Angra do Heroísmo
Encyclopedia
Angra do Heroísmo (ˈɐ̃ɡɾɐ ðu eɾuˈiʒmu), locally referred to as Angra, is a municipality and city (of approximately 21,300 people) on the island of Terceira
, within the Portuguese
autonomous region
of the Azores
. The municipal area has a population of 35,581 and an area of 239 km² (92.3 sq mi). Along with Praia da Vitória
to the north, it is one of two municipal administrative divisions that are comprised by Terceira. Together with Ponta Delgada (São Miguel
) and Horta
(Faial
), Angra is one of the three regional capitals
of the Azores. Each capital is responsible for one of the three branches of government; Angra is the location of the judicial branch (the Supreme Court of the Azores), in addition to being the religious centre of the Archdiocese of Azores.
Angra do Heroísmo is the historical capital of the Azores; it is also the archipelago's oldest city, dating back to 1450, classified as a World Heritage site
by UNESCO
in 1983. Some claim that Angra was founded by Álvaro Martins
, who sailed with Didrik Pining
on his expedition to the New World, and with Bartolomeu Dias
on his voyage around the Cape of Good Hope
. Others contend that Angra was founded in 1450 or 1451 by Jácome de Bruges
, a Fleming in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator, who recruited farmers, fishermen, and merchants in the Low Countries
to colonize the Azores.
Angra served as a place of exile for Almeida Garrett
during the Napoleonic Wars
. It also served as a refuge for Queen Maria II of Portugal from 1830 to 1833.
The word Heroísmo ("heroism") was added to the name of the city, Angra (meaning "inlet" or "cove"), by Maria II, in recognition of the bravery and sacrifice shown by the people of Angra in the struggle that ended with the formation of a liberal constitutional monarchy
in Portugal.
The first references to the settlement of the Azores date to between 1439 and 1449, through the donation of Henry the Navigator the colonization of seven islands in the central and eastern groups of the archipelago. Terceira, included in this group, would be administered by Jácome de Bruges as stipulated in the nomination process, dated March 1450, that included, not only the settlement of the lands, but also: the milling monopoly, ovens, salt concession, land rights in the name of the monarchy, tithes, administration of justice, and rights of succession that included the exceptional provision for materlineal succession. But, the great difficulty in attracting settlers meant that by 22 August 1460, the island was still unpopulated.
The site chosen by the first settlers was a ridgeline, which opened, like an amphitheatre, onto two small bays, separated by a peninsula, at the head of which stood the extinct volcano of Monte Brasil
. One of these coves , was deep enough (an average of forty metres deep) to provide an anchorage for large vessels, and it had the further advantage of being sheltered from most strong winds, except for those from the south and southest.
In 1474, Álvaro Martins Homem
ordered that the river flowing into the cove be diverted into a manmade stone-lined channel, running downhill, so that its rushing waters could be harnessed to turn the waterwheel
of a mill. This laid the foundation for the future economic development
of the village of Angra. At the same time, this allowed the area on either side of the river's course to be rearranged according to a rectilinear street-plan and organized into neighborhoods by function (commercial, residential, etc.), to accommodate the needs of the fast-growing port. The first houses of Angra were built on the hillside above the cove, the steep streets winding down to the shore. On high ground, away from the sea, a castle/stronghold/fortress was begun; it would eventually be named Castelo dos Moinhos
(Castle of the Mills). By 1534, Angra was the first town in the archipelago to be elevated to the status of city. In the same year, it was chosen by Pope Paul III
to be the seat of the Diocese of Angra
, with ecclesiastical authority over all of the islands of the Azores
.
The commercial port of early Angra played an important role in the Portuguese East Indies
trade beginning in the 15th Century. The bay of Angra was often full of caravels and galleons, a circumstance that contributed to the progress of the city and its people. The construction of a number of manors, convents, churches, and military fortifications in Angra, infrastructures that were usually inappropriate for a small city (or small island) indicates the important role that Angra played in trans-Atlantic shipping for the Portuguese. The Portuguese nobleman Pero Anes do Canto
(1480–1556), who was born at Guimarães
, was the superintendent of fortifications on Terceira. For his competency in that role, and other services to the Portuguese Crown, he was rewarded with the title moço fidalgo (knight-gentleman), and the high office of "Purveyor to the Armada of the Islands and the merchant vessels of the East India trade in all of the islands of the Azores" (a hereditary title that followed successive members of the Canto family for three hundred years). The importance and power of the Cantos can hardly be overstated. During the period when Portugal was trading with its Asian, African, and South American colonies, they were responsible for the protection and welfare of the merchant fleet (and the staggering wealth represented by the cargoes in their holds) once the ships approached the last leg of their voyages in the North Atlantic. They were also responsible for acting as the chief customs official, the chief magistrate charged with resolving disputes, and the overseer of the naval defenses of the Azores.
Before Philip II of Spain
had a chance to enforce his claim to the crown of Portugal, in 1580, António, Prior of Crato
, an illegitimate scion of the Beja line of the House of Braganza
Portuguese Royal Family, proclaimed himself King on 24 July 1580. However, his rule in continental Portugal lasted only twenty days; on 25 August, he was defeated at the Battle of Alcântara
by the Spanish Habsburg armies led by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba.
After Alcântara, he attempted to rule Portugal from the Azores, where he established an opposition government in Angra do Heroísmo that lasted until 1583. Although for a time he was the monarch (minting coin and conferring titles), his government on Terceira was only recognized in the Azores, and from this place of refuge, António conducted a popular resistance movement opposed to the recognition of a foreign king. He was supported by a number of French adventurers under Filippo di Piero Strozzi
, a Florentine exile in the service of France, as well as Portuguese patriots, some of whom came to the Azores to assist him directly.
The Battle of Salga Bay
The first military action in the Azores occurred about a year after António's crushing defeat at Alcântara. A Spanish fleet of ten warships, commanded by Pedro Valdez, bombarded Angra on 5 July 1581, then began investigating the coast of the island in search of the best landing places. At dawn on 25 July, the first ships loaded with Spanish troops anchored in Salga Bay, about twelve kilometres east of Angra's harbour in the village of Vila de São Sebastião
. A coastwatcher, stationed at the cape called Ponta do Coelho, gave the alarm, but when the first Portuguese forces arrived about one thousand Castilians had already landed and had started to sack the surrounding villages. In this phase of the fighting, according to local accounts of the action, a leading role was played by young and pretty Brianda Pereira who, together with other women, attacked the enemy with farm implements when she saw her house destroyed.
By midmorning, the Spaniards were sweeping the coast with their artillery, and the fighting was fierce. About midday, when the outcome of the battle was still unsettled, an Augustinian monk named Friar
Pedro, who was taking an active part in the struggle, thought of the stratagem of driving cattle against the Spaniards so as to scatter them. Over a thousand head of cattle were quickly gathered and, by means of shouts and musket shots, driven against the enemy positions. The disconcerted Spaniards fell back and were pursued to the shore, where almost all of them lost their lives in the fighting or drowned while trying to reach their boats. This unconventional victory, the Battle of Salga Bay, proved that António could count on a good deal of local support.
The Battle of Ponta Delgada
The next major military action did not take place until the following summer. Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz
, was sent in 1582, as "Admiral of the Ocean", to drive the pretender and his supporters from Angra and the Azores. Badly outnumbered, he won the Battle of Ponta Delgada
on 26 July 1582, off the coast of the island of São Miguel
, against a loose confederation of Portuguese, French, English, and Dutch privateer
s.
The Battle of Terceira
Although António's fleet was completely defeated at the Battle of Ponta Delgada, the pretender did flee into exile in France after the battle. His supporters were subsequently defeated the following year at the Battle of Terceira, near Angra, on 27 July 1583, which allowed Phillip's forces to finally occupy the Azores and complete his unification of the Crowns of Spain and Portugal. Yet, Santa Cruz, the Spanish admiral, who was acclaimed for his victories against the House of Aviz
and its partisans in the Azores, recognized that England presented a grave threat to Spain's empire, and he became a zealous advocate of war with the English. A letter he wrote to Philip II from Angra do Heroísmo, on 9 August 1583, two weeks after the Battle of Terceira, contains the first definite suggestion of the formation of the Spanish Armada
.
