Maia (Ribeira Grande)
Encyclopedia
Maia is a civil parish in Ribeira Grande Municipality in the Portuguese
Azores
. The population in 2001 is 1,901, its density is 86.5/km² and the area is 21.97 km². Maia is the largest parish in area in Ribeira Grande.
The settlement of the community dates back to the early settlement of Ribeira Grande; the construction of the main church was begun at the end of the 15th Century. By 1522, it had its third vicar. Maia became one of the northern coasts more rapidly growing places: one hundred after its foundation it had become a civil parish.
The parochial church was dedicated to the Holy Spirit in 1812, constructed after a 16th Century chapel, and expanded in 17th and 18th Centuries. The Solar do Lalém, constructed at the end of the 19th Century, with chapel and 18th Century portal
In the area of Gorreana, thus named for the fact that the first resident was a man named Gorreana or gorro de Ana, who owned a tea plantation, a rare thing in Europe. This area is also the location of the Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Resgate , from the 18th Century, constructed with a decorative facade by the local farmers. In its interior, azulejo
s were assembled on the alter with a medallion and the patron saint in the same decoration.
In the area of Lombinha da Maia, named for its location on a small hill/escarpment , a small chapel was constructed in 1896, to the invocation of Nossa Senhora das Dores. Later it was adapted, with a baptistry and sacristy to support the parishioners.
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...
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 population in 2001 is 1,901, its density is 86.5/km² and the area is 21.97 km². Maia is the largest parish in area in Ribeira Grande.
History
The first Azorean historians referred to this parish, owing to the settlement of Inês da Maia, a noblewoman that established a home here in the 15th Century.The settlement of the community dates back to the early settlement of Ribeira Grande; the construction of the main church was begun at the end of the 15th Century. By 1522, it had its third vicar. Maia became one of the northern coasts more rapidly growing places: one hundred after its foundation it had become a civil parish.
The parochial church was dedicated to the Holy Spirit in 1812, constructed after a 16th Century chapel, and expanded in 17th and 18th Centuries. The Solar do Lalém, constructed at the end of the 19th Century, with chapel and 18th Century portal
In the area of Gorreana, thus named for the fact that the first resident was a man named Gorreana or gorro de Ana, who owned a tea plantation, a rare thing in Europe. This area is also the location of the Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Resgate , from the 18th Century, constructed with a decorative facade by the local farmers. In its interior, azulejo
Azulejo
Azulejo from the Arabic word Zellige زليج is a form of Portuguese or Spanish painted, tin-glazed, ceramic tilework. They have become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture, having been produced without interruption for five centuries...
s were assembled on the alter with a medallion and the patron saint in the same decoration.
In the area of Lombinha da Maia, named for its location on a small hill/escarpment , a small chapel was constructed in 1896, to the invocation of Nossa Senhora das Dores. Later it was adapted, with a baptistry and sacristy to support the parishioners.