Notes on Terceira

Angra

In 1983 Angra was designated as a UNESCO as a World Heritage site. This is an honor to a city that played an important role in the New World Order during the Age of Discovery and Colonial Expansion. Thus, any sightseeing on the island of Terceira should really start in Angra.

Although it gained a central role in the Age of Exploration, the city of Angra was not the first one being settled. Porto Judeu, São Sebastião and Praia da Vitória were actually where the fist people to the island settled and where the first churches were built. Praia da Vitória was even, for a short time, the first capital of the island.

Soon, however, Angra, thanks to Mount Brasil making it a much more sheltered bay, turned into the seat of the captaincy and in such role, the hub of whole of the Azores. This happened in 1474, and in 1534, Pope Paul III chose Angra to be the seat of a bishopric for whole of the Azores.

As the port of call to all the ships traveling to and from Africa, India, Japan and the Pacific, as well as to and from Brazil and whole of South America, Angra had a key role in the Age of Discovery and Exploration. To Angra, believe it or not, came the riches from all over the new world. Spices and silver, gold and emerald landed here before going on to Lisbon or Cadiz, and from there to London, Paris and Rome. Many times, silver was spread on the main inner court of the Spanish Fort above Angra to dry or to be prepared to enter Spain, this during the Spanish invasion of Portugal. New and exotic plants found their first European nursery here in the Azores. It was also here in the Azores that the many ships loaded up with grain and fresh water for their sailing across the Atlantic or down the African continent.

Angra became thus an extension of the Portuguese Court and a close collaborator in the Portuguese undertakings in the middle of the Atlantic. It even became for a very short time the capital of whole of Portugal, when a Portuguese noble, “O Prior do Crato” rebelling against Spain’s claims to the Portuguese crown, fled here to escape the Spanish wrath. Government departments such as the mint and the navy Purveyor’s Office were set up here. Many political prisoners were sent here as well, among them, King Afonso VI, who was deposed by his brother and his wife on the pretext that he was incapable of governing Portugal. A very powerful African leader, Gugunhana, and all his court and entourage was exiled to this island, as well, and housed in a “villa on Mount Brasil, to free Africa for the influence of the Portuguese. The sea around Terceira and in the very bay of Angra saw many a shipwreck, and many a pirate and corsair wound his way here moved by greed and lust.

Then, gradually, in the latter part of the 19th century, and after its important role in Portugal’s Civil War (1832), Angra’s significance waned, giving its place to Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel. Today Angra can be looked at as a provincial town, a living museum and testimony to an era of much glory and valor.


Angra

Praia da Vitória was Terceira’s first capital, but soon afterwards, Angra, thanks for its geography, became the hub of the Azores and an important port of call to all Portuguese caravelles sailing to the New World, Africa, India and the Far East; but also to the Spanish Armadas as they sailed to South America and returned loaded with silver and other exotic items back to Spain. It earned the status of villa in 1478 and city, the first of the Açores, in 1534.Here were the Offices of the Armadas, the mint, and other governmental offices. Soon the bishopric seat was also located here. A Portuguese elite, followed by their servants and slaves moved here. A leisurely class, they saw themselves as an extension of the monarchy. They developed tastes and a living style proper of the court or the church. The Portuguese court would invest a lot of money and attention to Angra, which would become the model to many other cities in the New World, i.e. in Brazil, São Salvador, Ouro Prouto and other colonial cities of the time.

The village is an excellent example of Renaissance architecture and still shows traces of the original layout with old houses, and seventeenth-eighteenth century mansions, churches and convents.

The main streets, like Rua da Sé ( with sixteenth century cathedral in colonial style) and the Rua de Lisboa ( with the Misericórdia Church and the Jesuit Monastery and church) are in the civic and commercial center, but the very heart of the city is “Praça Velha” or Old Town Square flanked by the Municipal Palace or City Hall.
Nearby is the Hotel de Angra, a small chapel, and a street that leads to the Palácio dos Capitães Generais, the Place of the Captain Generals, the owners of these islands, and the Angra Garden.

Angra contains the major cultural, educational and banking institutions, as well as the main forms of entertainment and sports, especially Angra Theater, Angra Congress Hall, the Recreio dos Artistas, Bailão, as wells as the Bullfighting arena.

The most important historic building in Angra is Fort São João Baptista, located on the Monte Brasil Isthmus, with drawbridge, bastions and towers overlooking Angra and Fanal Bay.