It was following the events of the battle of Terceira that the existing fortifications in Monte Brasil were rethought. During the Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604), the original Portuguese fortifications were redesigned by Italian military engineer Giovanni Vicenzo Casale and his assistants, since privateers, such as Francis Drake
and Walter Raleigh
, had attacked Spanish ships and possessions. The first cornerstone was lanced in 1583, and progressively elaborated to include several bastion
s and canon implacements. By the Restoration, the Spanish commander, Álvaro de Viveiros, resisted for eleven months (from 27 March 1641 to 4 March 1642) behind the walls of the impregnable fortress, and only a concentrated task force commanded by Francisco Ornelas da Câmara and João de Bettencourt were able to defeat the commander. The fort was taken, and reclaimed for Portugal: a church was constructed within the fortress in honour of Saint John the Baptist
after1642.
Over the years, Terceira (and Angra in particular) has been a popular place for out-of-favor monarchs to cool their heels while events on the Portuguese mainland or elsewhere went on without them. In 1667, near the end of the Portuguese Restoration War
, King Afonso VI, his chief advisor, Castelo Melhor, and Castelo Melhor's francophile party were overthrown by the king's younger brother, Pedro, Duke of Beja, (who later ruled as Pedro II of Portugal.) Pedro first installed himself as his brother's regent; then, he arranged Afonso's exile to the island of Terceira in the Azores on the pretense that he was incapable of governing. Afonso's exile lasted seven years.
João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, better known as the author, Almeida Garrett
, was born in 1799 in Porto
, Portugal
. In 1809, his family fled the second French invasion
carried out by Soult's troops, seeking refuge in Angra do Heroísmo. While in the Azores, he was taught by his uncles, all prominent churchmen. (His uncle, Dom Frei Alexandre da Sagrada Família, was the twenty-fifth bishop of Angra.) In 1818, Almeida Garrett left the island and moved to Coimbra
to study at the university's law school.
in 1822, and he was now Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. No one in Portugal wished to revisit the short period (1808–1820) when Portugal and Brazil were ruled under a dual monarchy, so, even though Pedro was clearly the rightful heir, the possibility of Pedro returning as the new King of Portugal was problematic. The late king also had a younger son, Miguel, but he was exiled in Austria after leading a number of revolutions against his father and his liberal régime.
In an attempt at a Solomonic solution, Pedro abdicated the Portuguese throne in favor of his seven-year-old daughter, Maria da Gloria, and he stipulated that, when she came of age, she should marry her uncle, Miguel. Pedro further stipulated that Miguel, if he wanted a share of the throne under this plan, should swear an oath of allegiance to his father's liberal constitution. Miguel agreed, but he quickly reneged on his agreement. He returned from exile in Austria, deposed his young niece, and proceeded to establish the absolutist form of monarchy that his father and brother abhorred.
A war broke out between the liberals (Pedro and Maria da Gloria) and the absolutists (Miguel's faction). This period became known as the Liberal Wars
, but it was equally known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers
, or the Miguelite War, and it lasted from 1828 to 1834. During this time of strife, the loyalists adopted Terceira, and Angra in particular, as their base for launching attacks against Miguel's forces. On 22 June 1828, forces loyal to the liberals deposed the captain-general of the Azores, Manuel Vieira de Albuquerque Touvar
, deported him to the mainland, and established their headquarters at Angra.
One of the first major engagements of the war was the Battle of Praia Bay
, fought on 28 August 1828, off the coast of Terceira, between Portuguese loyalists and a Miguelite fleet trying to crush Maria da Gloria's insurrection in its infancy. The loyalists were victorious.
In the nineteenth century, as mentioned above, the word Heroísmo (heroism) was added to Angra's name in recognition of its contribution to the liberal cause during the Portuguese Civil War (1828–1834). It was a victorious Maria da Gloria, who, reigning as Maria II of Portugal, bestowed this honor on Angra, her Azorean home during the six long years of civil war. In effect, "Angra do Heroísmo" means "Angra, City of Heroes".
On 20 September 1836, Charles Darwin
, the eminent English naturalist, nearing the end of his second voyage aboard the research vessel, HMS Beagle, arrived at the Azores and anchored at Angra. The next day, Darwin hired a horse and some guides and rode to the center of the island where an active volcanic crater
was supposed to exist. What he found there was not a "crater" at all; instead, what he found was a series of fissures in the rock with steam issuing from them. To a naturalist, his long day in the saddle was not very illuminating. Biologically speaking, Darwin wrote, he could "find nothing of interest." The next day, Darwin traveled along the coast road and visited the town of Praia da Vitoria
on the northeastern end of the island. He returned by way of the northern shore, and he crossed the central part of the island on his way back to the Beagle. He departed on 25 September for the island of São Miguel, to pick up any letters that may have been posted to him there.
Angra and neighboring Praia da Vitoria were the sites of an interesting episode of the American Civil War
. Unable to break the blockade by US Navy ships of southern (Confederate) ports, and hoping to draw these blockading ships away to counter other perceived threats, the Confederate States of America
had commerce raiders built in Britain and France. One of these left Liverpool in July 1862 in the guise of a “merchant ship” and rendezvoused with supporting ships in the harbor of Praia da Vitoria. This meeting-place was chosen because Portugal was neutral and the Azores were far away from pursuing US Navy ships. In that port and, later at Angra, cannon and other supplies of war were transferred aboard the new ship. The CSS Alabama was commissioned on 24 August 1862 just outside the harbor of Angra, and it left Terceira to begin its career as the most effective commerce raider in naval history.
Ngungunhane (also known as Mdungazwe Ngungunyane Nxumalo, N'gungunhana, or Gungunhana
Reinaldo Frederico Gungunhana) was born in Gaza
in southern Africa around 1850, and he died at Angra do Heroísmo on 23 December 1906. A vassal of the Portuguese king, he later rebelled, and he was defeated and imprisoned by the Portuguese Army
, led by Joaquim Mouzinho de Albuquerque. He was exiled to Lisbon and then to the island of Terceira, where he converted to Catholicism; he lived there until his death. He was the last emperor of the Empire of Gaza, a territory that is now part of Mozambique, and he was the last monarch of his dynasty.
Nicknamed the "Lion of Gaza", he reigned from 1884 to 28 December 1895, the day he was made prisoner by Joaquim Mouzinho de Albuquerque in the fortified village of Chaimite
. Because he was already known to the European press, the Portuguese colonial administration decided to condemn him to exile rather than send him to face a firing squad, as would normally be the case. He was transported to Lisbon, accompanied by a son named Godide and other dignitaries. After a brief stay, he was transferred to Angra do Heroísmo, where he died eleven years later.
. The Azores have experienced many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
since prehistoric times, but the 1980 event was probably the most serious since the eighteenth century. The damage in the city was repaired and rebuilt within four years. In 1983, the historic center of Angra do Heroísmo was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site
.
bishopric. Its principal buildings are the cathedral, a military college, an arsenal, and an observatory. The harbor, now of little commercial or strategic importance (but formerly a major commercial and military port), is sheltered on the west and southwest by the promontory of Monte Brasil
, but, today, it is less important than the neighboring ports of Ponta Delgada
on the island of São Miguel
and Horta
on the island of Faial
. There is not much in the way of international trade
; what little trade there is, consists chiefly of exports of beef, dairy product
s, and fish.
in Portuguese) is simply a subdivision of a municipality (concelho
or município
). The nineteen civil parishes of Angra do Heroísmo are:
Thirteen of the parishes have a thousand people or more, and 88.71% of the population live in these larger parishes. About 11.3% of the population live in the remaining six small parishes. The most populated parish is Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception), and the least populated is Serreta. The largest parish geographically is Porto Judeu, and the smallest is Santa Luzia.
are:
Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Gramado
, Rio Grande do Sul
, Brazil
Évora
, Portugal
Gilroy, California
, USA Taunton, Massachusetts
, USA
developed in a rather haphazard and unplanned fashion, around the nucleus of the local church or cathedral, with open space only at the west front of the church, and a maze of crooked streets, often eight or ten of them, entering the "square" at various angles. Angra's square, on the other hand, is a broad and orderly expanse, paved with small blocks of stone, white limestone and black basalt, that form a Portuguese mosaic
similar to what you will find on the sidewalks and public squares of Lisbon
and other cities and towns on the mainland.
