels argent (silver) and branches of black
wattle proper, representing tannin industry, which is one of the main sources of
income for the municipality, represented by the big tannin factories: Tanac S/A,
Tanino Mimosa S/A and Tanino Montenegro, which yielded to the town the nickname
of "Taninocap - Tannin Metropolis".
h) On a scroll gules (red) in letters
argent (silver), the identifying toponym "MONTENEGRO" surrounded by years "1867"
for the creation of the parish and "1873" for political emancipation.
Symbolic meaning of the municipal coat of arms
[Skipped - totally redundant
with the preceding paragraphs]
http://www.montenegro.rs.gov.br/?titulo=Munic%EDpio&template=conteudo&categoria=503&codigoCategoria=503&idConteudo=2041&tipoConteudo=INCLUDE_MOSTRA_CONTEUDO
Municipal website
Photos
https://www.facebook.com/prefeiturademontenegro/photos/a.1565924973687010/2474079049538260/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/prefeiturademontenegro/photos/a.1565924973687010/2704334596512703/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/prefeiturademontenegro/photos/a.1556795507933290/2478113125801519/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/prefeiturademontenegro/photos/a.1565924973687010/2474077746205057/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/prefeiturademontenegro/photos/a.1556795507933290/2284607295152104/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/prefeiturademontenegro/photos/a.1556795507933290/2246247935654707/?type=3&theater
Ivan Sache, 31 July 2020