Needless to say, that as with the stand off between other islands for importance, Praia likes to prove that it is as important as, so that it follows suit in the entertainment, sport and other areas. It does not want to come second to Angra. Both are Terceira’s largest centers, although they may be looked at as provincial towns, having no more than about 20,000 to 21, 000 inhabitants in an island that is mostly rural or country in nature.


Alto da Memória

Way up, above Angra is a hill named Alto da Memória. Whereas some go down memory lane, here one goes up memory lane. It is on these heights that the first Portuguese fort to Angra was built.

“Why, build a fort so far removed from the sea?” one may ask. One has to remember that at the time the Portuguese discovered the island, there were still fears that the world might not be round after all, and that here one was at the very brim of hell itself, the end of the world as it was. The constant earthquakes and a volcano eruption on the island of São Miguel, surely brought to their minds a panorama that they were indeed in the land at the end of the world. That combined with the violent North Atlantic storms that rock these islands weeks on end during the winter time, made the settlers imagined themselves living very close to their worst of fears, the giant Adamastor, himself, a giant who, in his Beowulf like demeanor, spread terror among the sailors who dared encroach his territory. For that reason, the first Portuguese fort was not build on the shoreline to protect the island from its enemies (There were no human enemies in this area at that time). It was way above the bay, as if on a hawk’s nest, that they chose to build their first fort.

The other reason why they chose to build in that area was that a brook flowed nearby. The presence of water gave rise to the expansion on the first settlement in this area as well. The town spread from there on to the lower level. A group of water mills were built in that area giving the brook the name of Ribeira dos Moinhos or Mill Brook.

With time, this fort, became deserted. A new fort, the Castle of São Sebastião on the sea front, above the Porto das Pipas Wharf, took its place.

As for the obelisk and the Portuguese Civil War, people of Terceira are proud that the Azores, particularly Terceira, was the key element in this historical event. Somehow, Terceira became a pivotal point in the middle of the Atlantic, and again and again, Portuguese History is tied to it.

The background of this event in history goes back to the time when Napoleon invaded the Iberian Peninsula. The King of Portugal fearing for the worst, along with all his family and the court, quickly decided to depart for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, while both the Portuguese and the British forces warded off attack after attack of the French forces.

After a few years and the danger of Napoleon was over, the King decided to leave Brazil and come back to Europe. Dom Pedro, the King’s elder son was left behind as Brazil’s emperor-- the only monarchy in the Americas ever. This way, Brazil won its independence from Portugal.

Years later with the death of the king in Portugal, Dom Miguel, Dom Peter’s brother took over the throne in Lisbon. Being an absolutist, he favored a form of iron rule over his subjects. This is when Dom Pedro is called back from Brazil to claim the throne for his own daughter, Princess Maria, and also to support a more liberal form of monarchy. Before he enters Portugal, he gathers forces here in the Azores. It is from Terceira that he attacks Portugal from the North in the Portuguese Civil War, which aftermath proved Dom Pedro IV and his Azorean forces victorious, hence the Memorial Monument.

Angra Garden

Angra garden was the property of some local fidalgo (squire) who as was the fashion of all European made their gardens an extension of their ego--Versailhes a good example of such practice. At one point Angra City Hall comes in and takes over that property and decides to establish a garden after the fashion of many wealthy family private parks in São Miguel.

It so happened that a certain François Gabriel of Liége, an agronomist, who had come to São Miguel in 1883 to work in one of those prestigious gardens, decided to move over to Terceira. Here he was contracted to try his best at making Angra Garden as noteworthy as any other park in Europe. François Gabriel stayed on, married a Brazilian belle, and became the soul and muscle of such garden. He is reported to have worked from dawn till sunset giving his all to that project. He was in charge of not only preserving the many trees that had been brought here from the four corners of the world, but added many other exotic plants. It is reported that he was everywhere to be seen. He worked with such stamina and gusto that impressed everyone who visited the garden until his death in 1897.

Today, the garden is a favorite place for a stroll. There are fountains and flowers everywhere. Huge Pacific island trees called Araucária climb to the sky. Way at the top, as you descend from the first fort and the obelisk or Memorial Monument, Monumento da Memória, there is a type of tree which goes back to the time when Pangaea was around, and the planet was still smoldering toxic gases. The tree is resistant to pollution and does very well in this mid Atlantic climate in spite of sea-
spray storms . Over at a corner of the garden, there is another tree called ‘dragon’s blood,’ which is of the family of trees that go back in time as well to the dinosaur era, and which can also be seen in North Africa. This tree was worshipped by the tribes in that area for they saw in it the hand of God sticking out of the ground. The sap is a special bird treat. It makes them feel good.