The well-planned and handsome square at Angra may, in fact, owe some of its singular character to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake
. Even though the Azores were not much damaged by the huge temblor
, the tremendous destruction at Lisbon resulted in a sweeping reconstruction program, directed by the prime minister, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal, who, rather than rebuilding the Lisbon that existed prior to the earthquake, rebuilt central Lisbon in a cleaner, more rectilinear, fashion. The Old Square, which reached its ultimate form during the late eighteenth century, reflects this new thinking, this new approach to urbanism
, and it is the nucleus from which the main arteries of the urban network
of Angra do Heroísmo have extended.
During the nineteenth century, at least from 1879 onward, the Old Square served as the site for concerts by the military band
of the Tenth Chasseur regiment, whose barracks was in the Fortress of São João Baptista (St. John the Baptist); for more than half a century, they regularly played music for the citizens of Angra.
Throughout its long history, the Old Square has had various functions: it was a market for chickens and livestock on Sundays, it was the site of hangings during the struggles between the liberals and the absolutists during the Portuguese Civil War
, and it is the place where the Angra version of the running of the bulls begins.
that protected ships returning from the East Indies laden with gold and silver.
The Igreja de São Joao Baptista (Church of St. John the Baptist) stands in the castle's parade ground, built in memory of the end of the Iberian union
and the restoration of Portuguese sovereignty
in 1640. At that time, the fortress was renamed to correspond with the name of the church.
At the other end of the Baia de Angra (Bay of Angra
), opposite the Porto de Pipas (Port of Barrels), is the Castelo de São Sebastião (St. Sebastian Castle), built in the 16th century on the order of King Sebastian
. The scope of its cannons were interlocked with the ranges of the cannons on Monte Brasil and three other small forts along the coastline, creating an effective defensive system for the port, which had been a favorite target for pirates. The Castelo de São Sebastião has been transformed into a charming hotel, one of the forty-odd pousadas (inns in historic buildings) of Portugal; this transformation preserves its original historic character, but the plumbing has been modernized, and some non-visible structural elements have been strengthened.
On the Ladeira de São Francisco in central Angra is the Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Guia (Church of Our Lady of Guia), where the seafarer Paulo da Gama
is buried. He accompanied his brother Vasco da Gama
on his first sea voyage to India in 1497.
was created in 1766, the building was converted into the official residence
of the Captains-General, the men who ruled over the military, political, and administrative life of the archipelago.
differs considerably from its Spanish counterpart
, and the Azorean variety, which began on Terceira, differs from the mainland style in some important respects also. The Azorean bullfight ritual involves "audience participation" in a way that recalls the "running of the bulls" at Pamplona
(Spain).
On Terceira, a fighting bull is enclosed in a wooden crate and transported to the Old Square in Angra, where a long stout rope is secured around his neck. Fireworks
are exploded to signal the citizens that a bull will soon be let loose in the public square. Once the bull is released, some young men take hold of the rope to try to control the bull's head, and others taunt the bull with everything from brightly-colored fighting capes to parasols. A free-for-all ensues while the bull drags some men around by the rope and tries to punish his tormenters, by butting them to the ground and goring them (with blunted horns), or by trampling over them. This is a popular leisure activity and public entertainment; it is known as the tourada à corda (bullfight-on-a-rope).
Eventually, the bull is funneled through the city streets to the bullring, the Praça de Toiros da Ilha (Island Bullring), in the eastern part of Angra, where a traditional Portuguese-style bullfight is held. From May 1 to September 30, there are daily touradas; in fact, sometimes there are two or three in one day.
, which has its principal campus on the island of São Miguel
, has a subsidiary campus in Angra do Heroísmo, where the Department of Agrarian Sciences (Departamento de Ciências Agrárias
) is located. This institution is a center for advanced scientific and agricultural studies, and it attracts students from the entire archipelago, as well as foreign students from many countries.
The Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira
(IHIT), which means, in Portuguese, the "Terceira Island Historical Institute", is a private cultural association, dedicated to the investigation and study of the history of the Azores. It is organized as an academy, and it sponsors classes, lectures, and symposia
on various topics. The institute was founded in 1942 by the city of Angra do Heroísmo.
, named S.C. Angrense
, that is part of the Associação de Futebol de Angra do Heroísmo
. Sport Clube Lusitânia is the main soccer team on the island. The region's soccer association is located in Angra do Heroísmo.
Terceira Island
Referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
, within the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
autonomous region
Autonomous area
An autonomous area or autonomous entity is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the rest of the country or populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often...
of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. The municipal area has a population of 35,581 and an area of 239 km² (92.3 sq mi). Along with Praia da Vitória
Praia da Vitória
Praia da Vitória is a municipality in Portugal's Autonomous Region of the Azores. The second largest administrative division on the island of Terceira, Praia da Vitória occupies the northern coast of the island and extends halfway into the interior having at its frontiers Pico Alto and the shield...
to the north, it is one of two municipal administrative divisions that are comprised by Terceira. Together with Ponta Delgada (São Miguel
São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
) and Horta
Horta (Azores)
Horta is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer...
(Faial
Faial Island
Faial Island , also known in English as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central Group of the Azores....
), Angra is one of the three regional capitals
Regions, sub-regions and municipalities of Portugal
Here is the list of the municipalities of Portugal under the NUTS II format:*Region**Sub-Region***District ****Municipality*Norte Region **Alto Trás-os-Montes Subregion [14]...
of the Azores. Each capital is responsible for one of the three branches of government; Angra is the location of the judicial branch (the Supreme Court of the Azores), in addition to being the religious centre of the Archdiocese of Azores.
Angra do Heroísmo is the historical capital of the Azores; it is also the archipelago's oldest city, dating back to 1450, classified as a World Heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 1983. Some claim that Angra was founded by Álvaro Martins
Álvaro Martins
Álvaro Martins, also known as Álvaro Martins Homem, was a 15th century Portuguese alleged to have explored the western Atlantic and later the African coast...
, who sailed with Didrik Pining
Didrik Pining
Didrik Pining was a German privateer, nobleman and governor of Iceland and Vardøhus. He is most notable because some have proposed that he may have landed in North America in the 1470s, almost twenty years before Columbus' voyages of discovery...
on his expedition to the New World, and with Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias
Bartolomeu Dias , a nobleman of the Portuguese royal household, was a Portuguese explorer who sailed around the southernmost tip of Africa in 1488, the first European known to have done so.-Purposes of the Dias expedition:...
on his voyage around the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
. Others contend that Angra was founded in 1450 or 1451 by Jácome de Bruges
Jácome de Bruges
Jácome de Bruges was a servant of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal, who was the son of king John I. Henry, quite famously, initiated the so-called Age of Discovery in the fifteenth century....
, a Fleming in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator, who recruited farmers, fishermen, and merchants in the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
to colonize the Azores.
Angra served as a place of exile for Almeida Garrett
Almeida Garrett
João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, Viscount of Almeida Garrett was a Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist and politician. He is considered to be the introducer of the Romanticism in Portugal, with the epic poem Camões, based on the life of Luís de Camões...
during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. It also served as a refuge for Queen Maria II of Portugal from 1830 to 1833.
The word Heroísmo ("heroism") was added to the name of the city, Angra (meaning "inlet" or "cove"), by Maria II, in recognition of the bravery and sacrifice shown by the people of Angra in the struggle that ended with the formation of a liberal constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
in Portugal.
History
The site chosen by the first settlers was a ridgeline, which opened, like an amphitheatre, onto two small bays, separated by a peninsula, at the head of which stood the extinct volcano of Monte Brasil
Monte Brasil
Monte Brasil is a peninsula located on the south coast of Terceira Island in the central Azores Islands, near the city of Angra do Heroísmo. Monte Brasil is flanked by two bays: Baía de Angra do Heroísmo to the east, from which the city's name is derived, and Baía do Fanal to the west....
