Augustinusga (Stiensgea in Frisian), a village with 1343 inhabitants and
in the outskirts three hamlets: Rohel, Blauwverlaat and Roodeschuur. The
painter Willem Bartels van der Kooi was born in Augustinusga; he is most
known for his painting "De Minnebrief", (the loveletter), which must be
quite fiery if one views the flag.
Augustinusga is one of the eight old villages of Achtkarspelen. The
oldest building in this village is undoubtedly the church, built in the
14th century, presumably by Cisterciensian monks. The church was devoted
to the patriarch St. Augustine, and the village was named after him. "Ga"
or "gea" means: village-area. The attributes of St. Augustine are central
in de village arms:
1. A book, the Word, referring to the gospel of St. John 1:1-18.
2. The burning heart of love, which a.o. occurs in St. Augustine's
"Confessiones".
St. Augustine was bishop of Hippo, hence the epicopal red background
of his attributes. Moreover red is the heraldic color of heather, which
grew abundantly around the village in the past.
The "gea" is represented in the arms by the silver border. Silver and
red are also the colors of the municipal arms of Achtkarspelen. Augustinusga
was an important village, with three noble houses of the families of Gayckema,
Siccama, and Jensma. Several "grietmannen" (mayors) from the Haersma-family
lived in Augustinusga. Symbols from the arms of those families adorn the
silver border: acorns and clovers. Clover symbolizes also cattlefarming,
and the acorn the region, which is known as the "Friese Wouden" (Frisian
forests), where the oak was an important tree.
In the flag the colors of the village arms have been retained. In the
yellow fly the burning heart is central, and in the hoist the colors of
the shield's border are used: a green stripe with in white a clover-leaf
between two acorns.
Source: Wapens en vlaggen in de gemeente Achtkarspelen, Buitenpost,
1999.
![[Augustinusga village flag]](../images/n/nl-fr_au.gif)
Shipmate Flagchart : http://www.flagchart.net
![[Augustinusga Coat of Arms]](../images/n/nl-fr)au.jpg)
from the Achtkarspelen municipal
website.