There are many other exotic trees and plants and they are all tagged with the Latin and the Portuguese name for them.

Think of the Angra garden as a tree nursery. As the Portuguese explorers came back to Europe from their travels to the other side of the world, they would stop by the Azores. It was here that many new species of trees and other flora were tried out.

The reason why the Azores was a central point in the age of exploration, was that certain sea currents deemed it unfeasible for the caravelles or galleons to move too close to the African coast. They would go out into the Atlantic and here to the Azores before approaching Portugal and Spain. It was safer for them to do so. Besides that, the fertile soil of the Azores made things prosper. If today Terceira is a refueling station, back then likewise, Portuguese ships would load up with grain at Ponta Delgada and Angra.
As you walk up the main street in downtown Angra, you come to an area called "Alto das Covas," literally, Pit Hill. It was there that underground silos, an Azorean granary was hid from the view of pirates or any other attacking vessel.

Going back to the garden, you will see many palm trees, which were not indigenous to these islands. One of the fountains even depicts the statue of a South American Native. To depict such figure was a prestigious indication of prestige, the having been part of some expedition and having come across red skins in some far away other new world. Think of Angra as a City Museum. The garden is just a little sample of a time and age when West met East and North met South.


Alto das Covas


THE STORAGE OF GRAIN As you go up the Rua da Sé, or the Cathedral Street in Angra, you come up the hill to a place called Alto das Covas, at the very top. There is in this area a Portuguese school, a restaurant and close by on the way down the other side, a hotel. This area is called "Covas," Portuguese for ditches or openings, because it was in this area, that the early settlers kept underground silos. As the Portuguese caravelles docked here, they would fill up with the grain they needed for their long oyages around the globe, and also in their many attempts to dominate the region of North Africa. In order to keep this grain out of the sight of the different marauders thatcame this way, they would bury it in big cistern like underground openings and cover the whole thing until they needed it. The grain was this way hidden from view and kept fresh. As people remembered these openings in the ground, they named this area accordingly. Prince Henry chose the Azores for this purpose, first because the voyagesaround the African coast presented a danger from certain currents that would invariably throw them ashore and/or away from their goal. Sailing West and away from the entrance to the Mediterranean and the African coast, gave them an advantage. All subsequent voyages around the globe would swing all the way out to the middle of the Atlantic, where the Azores happened to lie.
Second, they chose they Azores over Madeira island, because the soil here was richer and better capable of sustaining a full scale cultivation that was needed to support the early expeditions to Africa, India, the Far East, and South America. The islands were so strategic, that Spain, upon encroaching the Portuguese empire into its domain, decided to turn all of Terceira into a fortification of sorts, this for the protection of the silver laden galleons coming back from South America andthe West Indies. They meant to wall up all the more accessible areas of the coast, such as in Praia, where you can still see the bulwark and the ruins of a fort. The fort you see in Angra was just the preliminary to what they had in mind. It is the best fortified Spanish fort outside Spain. Much silver was poured on the middle of its inner courtyard in order to dry and to be prepared for entrance into Spain. So, you see, Terceira and the Azores were destined to serve the Age ofExploration and due to its isolation in the middle of the Ocean they have kept a somewhat timeless quality that turn them into living museums of that era of buccaneers and rash mariners who dared the impossible. Set as the granary of the Age of exploration, it too was the magnet tomany farmers from Mainland Portugal, Galicia (Northern Spain), France and Belgium (*Flanders). Flemish nationals fleeing the Hundred-Year War and people from Bretagne, Northern France arrived here by the hundreds as well . The Flemish even started the production of woad, or pastel, a plant used in thebusiness of dying of textiles, which they would export to their native Lower Countries.Since this was the second enterprise, the first being Madeira island, of the Age of Exploration, everyone was busy and involved with their very survival. The records of that time are not very many or precise. That is, much was left unsaid. Everyone was on the business of make a living. Living and letting live was their main goal. Then, Unlike other European countries, the only real enemy of the islanders at first were the mid Atlantic storms and the seismic chaos which rocked the islands at that time. Of all the islands, Terceira, due to its low coastal altitude, beingconsiderably flatter or not very rugged when compared to the other islands, offered better conditions, that is it had an easier access by sea. For that reason it soon became the hub for all other islands. All the royal offices and government entities, along with the bishopric seat found their place in Angra. Modeled after the city of Lisbon of those days, it developed a very Portuguese colonial style, which it has kept to this day. It is Brazil in miniature, Baia and Belem. It is for its importance during the Age of Discovery that it has gained the recognition of UNESCO, as a world heritage city.