. One of these coves , was deep enough (an average of forty metres deep) to provide an anchorage for large vessels, and it had the further advantage of being sheltered from most strong winds, except for those from the south and southest.
In 1474, Álvaro Martins Homem
Álvaro Martins
Álvaro Martins, also known as Álvaro Martins Homem, was a 15th century Portuguese alleged to have explored the western Atlantic and later the African coast...
ordered that the river flowing into the cove be diverted into a manmade stone-lined channel, running downhill, so that its rushing waters could be harnessed to turn the waterwheel
Water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
of a mill. This laid the foundation for the future economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
of the village of Angra. At the same time, this allowed the area on either side of the river's course to be rearranged according to a rectilinear street-plan and organized into neighborhoods by function (commercial, residential, etc.), to accommodate the needs of the fast-growing port. The first houses of Angra were built on the hillside above the cove, the steep streets winding down to the shore. On high ground, away from the sea, a castle/stronghold/fortress was begun; it would eventually be named Castelo dos Moinhos
Moinhos Castle
Moinhos Castle or Castle of São Cristóvão, also referred to as Fort of São Luís is a castle in Angra, Terceira Island in Azores. "Moinhos" means "Mills" in Portuguese, testimony to the mill that gave it its common name.-History:...
(Castle of the Mills). By 1534, Angra was the first town in the archipelago to be elevated to the status of city. In the same year, it was chosen by Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...
to be the seat of the Diocese of Angra
Roman Catholic Diocese of Angra
The Roman Catholic diocese of Angra is in the Azores, Portugal. The episcopal see of the Azores, created in 1534 by Pope Paul III, has a bishop who is a suffragan of the patriarch of Lisbon, Cardinal José da Cruz Policarpo, of the archdiocese of Lisbon. It was vacant from 1637 to 1671...
, with ecclesiastical authority over all of the islands of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
.
The commercial port of early Angra played an important role in the Portuguese East Indies
Indies
The Indies is a term that has been used to describe the lands of South and Southeast Asia, occupying all of the present India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and also Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, East Timor, Malaysia and...
trade beginning in the 15th Century. The bay of Angra was often full of caravels and galleons, a circumstance that contributed to the progress of the city and its people. The construction of a number of manors, convents, churches, and military fortifications in Angra, infrastructures that were usually inappropriate for a small city (or small island) indicates the important role that Angra played in trans-Atlantic shipping for the Portuguese. The Portuguese nobleman Pero Anes do Canto
Pero Anes do Canto
Pero Anes do Canto was a Portuguese nobleman, who was born at Guimarães, Portugal and died at Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira in the Azores...
(1480–1556), who was born at Guimarães
Guimarães
Guimarães Municipality is located in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the Braga District. It contains the city of Guimarães.The present Mayor is António Magalhães Silva, elected by the Socialist Party.-Parishes:-Economy:...
, was the superintendent of fortifications on Terceira. For his competency in that role, and other services to the Portuguese Crown, he was rewarded with the title moço fidalgo (knight-gentleman), and the high office of "Purveyor to the Armada of the Islands and the merchant vessels of the East India trade in all of the islands of the Azores" (a hereditary title that followed successive members of the Canto family for three hundred years). The importance and power of the Cantos can hardly be overstated. During the period when Portugal was trading with its Asian, African, and South American colonies, they were responsible for the protection and welfare of the merchant fleet (and the staggering wealth represented by the cargoes in their holds) once the ships approached the last leg of their voyages in the North Atlantic. They were also responsible for acting as the chief customs official, the chief magistrate charged with resolving disputes, and the overseer of the naval defenses of the Azores.
Portuguese succession
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
had a chance to enforce his claim to the crown of Portugal, in 1580, António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato , was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal, claimant of the Portuguese throne during the 1580 dynastic crisis, who was King of Portugal as António I of Portugal during 33 days in the continent in 1580, and, after the crowning of Philip II of Spain as King of Portugal,...
, an illegitimate scion of the Beja line of the House of Braganza
House of Braganza
The Most Serene House of Braganza , an important Portuguese noble family, ruled the Kingdom of Portugal and its colonial Empire, from 1640 to 1910...
Portuguese Royal Family, proclaimed himself King on 24 July 1580. However, his rule in continental Portugal lasted only twenty days; on 25 August, he was defeated at the Battle of Alcântara
Battle of Alcântara (1580)
The Battle of Alcântara took place on August 25, 1580, near the brook of Alcântara, in the vicinity of Lisbon, Portugal, and was a decisive victory of the Spanish Habsburg King Philip II over the Portuguese pretender to the Portuguese throne, Dom António, Prior of Crato.-Background:In Portugal, the...
by the Spanish Habsburg armies led by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba.
After Alcântara, he attempted to rule Portugal from the Azores, where he established an opposition government in Angra do Heroísmo that lasted until 1583. Although for a time he was the monarch (minting coin and conferring titles), his government on Terceira was only recognized in the Azores, and from this place of refuge, António conducted a popular resistance movement opposed to the recognition of a foreign king. He was supported by a number of French adventurers under Filippo di Piero Strozzi
Filippo di Piero Strozzi
Filippo di Piero Strozzi was an Italian condottiero, a member of the Florentine family of the Strozzi. He fought mainly for France.-Biography:...
, a Florentine exile in the service of France, as well as Portuguese patriots, some of whom came to the Azores to assist him directly.
The Battle of Salga Bay
The first military action in the Azores occurred about a year after António's crushing defeat at Alcântara. A Spanish fleet of ten warships, commanded by Pedro Valdez, bombarded Angra on 5 July 1581, then began investigating the coast of the island in search of the best landing places. At dawn on 25 July, the first ships loaded with Spanish troops anchored in Salga Bay, about twelve kilometres east of Angra's harbour in the village of Vila de São Sebastião
Vila de São Sebastião
Vila de São Sebastião, commonly shortened to São Sebastião is a civil parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores...
. A coastwatcher, stationed at the cape called Ponta do Coelho, gave the alarm, but when the first Portuguese forces arrived about one thousand Castilians had already landed and had started to sack the surrounding villages. In this phase of the fighting, according to local accounts of the action, a leading role was played by young and pretty Brianda Pereira who, together with other women, attacked the enemy with farm implements when she saw her house destroyed.
By midmorning, the Spaniards were sweeping the coast with their artillery, and the fighting was fierce. About midday, when the outcome of the battle was still unsettled, an Augustinian monk named Friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
Pedro, who was taking an active part in the struggle, thought of the stratagem of driving cattle against the Spaniards so as to scatter them. Over a thousand head of cattle were quickly gathered and, by means of shouts and musket shots, driven against the enemy positions. The disconcerted Spaniards fell back and were pursued to the shore, where almost all of them lost their lives in the fighting or drowned while trying to reach their boats. This unconventional victory, the Battle of Salga Bay, proved that António could count on a good deal of local support.
The Battle of Ponta Delgada
The next major military action did not take place until the following summer. Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz
Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz
Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz de Mudela , was a Spanish admiral.-Biography:Álvaro de Bazán was born in Granada....
, was sent in 1582, as "Admiral of the Ocean", to drive the pretender and his supporters from Angra and the Azores. Badly outnumbered, he won the Battle of Ponta Delgada
Battle of Ponta Delgada
The naval Battle of Ponta Delgada, Battle of São Miguel or Battle of Terceira took place on July 26, 1582, in the sea near the Azores, off São Miguel Island, as part of the War of the Portuguese Succession...
on 26 July 1582, off the coast of the island of São Miguel
São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
, against a loose confederation of Portuguese, French, English, and Dutch privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s.
