DDITION OF CASTLES
In 1249 King Afonso III conquered the Moorish Province of Algarve, establishing once and for all the boundaries of Continental Portugal as we know it today. To commemorate that conquest, the King added to the national flag nine castles lined in a U-form and representing the same number of fortresses captured from the Moors.

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(10) Third flag of Portugal with the addition of Castles.





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(11) Fourth flag of Portugal with U shaped coat of arms.



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(12) Portuguese coat of arms: "V" and "U" shaped are used in these shortened forms in coins, navigational charts and landmarkers.
It was during the time of King John I that the U-shaped Coat of Arms began to be used more frequently than the V-shaped form, although they continued to be used interchange ably. Later, King John II reduced the number of the castles to seven, and we find that same number in the flag today.
ADDITION OF ARMILLARY SPHERE


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(13) Fifth flag of Portugal: Addition of Armillary sphere
After Magellan circumnavigated the globe in 1522, thereby proving the earth to be round, the armillary sphere was added to the Portuguese flag to commemorate this accomplishment.
Since the period of the discoveries, the only other major change that the Portuguese flag has undergone, occurred at the founding of the Portuguese Republic in 1910. Red and green background was added to surround the center of the flag, which had remained the same since the discoveries.


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(14) Sixth and present flag of Portugal
The red represents the fiery incandescent sun as it rose and sank over bows and sterns of brave Portuguese sailing ships whose empire, for the first time in the history of the world, was the entire globe. (Popular belief ascribes the meaning of red to the blood of the Portuguese saints and heroes) . The green represents the color of the high seas, which the Portuguese were the first Europeans to navigate. (Popular belief also ascribes to green the color of the valleys of Portugal)

THE HISTORY OF THE CROSS OF THE ORDER OF CHRIST
The Cross of the Order of Christ, more than any other symbol, characterizes the great period of the discoveries when it was displayed on the sails of the caravels and used as a religious decoration by the Knights of the Order of Christ. It became a national emblem which appeared and still appears on the official documents, coins, charts, landmarkers. and monuments of Portugal and her territories.


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(15) The mature form of the cross of the order of Christ.
The Cross of Order of Christ is unique because of the shape of its arms. Its extremities terminate in an isosceles trapezoid, with the larger base facing out, showing acute angles of 45 degrees (plus or minus) at the branches.
Among a variety of more than 300 crosses used as symbols of different religious sects, or as honorary decorations by various nations, the Portuguese Cross of Order of Christ is the only one in the world that has its extremities at 45 degree angles.
Both the Britannica and Americana Encyclopedias give the origin, form, and history of 79 different crosses, but make no reference whatsoever to the Portuguese Cross of the Order of Christ, despite the fact that it is considered the highest and most exclusive of all the six Pontifical decorations.
The papal decoration of the Order of Christ is of Portuguese origin. The Pope chose the Cross of Order of Christ to be the highest ranking decoration that he could award, inspired by the fact that the Portuguese navigators caused this Cross to be universally recognized in all the islands and continents they explored. Pope Paul VI, in 1966, restricted awards of this decoration to heads of state who professed the Catholic religion.


pilgrim chapter 6