Castelo de S.FilipeS.João Baptista do Monte Brasil


..The castle oThe
The castle or Fort of S. Joao Baptista was constructed in the years 1592, a hundred years after Columbus discovered the New World. Portugal had been involved in exploring the world beyond their shores. Everything went well until Dom Sebastian, a young king, decided he would fight the Muslims in North Africa and rid once and for all the Muslim threat from that region. Tangier and Ceuta were already under Portuguese control. Dom Sebastian thought of expanding further the power of Portugal in that region. This decision was fatal to Portugal. King Sebastian disappeared in battle and no one really knows what happened to him. Leaving no heir to the throne, his next of kin was the King of Spain, Phillip II. From one moment to the next, Spain took over Portugal. This marked the end of Portugal's heyday. Being Britain's arch enemy, soon Great Britain was attacking old Portuguese strongholds all over the world on the pretext that now they were Spanish possessions. Along came the Dutch and did some of that as well. Much of the Portuguese great empire became British or Dutch.

After resistance here in the Azores, the Spaniards were able to take control of Terceira. They right away decided to build a fort to protect its armadas on the way back to Europe. The Fort of S.Joao Baptista, Mount Brasil, indeed the whole island became a Spanish fortification. The fort itself has a perimeter of about 3miles or 4km. The highest points of the wall are about 10 to 12 meters high. The thickness of the walls are about 2.5 meters wide. The fort held about 400 cannons and about 1500 men.

As the Spanish galleons came back, they would bring the silver into the fort to check. They would spread the silver around the main square to air it and prepare it for its trip back to Spain. The Portuguese here were forced to work on this Fort. They left markings on the different stone pieces. Any Portuguese who rebelled or presented a threat to the Spanish lords, were hung on a scafold put up at the top of Monte Brasil (about where now the stone pole topped by a cross is found) for every one to see and to learn the consequences of disobeying the Spaniards. As you come into the main gate of the Fort from the inside, you will read a slogan in Portuguese that says, "Better die a freeman, than be subjected to Peace," which was the Portuguese cry of those days.

For the time period that the Spaniards were here, many of the silver laden galleons did come by here. Many other galleons were attacked by pirates and others shipwrecked in storms. It is suspected that about thirty galleons sank in the immediacy of Terceira as they were approaching this island.

The Spaniards stayed here until the year 1642, a period of about sixty years, until the Portuguese rebelled expelling the Spanish from Portugal, and subsequently from the Azores and other Portuguese dominions around the world. The fort was so well built that it took two years until the Spaniards inside the castle ran out of water and decided to leave it. In thanksgiving, the Portuguese King ordered a church built in the interior of the Fort, which was completed in 1645.

The Spanish presence on this island for about sixty years did have an impact on the character of the people here. Some say that Terceiras 'jollity', their laid back attitude, even their music and love for bullfighting comes from such contact with the Spaniards.


Monte Brasil
Monte Brasil protrudes into the Atlantic from the village of Angra. It is in fact, three hills and the double crater of an extinct volcano. Monte Brasil separates Angra Harbor from Fanal Harbor, where the ships put in when the wind comes from a quarter that makes a landing in Angra Harbor difficult. The Spaniards that built this fort, would use this back bay over the entrance to Angra, as a way of protecting themselves from the islanders’ rage and the dangers of confrontations.

At the foot of Monte Brasil is the fort of São João Baptista, also called S. Filipe Castle. The castle was built by the Spaniards who envisioned Terceira their island fort in the middle of the ocean. Many galleons came this way and much silver was brought in to its inner courtyard to be prepared to enter Spain. Many galleons never made it, and may be sunk at the bottom of Angra Bay. After the Spanish were evicted, Queen Maria ordered a church built within the citadel and named it “São João Baptista.” The façade of the church is in an exhuberant baroque style. This was the first monument in Portugal to commemorate the restoration of the country’s national independence. On one of the entrances to the castle the slogan, “Antes morrer livres do que em paz subjugados,” reads like, “Better die free than subject to peace (Spanish peace).”
The dethroned King Alfonso VI was held prisoner here by his brother between the years of 1669 and 1675. On October 19, 1830, the new blue and white national flag of Portugal was hoisted for the first time in the entire country. Many political prisoners were sent here, like Gugunhana, an African Chiftain and his whole entourage, for example. During World War I it served as a concentration camp for the Germans who lived in Portugal. During World War II, its garrison was greatly enforced. After the Carnation Revolution some political prisoners were sent here.