The Battle of Terceira
Although António's fleet was completely defeated at the Battle of Ponta Delgada, the pretender did flee into exile in France after the battle. His supporters were subsequently defeated the following year at the Battle of Terceira, near Angra, on 27 July 1583, which allowed Phillip's forces to finally occupy the Azores and complete his unification of the Crowns of Spain and Portugal. Yet, Santa Cruz, the Spanish admiral, who was acclaimed for his victories against the House of Aviz
House of Aviz
The House of Aviz is a dynasty of kings of Portugal. In 1385, the Interregnum of the 1383-1385 crisis ended with the acclamation of the Master of the Order of Aviz, John, natural son of king Peter I and Dona Teresa Lourenço as king...
and its partisans in the Azores, recognized that England presented a grave threat to Spain's empire, and he became a zealous advocate of war with the English. A letter he wrote to Philip II from Angra do Heroísmo, on 9 August 1583, two weeks after the Battle of Terceira, contains the first definite suggestion of the formation of the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
.
It was following the events of the battle of Terceira that the existing fortifications in Monte Brasil were rethought. During the Anglo-Spanish War (1585-1604), the original Portuguese fortifications were redesigned by Italian military engineer Giovanni Vicenzo Casale and his assistants, since privateers, such as Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
and Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
, had attacked Spanish ships and possessions. The first cornerstone was lanced in 1583, and progressively elaborated to include several bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s and canon implacements. By the Restoration, the Spanish commander, Álvaro de Viveiros, resisted for eleven months (from 27 March 1641 to 4 March 1642) behind the walls of the impregnable fortress, and only a concentrated task force commanded by Francisco Ornelas da Câmara and João de Bettencourt were able to defeat the commander. The fort was taken, and reclaimed for Portugal: a church was constructed within the fortress in honour of Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
after1642.
17th century
Portuguese Restoration War
Portuguese Restoration War was the name given by nineteenth-century 'romantic' historians to the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon . The revolution of 1640 ended the sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal...
, King Afonso VI, his chief advisor, Castelo Melhor, and Castelo Melhor's francophile party were overthrown by the king's younger brother, Pedro, Duke of Beja, (who later ruled as Pedro II of Portugal.) Pedro first installed himself as his brother's regent; then, he arranged Afonso's exile to the island of Terceira in the Azores on the pretense that he was incapable of governing. Afonso's exile lasted seven years.
João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, better known as the author, Almeida Garrett
Almeida Garrett
João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, Viscount of Almeida Garrett was a Portuguese poet, playwright, novelist and politician. He is considered to be the introducer of the Romanticism in Portugal, with the epic poem Camões, based on the life of Luís de Camões...
, was born in 1799 in Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. In 1809, his family fled the second French invasion
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
carried out by Soult's troops, seeking refuge in Angra do Heroísmo. While in the Azores, he was taught by his uncles, all prominent churchmen. (His uncle, Dom Frei Alexandre da Sagrada Família, was the twenty-fifth bishop of Angra.) In 1818, Almeida Garrett left the island and moved to Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
to study at the university's law school.
19th century
When King João VI died in 1826, the country was plunged into a succession crisis. The king had a male heir, Pedro, but Pedro had proclaimed the independence of BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in 1822, and he was now Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. No one in Portugal wished to revisit the short period (1808–1820) when Portugal and Brazil were ruled under a dual monarchy, so, even though Pedro was clearly the rightful heir, the possibility of Pedro returning as the new King of Portugal was problematic. The late king also had a younger son, Miguel, but he was exiled in Austria after leading a number of revolutions against his father and his liberal régime.
In an attempt at a Solomonic solution, Pedro abdicated the Portuguese throne in favor of his seven-year-old daughter, Maria da Gloria, and he stipulated that, when she came of age, she should marry her uncle, Miguel. Pedro further stipulated that Miguel, if he wanted a share of the throne under this plan, should swear an oath of allegiance to his father's liberal constitution. Miguel agreed, but he quickly reneged on his agreement. He returned from exile in Austria, deposed his young niece, and proceeded to establish the absolutist form of monarchy that his father and brother abhorred.
A war broke out between the liberals (Pedro and Maria da Gloria) and the absolutists (Miguel's faction). This period became known as the Liberal Wars
Liberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
, but it was equally known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers
Liberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
, or the Miguelite War, and it lasted from 1828 to 1834. During this time of strife, the loyalists adopted Terceira, and Angra in particular, as their base for launching attacks against Miguel's forces. On 22 June 1828, forces loyal to the liberals deposed the captain-general of the Azores, Manuel Vieira de Albuquerque Touvar
Manuel Vieira de Albuquerque Touvar
Manuel Vieira de Albuquerque Touvar was the 9th captain general of the Azores of the Council of His Majesty, commander of the Order of São Bento de Avis, colonel of the Portuguese cavalry....
, deported him to the mainland, and established their headquarters at Angra.
One of the first major engagements of the war was the Battle of Praia Bay
Battle of Praia Bay
The Battle of Praia Bay was fought on August 28, 1828, between Portuguese loyalists and a Miguelite fleet. The Miguelites attempted to disembark troops on Terceira island but were defeated by the loyalist troops who controlled a dozen small forts and artillery batterys along five kilometers of the...
, fought on 28 August 1828, off the coast of Terceira, between Portuguese loyalists and a Miguelite fleet trying to crush Maria da Gloria's insurrection in its infancy. The loyalists were victorious.
In the nineteenth century, as mentioned above, the word Heroísmo (heroism) was added to Angra's name in recognition of its contribution to the liberal cause during the Portuguese Civil War (1828–1834). It was a victorious Maria da Gloria, who, reigning as Maria II of Portugal, bestowed this honor on Angra, her Azorean home during the six long years of civil war. In effect, "Angra do Heroísmo" means "Angra, City of Heroes".
On 20 September 1836, Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, the eminent English naturalist, nearing the end of his second voyage aboard the research vessel, HMS Beagle, arrived at the Azores and anchored at Angra. The next day, Darwin hired a horse and some guides and rode to the center of the island where an active volcanic crater
Volcanic crater
A volcanic crater is a circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a basin, circular in form within which occurs a vent from which magma erupts as gases, lava, and ejecta. A crater can be of large dimensions, and sometimes of great depth...
was supposed to exist. What he found there was not a "crater" at all; instead, what he found was a series of fissures in the rock with steam issuing from them. To a naturalist, his long day in the saddle was not very illuminating. Biologically speaking, Darwin wrote, he could "find nothing of interest." The next day, Darwin traveled along the coast road and visited the town of Praia da Vitoria
Praia da Vitória
Praia da Vitória is a municipality in Portugal's Autonomous Region of the Azores. The second largest administrative division on the island of Terceira, Praia da Vitória occupies the northern coast of the island and extends halfway into the interior having at its frontiers Pico Alto and the shield...
on the northeastern end of the island. He returned by way of the northern shore, and he crossed the central part of the island on his way back to the Beagle. He departed on 25 September for the island of São Miguel, to pick up any letters that may have been posted to him there.
Angra and neighboring Praia da Vitoria were the sites of an interesting episode of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Unable to break the blockade by US Navy ships of southern (Confederate) ports, and hoping to draw these blockading ships away to counter other perceived threats, the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
had commerce raiders built in Britain and France. One of these left Liverpool in July 1862 in the guise of a “merchant ship” and rendezvoused with supporting ships in the harbor of Praia da Vitoria. This meeting-place was chosen because Portugal was neutral and the Azores were far away from pursuing US Navy ships. In that port and, later at Angra, cannon and other supplies of war were transferred aboard the new ship. The CSS Alabama was commissioned on 24 August 1862 just outside the harbor of Angra, and it left Terceira to begin its career as the most effective commerce raider in naval history.
Ngungunhane (also known as Mdungazwe Ngungunyane Nxumalo, N'gungunhana, or Gungunhana
Gungunhana
Ngungunyane, also known as Mdungazwe Ngungunyane Nxumalo, N'gungunhana, or Gungunhana Reinaldo Frederico Gungunhana, was a tribal king and vassal of the Portuguese Empire, who rebelled, was defeated by General Joaquim Mouzinho de Albuquerque and lived out the rest of his life in exile, first in...
