The piece of the month of October 2025

THE FLAG OF TUDELA

Íñigo Pérez Ochoa
Municipalfile of Tudela

The first reference letter we know of to the flag of Tudela is from 1277, according to Julio Segura Moneo. It is a waxy cello of which only a fragment is preserved, but of which there is a series with a similar description: "bridge of 4 eyes with three towers: in the central one a flag with a plain cross". This flag, which can be seen in the form A a wax seal of 1305, hanging from a parchment conserved in the Municipal file of Tudela, allows us to know its shape. There are twelve wax seals that Julio Segura lists, containing the same flag, in the period from 1277 to 1393.

The colors it had are known thanks to a description published by Francisco Fuentes in the Municipal bulletin of 1942: "the flag of Tudela was white with a red cross that crossed it and divided into four parts". Both the municipal archivist and José Ramón Castro found descriptions of the city's banner in the 16th century. Thus, in 1533, it is known from the municipal account book that "five rods of white damask, one of red damask and an average of white satin were bought for the flag", and in 1556 a document describes how the mayor "ordered the banner of the City to be brought in white damask with a cross of crimson damask, in the middle of it the royal arms of this Kingdom".

The flag of Tudela was kept in the banners of the brotherhoods and guilds of Santiago, Santa Cruz and the pelaires, leading the processions of Corpus Christi, Santiago and Santa Ana. For the first of the processions, the City Council donated in 1621, to the church of San Miguel, the flag used for the proclamation of Felipe IV.

In the year 1483 there are already documented arrangements in the flag, for which Juana de Orta received a payment. On October 30, 1496, by a document of the notary Pedro Latorre, we know that one was placed in the tower "zaguera" of the bridge of the Ebro.

Also, in 1589, the rifleman Francisco Ceballos made arrangements for the visit of Viceroy Martín de Córdoba.

In 1557, 1633 and 1642 new flags were made for "the people of war" who served the king, and had to carry, in addition to purple flags (for going with the Castilian troops), the white and red of the City. In the one of 1642, which took a company to Fuenterrabía, "5 rods and average of red taffeta were ordered for the cross of the flag. It was cut and sewed by Baltasar Gris".

The flag, in addition to receiving the authorities and for religious celebrations, was used as an element to mark the land where the irrigation precepts had been violated. There, those who had infringed were punished by having their crops cut down. According to José María Iribarren, the flag was preserved by the farmers until the beginning of the 20th century.

The oldest preserved flag, nowadays in the Municipal file , is the one described by José Joaquín Montoro Sagasti in an article of "La Voz de la Ribera" of December 7, 1968. In it he speaks of what was the municipal flag until 1938: "an anachronistic naval flag of Charles III, from the Regiment of National Militiamen of Tudela, imposed manu-militari, we do not know how or when". As for its description, collected in the Catalog of movable property of the cultural heritage of Navarre, it is a flag of Spain embroidered on both sides with the oval coat of arms of the Spanish monarchy, made of silk material, and measuring 152 by 146 centimeters. It is the model established by Charles III and used by his successors without variation until Isabella II. In the four corners, in an oval field, two coats of arms of Navarre alternating with two of Tudela, all of them bordered by palms. Painted letters with the registration "Muy Ilustre Ayuntamiento de Tudela" are superimposed on a previous registration .

Therefore, although we do not have concrete data , Julio Segura quotation as coming from a third of the National Militia around 1830, and was adopted as official flag adding the coats of arms of Navarre and Tudela on the sides.

The adoption of this coat of arms of Tudela responds to the fact that the meanings of several of the elements did not make sense in the context of the liberal regime, and places us in an adoption prior to the era of romanticism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. It adopts a basic form and even dispenses with chains. It should be noted that it bears the coats of arms of Navarre on the same ensign. It contains three central arches (although two more can be glimpsed), and is presented "stamped with a royal crown and composed of a bridge over the water and three towers, bordered with laurel". 

Flag of the Corporation based on that of the National Militia of Tudela. XIX Century. Currently in the Municipal file .

The flag that was made in 1940

On January 24, 1937, in an article of the local newspaper "El Requeté" is requested to recover the flag of Tudela according to its original design , and José Ramón Castro and Francisco Fuentes are asked for their opinion. They signed it a few days later, on February 7, 1937, on the basis of the above-mentioned document of 1556.