Monte Brasil is part of the Castle compound. Today, it is equipped with barbecue ovens, picnic tables, slides and swings for children. Over at the top there is a monument in Memory of the Heroism of the people of Terceira against the Spanish invaders. This monument representing the Portuguese “padrões,” the stone pillars that they left on any land they discovered to show Portugal’s ownership of whatever territories. It was also in this area where this monument stands that the Spaniards raised the gallows. Anyone who opposed their will was hung from above and the body could be seen down in Angra as an example to anyone else who dared to rebel against them.
Relvão
The park adjacent to the Castle is also a playground for children. From here one has a great view of Split Rock, or Ilhéu das Cabras and Angra Bay. There are some picnic tables and benches. The only drawback with this park is the fact that there are no restrooms available. Somehow the local government does not seem to understand that is an important feature to the park.




Fort São Sebastião or Castelinho

The smaller fort across the bay from Monte Brasil was built during the reign of King Sebastião (16th century). It was repaired in 1698 and restored in 1946-47.
The fort is known as “castelinho” or little castle. The Portuguese government placed this fort under control of the Bristish Air Force from October 8, 1943 to the end of World War II. A visit to the dungeon and causemate of this old fort is recommended. The stone bridge leading to the entrance holds a certain charm, and a spiral staircase through the heart of the castle draws one’s attention.

Porto das Pipas

Porto das Pipas is the old dock in Angra, which lies right under the São Sebastião Castle and to the left of the Angra marina. Although it stopped its maritime movement recently, it will undoubtedly remain the historical landmark that it is.

It was here namely that many of the caravelles and galleons coasted for a brief stop before they sailed on again for Lisbon or Cadiz during the Age of Discovery and Exploration. It was here that people and goods came and went and where the new met the old and vice versa. Teeming with life and vigor, Porto de Pipas was an important link to anyone sailing in the high seas and beyond.

As you look around to the dilapidated or rundown buildings, you get the impression of looking at some colonial city in Brazil. Here there were many warehouses or custom houses that would be engaged in the business of trade. Today fallen into disuse and many them in ruins, they still speak of a golden era of Terceira; a time when Angra was that very important port call between the old and the new world.

Although not properly kept, this whole area is worthy a visit, as it was here that the Age of Discovery and Exploration found expression.

Many of the surrounding houses have their traditional guillotine windows which point out to the English influence of many old building in the Azores, after the Portuguese colonial style. One could even consider Angra the blueprint of so many other Portuguese colonial towns all round the world, from Belém in Brazil to Macao in the Far East.

Sea Gate
As you come to the sea front by the marina in Angra, you notice a recent built structure, the Sea Gate topping an area of the quay down below, which is reached by a flight of stairs. The gate consists of two archways, which mark the entrance and exit to the town respectively. This is actually a copy of a structure that had stood here in times gone by, and through which the many travelers to the island would come in or go out as if through castle gates.

Today we look at them as romantic structures, or some decorative structure meant for tourists, but if you visit Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel, again you will come across a tri-arched gate, which was used for the same purpose.

Somehow, as people settled, on these islands, their need for protection from the outside was still very strong with them. These gates offered them a sense of security. They were meant as a preemptive feature, a defense against any invasion from the sea. In case of need, one could still fight off the enemy at the very gates to the island.

The balustrade all around the Patio da Alfândega or the custom House courtyard is an area where many islanders would convene as they came to pick up or say goodbye to friends or relatives who were traveling. This was also an area where many people convened to pass their time or see some action. Even today, it is an area that many people seek as a look out to the bay, and to all the action all around.

Patio da Alfândega( Custom House Courtyard)

As you walk up the staircase from the docks, you come across two sumptuous looking buildings that surround the sea front courtyard, the Patio da Alfândega. One of the buildings is the Custom House, today the Port Police Headquarters, and the other building is the Church of Mercy, or Igreja da Misericórdia.

If you walk West past the Police Headquarters you will come to the Hotel/Restaurant Beira-Mar and on to a one leveled building, the former fish market, today also a restaurant. Keep walking on towards Monte Brasil, you come to the Yatch Club.



Subject: Angra Garden

Angra garden was the property of some local noble who as was the fashion of all European made their gardens an

extension of their ego--Versailhes a good example of such practice. At one point Angra City Hall comes in and takes over

that property and decides to establish a garden after the fashion of many wealthy family private parks in São Miguel.