Reinaldo Frederico Gungunhana) was born in Gaza
Gazaland
Gazaland is the historical name for the region in southeast Newcastle, in modern day Mozambique and Zimbabwe, which extends northward from the Komati River at Delagoa Bay in Mozambique's Maputo Province to the Pungwe River in central Mozambique. It was a district of the former Portuguese East...
in southern Africa around 1850, and he died at Angra do Heroísmo on 23 December 1906. A vassal of the Portuguese king, he later rebelled, and he was defeated and imprisoned by the Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
, led by Joaquim Mouzinho de Albuquerque. He was exiled to Lisbon and then to the island of Terceira, where he converted to Catholicism; he lived there until his death. He was the last emperor of the Empire of Gaza, a territory that is now part of Mozambique, and he was the last monarch of his dynasty.
Nicknamed the "Lion of Gaza", he reigned from 1884 to 28 December 1895, the day he was made prisoner by Joaquim Mouzinho de Albuquerque in the fortified village of Chaimite
Chaimite (Mozambique)
Chaimite is a village sacred to the Nguni people of the Gaza Empire, currently in Gaza Province, Mozambique. On this site on 28 December 1895, Gungunhana, last emperor of Gaza, was imprisoned by the Portuguese Empire....
. Because he was already known to the European press, the Portuguese colonial administration decided to condemn him to exile rather than send him to face a firing squad, as would normally be the case. He was transported to Lisbon, accompanied by a son named Godide and other dignitaries. After a brief stay, he was transferred to Angra do Heroísmo, where he died eleven years later.
20th century
Angra was hit by a major earthquake on 1 January 1980 that did considerable damage to the city's historic center and to many other locations on the island of TerceiraTerceira Island
Referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
. The Azores have experienced many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
Timeline of natural disasters in the Azores
Although this list is not necessarily comprehensive, the following natural disasters have affected the Azores:-1401-1500:*Around 1432: First recorded famine in the Azores....
since prehistoric times, but the 1980 event was probably the most serious since the eighteenth century. The damage in the city was repaired and rebuilt within four years. In 1983, the historic center of Angra do Heroísmo was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Geography
Angra occupies the south coast of Terceira. It is the headquarters of a military command and the seat of a Roman CatholicRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
bishopric. Its principal buildings are the cathedral, a military college, an arsenal, and an observatory. The harbor, now of little commercial or strategic importance (but formerly a major commercial and military port), is sheltered on the west and southwest by the promontory of Monte Brasil
Monte Brasil
Monte Brasil is a peninsula located on the south coast of Terceira Island in the central Azores Islands, near the city of Angra do Heroísmo. Monte Brasil is flanked by two bays: Baía de Angra do Heroísmo to the east, from which the city's name is derived, and Baía do Fanal to the west....
, but, today, it is less important than the neighboring ports of Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada is a city and municipality on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal. It includes 44,403 residents in the urban area, and approximately 20,113 inhabitants in the three central parishes that comprise the historical city: São Pedro,...
on the island of São Miguel
São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
and Horta
Horta (Azores)
Horta is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer...
on the island of Faial
Faial Island
Faial Island , also known in English as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central Group of the Azores....
. There is not much in the way of international trade
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
; what little trade there is, consists chiefly of exports of beef, dairy product
Dairy product
Dairy products are generally defined as foods produced from cow's or domestic buffalo's milk. They are usually high-energy-yielding food products. A production plant for such processing is called a dairy or a dairy factory. Raw milk for processing comes mainly from cows, and, to a lesser extent,...
s, and fish.
Ecoregions/Protected areas
- Algar do CarvãoAlgar do CarvãoThe Algar do Carvão is an ancient lava tube or volcanic vent located in the center of the island of Terceira in the Azores. It lies within the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo in the parish of Porto Judeu.-Toponymy:...
- Baía de Angra do HeroísmoAngra do Heroísmo BayAngra do Heroísmo Bay or Baía de Angra do Heroísmo is a body of water near the city of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores, Portugal...
- Baía das PontasBaía das PontasBaía das Pontas is a bay in the Ilhéus das Cabras of Feteira in Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal....
- Baía da SalgaSalga BaySalga Bay or Baía da Salga is a bay at Vila de São Sebastião in Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal.- External links:*.*....
- Baía do RefugoBaía do RefugoThe Baía do Refugo is a body of water located on the south coast of the island of Terceira in the Azores, adjacent to the parish of Porto Judeu in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo....
- Baía dos Salgueiros
- Furna de ÁguaFurna de ÁguaFurna de Água is a cave in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira in the Azores, Portugal. It was created about two thousand years ago from a lava tube of volcanic origin, and it is 560 metres long. Due to the presence of several springs within the cave, Furna de Água is one of the main...
- Galerias da FeteiraGalerias da FeteiraGalerias da Feteira is a geological feature in Feteira in Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira Island in Azores, Portugal....
- Gruta do NatalNatal CavesNatal Caves is a cave system in Praia da Vitória, Terceira Island in Azores, Portugal....
- Gruta Brisa AzulGruta Brisa AzulGruta Brisa Azul is a cave in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Gruta das MercêsGruta das MercêsGruta das Mercês is a cave in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Gruta do Zé GrandeGruta do Zé GrandeGruta do Zé Grande is a cave in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Gruta das Cinco RibeirasGruta das Cinco RibeirasGruta das Cinco Ribeiras is a cave in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Gruta das AgulhasGruta das AgulhasGruta das Agulhas is a cave in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Gruta dos RatõesGruta dos RatõesGruta dos Ratões is a cave in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Ilhéus das CabrasIlhéus das CabrasIlhéus das Cabras is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Lagoa do NegroLagoa do NegroLagoa do Negro is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Monte BrasilMonte BrasilMonte Brasil is a peninsula located on the south coast of Terceira Island in the central Azores Islands, near the city of Angra do Heroísmo. Monte Brasil is flanked by two bays: Baía de Angra do Heroísmo to the east, from which the city's name is derived, and Baía do Fanal to the west....
- Parque de Campismo das Cinco RibeirasParque de Campismo das Cinco RibeirasParque de Campismo das Cinco Ribeiras is a park in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Porto das Cinco RibeirasPorto das Cinco RibeirasPorto das Cinco Ribeiras is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Ponta do QueimadoPonta do QueimadoPonta do Queimado is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Prainha
- Serra do Morião
- Serra da RibeirinhaSerra da RibeirinhaSerra da Ribeirinha is a mountain in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Serra de Santa BárbaraSerra de Santa BárbaraSerra de Santa Bárbara is a mountain in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Zona Balnear do NegritoZona Balnear do NegritoZona Balnear do Negrito is a zone in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
- Zona de Protecção Especial do Ilhéu das CabrasZona de Protecção Especial do Ilhéu das CabrasZona de Protecção Especial do Ilhéu das Cabras is a protected zone in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira....
Human geography
Administratively, the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo is made up of several civil parishes, that were historically parochial entities administered by the Catholic Church. After the explusion of the regligious orders from Portugal, the Portuguese administration adapated these territorial units, into secular institutions that became the foundation of local government. In a civil context, a parish (freguesiaFreguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
in Portuguese) is simply a subdivision of a municipality (concelho
Concelho
Concelho , in the Portuguese language, is the word municipality, when referring to the territory. The word município is used when municipality means the organ of State...
or município
Municipalities of Portugal
In Portugal, municipality or concelho is the most stable subdivision of Portugal since the foundation of the country.Portugal has an entirely separate system of cities and towns. Cities and towns are located in municipalities, but often do not have the same boundaries, even if built-up is continuous...
). The nineteen civil parishes of Angra do Heroísmo are:
- AltaresAltaresAltares is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 884, its population density was 33.9/km², and the land area is 26.04 km².-History:...
- Cinco RibeirasCinco RibeirasCinco Ribeiras is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 684, its population density was 63.3/km², and the land area is 10.8 km²....
- Doze RibeirasDoze RibeirasDoze Ribeiras is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 559, its population density was 53.7/km², and the land area is 10.41 km²....
- FeteiraFeteira (Angra do Heroísmo)Feteira is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 1044, its population density was 339/km², and the land area is 3.08 km²....
- Nossa Senhora da ConceiçãoNossa Senhora da ConceiçãoNossa Senhora da Conceição may refer to the following places and structures:The Azores* Nossa Senhora da Conceição, a parish in the district of Angra do HeroísmoCape Verde...