Flag of the Corporation of the year 1940. Town Hall.

On June 28, 1939 it is agreed to authorize the Mayor for the acquisition of a flag of the city for the acts in which the Corporation attends, and in May of 1940 José Ramón Castro asks for the suppression of the modifications introduced in the coat of arms. Then, he presents his Withdrawal to Official Chronicler of Tudela, honorary degree scroll that he had held since 1928. On June 12, according to the certificate of plenary session of the Executive Council that day, when the Mayor was entrusted to order a new flag, he "turned to Mr. Castro and Mr. Fuentes to design and take charge of that task and when so much time passed without these gentlemen fulfilling the entrusted order, the Mayor regretting his withdrawal, made his order to Mr. Montoro, who promised to design and carry out in a short time that was entrusted to him, as in fact he has done".

José Joaquín Montoro, in a journalistic article of 1968, tells that "for the repristination of the municipal flag the City Council based itself, firstly, on the one that appeared on the central tower of the bridge in the coat of arms and seal of the year 1354", secondly, on "the one that was on the stone core topic of the arch of entrance of the barracks of crossbowmen (or Municipal Mesnada of Tudela)", and thirdly "of the banner of the Brotherhood of Farmers that appears in the Procession of Corpus Christi". It says that it is "white with the red cross of the crusaders of 1119".

Current flag of the Corporation. Year 2025. Town Hall.

Its emblem has a bridge of three arches over water with three sturgeons, three towers. On the lateral ones there are two storks and on the central one a flag on white background, with a red cross centered. Ornamented with chains of Navarre and stamped with a crown.

The introduction of sturgeons and storks was the reason for José Ramón Castro's resignation as chronicler.

This flag of the Municipal Corporation, although another official coat of arms was created C 1971, has been used until the year 2024.

Flag of Tudela carried by the pre-democratic Corporation in the procession of Santa Ana in the seventies.

On May 14, 1971 the plenary session of the Executive Council municipal plenary session of the Executive Council approved a report of the Commission of Popular Culture, Aesthetic Protection and Tourism, agreeing that the coat of arms of Tudela corresponds to the following description: "In a field of azure a bridge of three arches of gold, pierced with sable on waves of water of silver and azure. On the bridge, seated three towers donjonadas also of gold, clarified of gules and mazonadas of sables. Bordered in gules with a golden chain of eight links. Stamped with a gold crown set in circles of rhinestones and pearls and enhanced with eight fleurons similar to celery and parsley leaves".

The aforementioned agreement was adopted based on the criteria of José Ramón Castro, who relied on Julio Guillén, Secretary of the Royal Academy of History, to support his opinion.

Although the controversy about the coat of arms and its use has had some more episodes, since in 1973-1974, in 1983-1984, and in 2007 reports and publications about the content of the coat of arms were issued again.

The flag of the Corporation has incorporated the coat of arms C 1971 in the present year of 2025. Even so, nowadays, in the numerous ensigns that Tudela displays in its official buildings and streets, there are several versions of the arms of the city that we can find.

Corporation in procession with the official flag in the 1990s.

SOURCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

file Municipal de Tudela, Fondo Protocolos Notariales, Tudela, Pedro Latorre, leg. 1492-1501, 1496, fol. 174.
Municipalfile of Tudela. Libros de Cuentas de Propios (1480-1521), fol. 31 Libros de Acuerdos Municipales, and Municipal Photo Library (4A_094, 8A_056, 20A_122, 20D_015).
file Municipal de Tudela, periodicals collection. El Requeté, 24/01/1937 and 7/02/1937.
CASTRO ALAVA, J.R., Miscelánea tudelana. Tudela, Caja Municipal de Pamplona, 1972, pp.269-300.
FUENTES PASCUAL, F., Francisco Fuentes, un gran historiador tudelano (su obra dispersa)/ by Luis María Marín Royo and Víctor Sarnago Escribano. Tudela, L.M. Marin Royo, 2015, pp. 130-131, 134, 149, 169, 197, 321.
IRIBARREN RODRIGUEZ, J.M., "El privilegio tudelano de la tala, último resto de la justicia medieval", Príncipe de Viana, year 5, 14, 1944, pp. 103-106.
SEGURA MONEO, J., "Emblems and seals of the city of Tudela (Navarra)", Revista del Centro de programs of study Merindad de Tudela, 15, 2007, pp. 117-139.