It so happened that a certain François Gabriel of Liége, an agronomist, who had come to São Miguel in 1883 to work in

one of those prestigious gardens, decided to move over to Terceira. Here he was contracted to try his best at making the

Angra Garden as noteworthy as any other park in Europe. François Gabriel stayed on, married a Brazilian belle, and

became the soul and muscle of such garden. He is reported to have worked from dawn till sunset giving his all to that

project. He was in charge of not only preserving the many trees that had been brought here from the four corners of the

world, but added many other exotic plants. It is reported that he was everywhere to be seen. He worked with such

stamina and gusto that impressed everyone who visited the garden until his death in 1897.

Today, the garden is a favorite place for a stroll. There are fountains and flowers everywhere. Huge Pacific island trees

climb to the sky. Way at the top, as you descend from the first fort and the obelisk or Memorial Monument, Monumento

da Memória, there is a type of tree which goes back to the time when Pangeia was around, and the planet was still

smoldering toxic gases. The tree is resistant to pollution and does very well in this mid Atlantic climate in spite of sea-

spray storms . Over at a corner of the garden, there is another tree called ‘dragon’s blood,’ which is of the family of trees

that go back in time as well to the dinosaur era, and which can also be seen in North Africa. This tree was worshipped

by the tribes in that area for they saw in it the hand of God sticking out of the ground. The sap is a special bird treat. It

makes them feel good.

There are many other exotic trees and plants and they are all tagged with the Latin and th Portuguese names for them.

Think of the Angra garden as a tree nursery. As thePortuguese explorers came back to Europe from their travels to the

other side of the world, they would stop by the Azores. It was here that many new species of trees and other flora were

tried out.

The reason why the Azores was a central point in the age of exploration, was that certain sea currents deemed

it unfeasible for the caravelles or galleons to move too close to the African coast. They would go out into the Atlantic and

here to the Azores before approaching Portugal and Spain. It was safer for them to do so. Besides that, the fertile soil of

the Azores made things prosper. If today Terceira is a refueling station, back then likewise, Portuguese ships would load

up with grain. As you walk up the main street in downtown Angra, you come to an area called "Alto das Covas,"

literally, Pit Hill. It was there that underground silos, an Azorean granary was hid from the view of pirates or any other

attacking vessel.

Going back to the garden, you will see many palm trees, which were not indigenous to these islands. One of the fountains

even depicts the statue of a South American Native. To depict such figure was a prestigious indication of prestige, the

having been part of some expedition and having come across red skins in some far away other new world. Think of
Angra as a City Museum. The garden is just a little sample of a time and age when West met East and North met South.



Castelo de S.FilipeS.João Baptista do Monte Brasil

..The castle oThe
The castle or Fort of S.Joao Baptista was constructed in the years 1592, a hundred years after Columbus discovered the New World. Portugal had been involved in exploring the world beyond their shores. Everything went well until Don Sebastian, a young king, decided he would fight the Muslims in North Africa and rid once and for all the Muslim threat from that region. Tangier and Ceuta were already under Portuguese control. Don Sebastian thought of expanding further the power of Portugal in that region. This decision was fatal to Portugal. King Sebastian disappeared in battle and no one really knows what happened to him. Leaving no heir to the throne, his next of kin was the King of Spain, Phillip II. From one moment to the next, Spain took over Portugal. This marked the end of Portugal's heyday. Being Britain's arch enemy, soon Great Britain was attacking old Portuguese strongholds all over the world on the pretext that now they were Spanish possessions. Along came the Dutch and did some of that as well. Much of the Portuguese great empire became British or Dutch.

After resistance here in the Azores, the Spaniards were able to take control of Terceira. They right away decided to build a fort to protect its armadas on the way back to Europe. The Fort of S.Joao Baptista, Mount Brasil, indeed the whole island became a Spanish fortification.

The fort itself has a perimeter of about 3miles or 4km. The highest points of the wall are about 10 to 12 meters high. The thickness of the walls are about 2.5 meters wide. The fort held about 400 cannons and about 1500 men.

As the Spanish galleons came back, they would bring the silver into the fort to check. They would spread the silver around the main square to air it and prepare it for its trip back to Spain. The Portuguese here were forced to work on this Fort. They left markings on the different stone pieces. Any Portuguese who rebelled or presented a threat to the Spanish lords, were hung on a scafold put up at the top of Monte Brasil (about where now the stone pole topped by a cross is found) for every one to see and to learn the consequences of disobeying the Spaniards. As you come into the main gate of the Fort from the inside, you will read a slogan in Portuguese that says, "Better die a freeman, than be subjected to Peace," which was the Portuguese cry of those days.