- Porto JudeuPorto JudeuPorto Judeu, which means "Jewish Port" in Portuguese, is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 2425, its population density was 80.11/km², and the land area is 30.27 km²....
- Posto SantoPosto SantoPosto Santo is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 967, its population density was 47.47/km², and its area is 20.37 km². Posto Santo was elevated to parish status on 15 September 1980. It was previously part of the...
- RaminhoRaminhoRaminho is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 550, its population density was 49.68/km², and the land area is 11.07 km²....
- RibeirinhaRibeirinha (Angra do Heroísmo)Ribeirinha is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 2733, its population density was 362.95/km², and the land area is 7.53 km². It is one of the most densely-populated parishes in Angra do Heroísmo....
- Santa BárbaraSanta Bárbara (Angra do Heroísmo)Santa Bárbara is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 1366, its population density was 83.29/km², and the land area is ....
- Santa LuziaSanta Luzia (Angra do Heroísmo)Santa Luzia is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira, in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 3,001; its density was 2381.75/km²; and the area is 1.26 km²...
- São Bartolomeu de RegatosSão Bartolomeu de RegatosSão Bartolomeu de Regatos is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 1569, its population density was 62.76/km², and the land area is 25.0 km². The parish lies at an elevation of 22 metres....
- São BentoSão Bento (Angra do Heroísmo)São Bento is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 1968; its density was 190.33/km²; and the area is 10.34 km². The parish lies at an elevation of 65 metres above sea level....
- São Mateus da CalhetaSão Mateus da CalhetaSão Mateus da Calheta is a parish within the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo in the Azores. The population as of the 2001 census was 3343, its population density was 559.03/km², and its area is 5.98 km². Located very nearly at sea level, it is one of the larger parishes in Angra do Heroísmo....
- São PedroSão Pedro (Angra do Heroísmo)São Pedro is one of the five urban civil parishes of the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 3638, its population density was 993.99/km², and the land area is 3.66 km²...
- SéSé (Angra do Heroísmo)Sé is a parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores. The population in 2001 was 1200, its population density was 727.27/km², and the land area is 1.65 km². It is one of the most populated and the smallest, in terms of land area, of the parishes in Angra...
- Serreta
- Terra ChãTerra ChãTerra Chã is a civil parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Portuguese Azores.Part of the suburban beltway of Angra, the ecumenical parish was established by King John VI, who granted it a charter on 6 September 1825, but its borders and administrative...
- Vila de São SebastiãoVila de São SebastiãoVila de São Sebastião, commonly shortened to São Sebastião is a civil parish in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores...
Thirteen of the parishes have a thousand people or more, and 88.71% of the population live in these larger parishes. About 11.3% of the population live in the remaining six small parishes. The most populated parish is Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception), and the least populated is Serreta. The largest parish geographically is Porto Judeu, and the smallest is Santa Luzia.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Angra's sister citiesTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
are:
Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Gramado
Gramado
Gramado is a municipality and small touristic town, southeast of Caxias do Sul and east of Nova Petrópolis in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the Serra Gaúcha region. Most of the population of Gramado is of German or Italian descent...
, Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Évora
Évora
Évora is a municipality in Portugal. It has total area of with a population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Évora District and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 civil parishes, and is located in Évora District....
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Gilroy, California
Gilroy, California
Gilroy is the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 48,821 at the 2010 census. Gilroy is well-known for its garlic crop and for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, featuring various garlicky foods, including garlic ice cream. Gilroy also produces...
, USA Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area. The city is located south of Boston, east of Providence, north of Fall River and west of Plymouth. The City of Taunton is situated on the Taunton River...
, USA
The Old Square
One can not describe Angra do Heroísmo without mentioning the "Old Square", also known as the Square of Sts. Cosmo and Damian or Restoration Square. It was the first Portuguese square specifically designed as a broad open area at the intersection of two main arteries. Typically, squares in medieval EuropeMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
developed in a rather haphazard and unplanned fashion, around the nucleus of the local church or cathedral, with open space only at the west front of the church, and a maze of crooked streets, often eight or ten of them, entering the "square" at various angles. Angra's square, on the other hand, is a broad and orderly expanse, paved with small blocks of stone, white limestone and black basalt, that form a Portuguese mosaic
Portuguese pavement
Portuguese pavement , is a traditional style pavement used for many pedestrian areas in Portugal, it can also be found in Olivenza , and throughout the old Portuguese colonies such as Brazil and Macau...
similar to what you will find on the sidewalks and public squares of Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and other cities and towns on the mainland.
The well-planned and handsome square at Angra may, in fact, owe some of its singular character to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake
1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
. Even though the Azores were not much damaged by the huge temblor
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
, the tremendous destruction at Lisbon resulted in a sweeping reconstruction program, directed by the prime minister, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal, who, rather than rebuilding the Lisbon that existed prior to the earthquake, rebuilt central Lisbon in a cleaner, more rectilinear, fashion. The Old Square, which reached its ultimate form during the late eighteenth century, reflects this new thinking, this new approach to urbanism
Urbanism
Broadly, urbanism is a focus on cities and urban areas, their geography, economies, politics, social characteristics, as well as the effects on, and caused by, the built environment.-Philosophy:...
, and it is the nucleus from which the main arteries of the urban network
Transport network
A transport network, or transportation network in American English, is typically a network of roads, streets, pipes, aqueducts, power lines, or nearly any structure which permits either vehicular movement or flow of some commodity....
of Angra do Heroísmo have extended.
During the nineteenth century, at least from 1879 onward, the Old Square served as the site for concerts by the military band
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
of the Tenth Chasseur regiment, whose barracks was in the Fortress of São João Baptista (St. John the Baptist); for more than half a century, they regularly played music for the citizens of Angra.
Throughout its long history, the Old Square has had various functions: it was a market for chickens and livestock on Sundays, it was the site of hangings during the struggles between the liberals and the absolutists during the Portuguese Civil War
Liberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
, and it is the place where the Angra version of the running of the bulls begins.
The fortress and harbor defenses
On Monte Brasil stands the castle originally named São Filipe, because it was built in the reign of Philip II. This formidable fortress encircles Monte Brasil with its four-kilometre-long wall and four hundred pieces of artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
that protected ships returning from the East Indies laden with gold and silver.
The Igreja de São Joao Baptista (Church of St. John the Baptist) stands in the castle's parade ground, built in memory of the end of the Iberian union
Portuguese Restoration War
Portuguese Restoration War was the name given by nineteenth-century 'romantic' historians to the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon . The revolution of 1640 ended the sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal...
and the restoration of Portuguese sovereignty
Portuguese Restoration War
Portuguese Restoration War was the name given by nineteenth-century 'romantic' historians to the war between Portugal and Spain that began with the Portuguese revolution of 1640 and ended with the Treaty of Lisbon . The revolution of 1640 ended the sixty-year period of dual monarchy in Portugal...
in 1640. At that time, the fortress was renamed to correspond with the name of the church.
At the other end of the Baia de Angra (Bay of Angra
Angra do Heroísmo Bay
Angra do Heroísmo Bay or Baía de Angra do Heroísmo is a body of water near the city of Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira in the Azores, Portugal...
), opposite the Porto de Pipas (Port of Barrels), is the Castelo de São Sebastião (St. Sebastian Castle), built in the 16th century on the order of King Sebastian
Sebastian of Portugal
Sebastian "the Desired" was the 16th king of Portugal and the Algarves. He was the son of Prince John of Portugal and his wife, Joan of Spain...
. The scope of its cannons were interlocked with the ranges of the cannons on Monte Brasil and three other small forts along the coastline, creating an effective defensive system for the port, which had been a favorite target for pirates. The Castelo de São Sebastião has been transformed into a charming hotel, one of the forty-odd pousadas (inns in historic buildings) of Portugal; this transformation preserves its original historic character, but the plumbing has been modernized, and some non-visible structural elements have been strengthened.