For the time period that the Spaniards were here, many of the silver laden galleons did come by here. Many other galleons were attacked by pirates and others shipwrecked in storms. It is suspected that about thirty galleons sank in the immediacy of Terceira as they were approaching this island.

The Spaniards stayed here until the year 1640, a period of about sixty years, until the Portuguese rebelled expelling the Spanish from Portugal, and subsequently from the Azores and other Portuguese dominions around the world. In thanksgiving, the Portuguese King ordered a church built in the interior of the Fort, which was completed in 1645.

The Spanish presence on this island for about sixty years did have an impact on the character of the people here. Some say that Terceira's 'jollity', their laid back attitude, even their music and love for bullfighting comes from such contact with the Spaniards.



PRAIA DA VITÓRIA

The captaincy of Terceira had its seat here in Praia from 1456 to 1474, Terceira’s de facto first capital. Van Brügge was appointed by Prince Henry to be the person in charge.

Praia was made town in 1640.

In 1581, Praia fought back the Spanish invasion.
The pretender to the Portuguese throne after King Dom Sebastião’s disappearance in North Africa, Dom Prior of Crato, was acclaimed king when he landed in 1582. With the Spanish gained control of the island in 1583, he fled to England.

In 1829 Praia warded off the attack of the Dom Miguel’s forces. Dom Miguel, who had been exiled in Austria before returning to Portugal, was inspired by the Spanish born queen, his mother, Dona Amelia, who saw it right to deprive the rightful King Dom Pedro, also emperor of Brazil, of his right to the Portuguese crown, especially when he supported a more liberal view of the monarchy, and she a more autocratic, more Spanish like absolutism.

People of Praia were capable of resisting the landing of 21 absolutist ships. This merited Praia its name of Victória, or Praia of Victory in 1832 when the war ended and King Dom Pedro IV won the liberal cause for his daughter Queen Dona Maria.(Dom Pedro abdicated from power both in Brazil and Portugal.)

Praia da Vitória was partially destroyed in the earthquake of 1841.

The town of Praia da Vitória is raised to the status of city in the year 1981.

Praia da Vitória today has about 21,000 inhabitants. It is located in the Northeastern part of Terceira. An important American Base is found Northwest of it, so too the island’s International Airport at Lajes.

Ramo Grande
The area of Praia da Vitoria is also known as Ramo Grande. This was a very important area where wheat was grown, including the area where today the American Base and the International Airport are located.

Wheat was very important during the Age of Discovery. Portuguese Caravelles would load up with grain before leaving on long voyages across the Ocean or down the African coast. If today, airplanes stop here to refuel, back then, the Portuguese galleons or carvelles would do the same to wheat and fresh water.

The houses of this area still preserve architectural signs from the XVIII and XIX centuries. This being considered the “granary” of the island, they were built by rich landowners. Some of them may even have a coat of arms.

The first houses obey the architectural design of houses in the Algarve and Alentejo poor areas of Southern Portugal. These houses consist in the majority of three compartments, a living-room at he center, a single bedroom and a kitchen with a typical kiln.

In the XVIII and XIX centuries, as a result of the wealth that came from wheat production, people started building bigger houses that reflected more the Northern Portuguese manors in miniature. Many of them consist of a ground floor with barred windows and granary, a second floor with wooden floors, and stone floor kitchen. The widows and doors usually have lava stone trimmings and the “praying hand” Azorean chimney, the kind of chimney that developed from the convent or monastery tradition is often used. These houses are a source of pride to their owners, because they point to an era when wheat was king and Ramo Grande, the Praia da Vitória area , was a fertile and wealthy ground.
Praia’s Highlights

Largo Conde da Praia da Vitória

Named by the Town Hall prior to 1870 in honor Count of Bruges (Count van Brügge). This plaza or square is the one by the Court House and small parking lot at the top of the main street, Rua de Jesus. The Police Station is found on one side of it.

Rua de Jesus

Is the main street in Angra and where many of the shops are found.

Town Garden

This garden was built on December 31st of 1879, in memory of the councilor responsible for the restoration of Praia da Vitória after this town was raised to the ground by the 1841 earthquake. A monument in honor of Jose Silvestre Ribeiro is found in this garden. It is a huge pillar with a statue at the top, a memorial to the man who was responsible for the reconstruction of Praia da Vitória after the 1941 earthquake.

Town Market (Mercado Municipal)

This structure is where one finds fresh vegetables, flowers, etc. It was built 1878 and 1882. It was recently renovate and is protected from the rain by a gigantic cover.

Praça Francisco Ornelas da Câmara (Praia da Vitória’s Main Square)

Is found at the bottom of Rua de Jesus. Thee is a taxi stand nearby. The City Hall, Post Office and public library are found around this square. A Statue designed by Abraam Abohot was inaugurated in 1929, a the time of the 1st century of the battle of August 11, 1829, won by the Liberals.






Town Hall (Câmara Municipal)

The first Praia da Vitória’s City Hall was built close to the sea. The present City Hall was built in the XVI century. It was destroyed by the earthquake of 1614 and rebuilt at the end of the same century. It is a building that depicts the Northern Portugal manor houses, much in the tradition of many of the Ramo Grande structures.

Igreja da Matriz (Parish Church)

Igreja da Matriz or the Main Parish Church also known as Santa Cruz Church, or the Church of the Holy Cross. Many valuable sacred objects are found there. This church was founded by its first doneé, “donatário or island leader, Jacome de Bruges. The monument was finished in 1456. In spite of being remodeled in XIX century, it still preserves the Portuguese “manueline (Portuguese gothic) style structures at both portals, and vaults. These portals were sent to Terceira island as a gift by the King of Portugal at the end of the sixteenth century. There is an important sculpture collection from the sixteenth century. At Ornelas Chapel there is a tombstone date from the eighteenth century and the “Santíssimo Sacramento” the Holy Sacrament Chapel is adorned with gilded-carved wood from the seventeenth century. The church was repaired in 1577, 1810, and again in 1842 after the devastating earthquake which flattened the town of Praia on June 15, 1841.


Santa Casa da Misericórdia

Twice a year a special mass is held in Praia by the Holy House of Mercy, or the Santa Casa da Misericórdia . One is on January 1, in celebration of the New Year, and the other is on June 15, in remembrance of the earthquake which completely demolished the town of Praia da Vitória in the year 1841. This institution started in the 15th century when Queen Dona Leonor, wife of King Don João II, to help poor and sick people in need. On the island of Terceira there are three Santa Casas, or Holy Houses of Mercy. One is in Angra. Another is in São Sebastião and another is in Praia.
In the chapel tower hangs the bell of Independence, so called because on Palm Sunday, March 24, 1641, the bell was rung proclaiming independence from Spain and hailing King João IV of Bragança King of Portugal.


Senhor Santo Cristo Church

The original church of Senhor Santo Cristo or Misericórdia Church was destroyed by fire in 1921. It contained a very popular icon of Christ, Lord of Miracles,which burned along with the rest of the church. This church is unique in that it has two main chapels. It was restored after the earthquake of 1980. Two tombs were found at that time: one from Pedro de Barcelos and Dona Leonor Pacheco de Melo.

Miradouro do Facho (Facho Belvedere)
Right above Praia da Vitória. A Statue of the Virgin Mary has been built reminding one of Lisbon’s and Rio’s Christ King Statues. They are also in the process of building a new hotel in this area. From this lookout point, one can see all of Praia and surrounding area.

Handicraft Association

This building is found between the newly built hotel at the water front and the Tropical restaurant. It was founded in 1985. This association sponsors the expo of various handicraft items such as embroideries, crochet, weaver’s work, etc. It is made up of 38 members. The building opens between 13:00 and 18:00, Mondays to Fridays.



British Graveyard in Praia

This cemetery is found in the immediacy of the Joaquim Alves Bairro or neighborhood. When the British/Canadians manned the Base on Terceira, it was the general practice to send the bodies of those who died back home. During the War, when many aircraft crashed in a short period of time, the graveyard in Praia(Cruz) was established. A Portuguese caretaker is paid by the United States Government to maintain the graveyard.

During World War II, many aircraft would crash on takeoff here. It was later discovered that two British Sergeants who sided with the enemy forces, were actually responsible for sabotage of the planes that crashed. They were sent back to England for trial.

Salgueiros

Salgueiros is a quaint picnic area found nestled against the sea Southwest of Praia da Vitória, close to Porto Martins. This is a favorite overnight camping area.

Biscoitos

Biscoitos is a rich wine and fruit growing area situated northwest of Praia. The village is surrounded by volcanic lava from an 18th century volcano eruption. The lava flow formed dough like structures, hence the name Biscoitos for biscuit like lava formations. There is a wine museum in town and a popular wine fest at harvest time. Calheta dos Biscoitos is a seashore area appropriate for bathing and here is also a popular overnight camping area.