Religious buildings
At one stage, Angra had as many as nine convents, each with its own cloisters and churches. Most of these churches are from the mannerist and baroque periods, and they are remarkably grand if we bear in mind the poor quality of the stone to be found on the island. The interior decoration of these churches relied on the use of both traditional carved and gilded woodwork and the rich and exotic woods of Brazil.On the Ladeira de São Francisco in central Angra is the Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Guia (Church of Our Lady of Guia), where the seafarer Paulo da Gama
Paulo da Gama
Paulo da Gama was a Portuguese explorer, son of Estevão da Gama and the older brother of Vasco da Gama.He was a member of the first voyage from Europe to India, led by his brother, commanding the ship São Rafael, which would be later scuttled in the return trip. Paulo da Gama joined the São Gabriel...
is buried. He accompanied his brother Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
on his first sea voyage to India in 1497.
Palace of the captains-general
Not far away, in the street called Largo Prior do Crato, a sixteenth-century building, the Palacio dos Capitaes Generais (Palace of the Captains-General), is intimately linked to the history of all the Azores. This was originally the Jesuit College before it was abandoned in 1759. When the office of Captain-GeneralCaptain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
was created in 1766, the building was converted into the official residence
Official residence
An official residence is the residence at which heads of state, heads of government, gubernatorial or other senior figures officially reside...
of the Captains-General, the men who ruled over the military, political, and administrative life of the archipelago.
Palace of the Bettencourts
The Palacio dos Bettencourts (Palace of the Bettencourts) is a beautiful 17th century building, originally a private home, which now houses the public library and the city archives, a repository with more than 400,000 books and two million documents.Architecture
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Forte de Santo António do Monte Brasil Forte de Santo António do Monte Brasil is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte de São Benedito do Monte Brasil Forte de São Benedito do Monte Brasil is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte de São Francisco (Angra do Heroísmo) Forte de São Francisco is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Castelo dos Moinhos Castelo dos Moinhos is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Reduto dos Dois Paus Reduto dos Dois Paus is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Reduto dos Três Paus Reduto dos Três Paus is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte de Santo António (Porto Judeu) Forte de Santo António is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Reducto da Salga Reducto da Salga is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte da Salga Forte da Salga is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte da Igreja (São Mateus da Calheta) Forte da Igreja is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte de São Fernando (Vila de São Sebastião) Forte de São Fernando is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte de São Sebastião Forte de São Sebastião is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte das Caninas (Vila de São Seabstião) Forte das Caninas is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte das Cavalas (Vila de São Sebastião) Forte das Cavalas is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte da Greta (Vila de São Sebastião) Forte da Greta is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Forte do Zimbreiro (Angra do Heroísmo) Forte do Zimbreiro is a fort in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Igreja Velha de São Mateus da Calheta Igreja Velha de São Mateus da Calheta is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... |
Jardim Duque da Terceira Jardim Duque da Terceira is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Miradouro da Amoreira Miradouro da Amoreira is a monument in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Miradouro do Pico das Cruzinhas Miradouro do Pico das Cruzinhas is a monument in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Miradouro da Ponta do Queimado Miradouro da Ponta do Queimado is a monument in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Miradouro do Pico Matias Simão Miradouro do Pico Matias Simão is a monument in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Miradouro da Serreta Miradouro da Serreta is a monument in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Miradouro das Veredas Miradouro das Veredas is a monument in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Mata da Serreta Mata da Serreta is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Palácio Bettencourt Palácio Bettencourt is a palace in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Parque Municipal do Relvão (Angra do Heroísmo) Parque Municipal do Relvão is a park in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Parque Arqueológico Subaquático da Baía de Angra do Heroísmo Parque Arqueológico Subaquático da Baía de Angra do Heroísmo is a park in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Parque de Campismo das Cinco Ribeiras Parque de Campismo das Cinco Ribeiras is a park in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Porto das Cinco Ribeiras Porto das Cinco Ribeiras is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Solar da Madre de Deus Solar da Madre de Deus is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... Câmara Municipal de Angra do Heroísmo Câmara Municipal de Angra do Heroísmo is a landmark in the Azores. It is located in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.... |
Azorean bullfight
The Portuguese version of bullfightingPortuguese-style bullfighting
Portuguese-style bullfighting differs in many aspects from Spanish-style bullfighting. The cavaleiros and the forcados are unique as well as the horsewomen .-Main figures:...
differs considerably from its Spanish counterpart
Spanish-style bullfighting
Spanish-style bullfighting is called a corrida de toros , or fiesta brava. In traditional corrida, three toreros, also called matadores or, in French, toréadors, each fight two out of a total of six fighting bulls, each of which is at least four years old and weighs up to about Spanish-style...
, and the Azorean variety, which began on Terceira, differs from the mainland style in some important respects also. The Azorean bullfight ritual involves "audience participation" in a way that recalls the "running of the bulls" at Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
(Spain).
On Terceira, a fighting bull is enclosed in a wooden crate and transported to the Old Square in Angra, where a long stout rope is secured around his neck. Fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
are exploded to signal the citizens that a bull will soon be let loose in the public square. Once the bull is released, some young men take hold of the rope to try to control the bull's head, and others taunt the bull with everything from brightly-colored fighting capes to parasols. A free-for-all ensues while the bull drags some men around by the rope and tries to punish his tormenters, by butting them to the ground and goring them (with blunted horns), or by trampling over them. This is a popular leisure activity and public entertainment; it is known as the tourada à corda (bullfight-on-a-rope).
Eventually, the bull is funneled through the city streets to the bullring, the Praça de Toiros da Ilha (Island Bullring), in the eastern part of Angra, where a traditional Portuguese-style bullfight is held. From May 1 to September 30, there are daily touradas; in fact, sometimes there are two or three in one day.
Education
The University of the AzoresUniversity of the Azores
The University of the Azores , or commonly abbreviated as UAç, is the only public university in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, It was founded on January 9, 1976, two years after the Carnation Revolution that ended several decades of dictatorship in Portugal, but before the Portuguese Third...
, which has its principal campus on the island of São Miguel
São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
, has a subsidiary campus in Angra do Heroísmo, where the Department of Agrarian Sciences (Departamento de Ciências Agrárias
Departamento de Ciências Agrárias
The Departamento de Ciências Agrárias is a department and a campus of the University of the Azores. The campus is located in the island of Terceira in the archipelago's second largest city named Angra do Heroísmo. The campus is used for scientific and agricultural studies. It is home to...
) is located. This institution is a center for advanced scientific and agricultural studies, and it attracts students from the entire archipelago, as well as foreign students from many countries.
The Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira
Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira
The Historical Institute of Terceira, or literally the Historical Institute of the Island of Terceira , or IHIT, is a private association and cultural institute, dedicated to the investigation and studying of the islands of the Azores...
(IHIT), which means, in Portuguese, the "Terceira Island Historical Institute", is a private cultural association, dedicated to the investigation and study of the history of the Azores. It is organized as an academy, and it sponsors classes, lectures, and symposia
Symposium
In ancient Greece, the symposium was a drinking party. Literary works that describe or take place at a symposium include two Socratic dialogues, Plato's Symposium and Xenophon's Symposium, as well as a number of Greek poems such as the elegies of Theognis of Megara...
on various topics. The institute was founded in 1942 by the city of Angra do Heroísmo.
Sport
Angra has a soccer teamFootball team
A football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in an against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
, named S.C. Angrense
S.C. Angrense
Sport Clube Angrense or S.C. Angrense is a sports club located in Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal. S.C. Angrense soccer team is in the Portuguese Third Division....
, that is part of the Associação de Futebol de Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo Football Association
The Angra do Heroísmo Football Association is the governing body for all football competitions in the former Portuguese district of Angra do Heroísmo. This organization regulates football in the Azorean islands of Terceira, São Jorge, and Graciosa. It is located at 17, Av...
. Sport Clube Lusitânia is the main soccer team on the island. The region's soccer association is located in Angra do Heroísmo.
See also
- Political status of the Autonomous Region of the AzoresPolitical status of the Autonomous Region of the AzoresThe political status of the Autonomous Region of the Azores is the standard paralegal constitutional framework for the autonomy of the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores...
- Political sub-divisions of PortugalRegions, sub-regions and municipalities of PortugalHere is the list of the municipalities of Portugal under the NUTS II format:*Region**Sub-Region***District ****Municipality*Norte Region **Alto Trás-os-Montes Subregion [14]...