Lajes das Flores (parish)
Encyclopedia
Lajes das Flores is an Azorean
civil parish, and municipal seat of the municipality of Lajes das Flores
; it is an administrative division that occupies an area of 18.45 km², has a population of less than 540 residents (2001), or approximately 29.3 inhabitants/km². The parish corresponds specifically to the town of the same name, one of two towns on the island of Flores.
Willem van der Haegen
, occurred in the zone of Ribeira da Cruz (north of the parish) in the 16th Century.
By 1510, the area of Lajes consisted of a significant population; it had benefited from its natural port and the settlement was elevated to the status of vila by the Portuguese government (responsible for administering the south and western portions of the island) by 1515 (making it the oldest settlement in the Western Group with this status). Initially, the settlement included Ribeira da Silva (in the area of Lomba
), Fajã Grande, as well as the settlements of Lajedo, Fajãzinha, Caldeira, Mosteiro, Fajã Grande and Fazenda. Settlements in the western coast, with the exception of Lajedo, were de-annexed to form the parish of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios das Fajãs (independent as of 1676, with its seat in Fajãzinha). Fazenda was de-annexed in 1919.
The historian Father António Cordeiro, in his work História Insulana described the village:
The Florense, José António Camões
, in his Roteiro Exacto da Costa da Ilha, writing in the first decade of the 19th Century, affirmed:
Although formed as the religious parish to the invocation of the Divine Holy Spirit, the parish was changed to honour Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Our Lady of the Rosary), in the 19th Century.
The primitive church was constructed in the present location of the cemetery, but was burned-down by English privateers on July 25, 1587, when five English ships offloaded troops and sacked the village, and caused the residents to flee into the hills. The current Matriz Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário was constructed between 1763 and 1783, where the old chapel of the Holy Spirit was located. It was renovated in the middle of the 19th Century, but also received remodelling in 1880. The temple was repaired again in 1907 and 1910, with the lateral alters executed by the Florense António de Maurício de Fraga and Francisco José Pimentel, and in the 1960s, by the Micalense artist António Jacinto Carreiro. New renovations were also completed in 1953, 1954, 1964, 1968 and 1991. The church houses important reliquary, including an silver oil lamp, an antique osstuary, and chalice offered by Pope Pio X (in gratitude for the assistance of the local townspeople, for saving peoples from the shipwreck of the Slavonia on June 10, 1909). It also houses an interesting painting of the "Baptism of Jesus" produced in the first quarter of the 20th Century by Filomena Albertina Mourão de Freitas, a Lajense artist, who also created the image of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, for the azulejo
on the front facade of the Church.
Two fortes guarded the villages coastal frontier: the Fort of Santo António, which defended the town from two American privateers in 1770 and the Forte do Espírito Santo. By 1868 these garrisons were demolished, but the name Santo António in the village remains, designating the area along the coast in front of the Church, the former location of the fort and chapel of the same name.
Between 1960 and 1980, emigrants of this parish became residents primarily of the United States and Canada. In 2001, the parish included 545 inhabitants (37% adolescents/children, 49% adults and 14% seniors), 437 registered to vote.
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...
civil parish, and municipal seat of the municipality of Lajes das Flores
Lajes das Flores
Lajes das Flores is municipality in the western part of the Azores; it includes the southern portion of the island of Flores and is encircled almost entirely by the Atlantic Ocean except for the north, where it is bordered by Santa Cruz das Flores. It has a population of 1,491 inhabitants and a...
; it is an administrative division that occupies an area of 18.45 km², has a population of less than 540 residents (2001), or approximately 29.3 inhabitants/km². The parish corresponds specifically to the town of the same name, one of two towns on the island of Flores.
History
The village was founded from a sheltered bay, facilitating the easy disembarkation of goods and provisions, protected from westerly winds. The first documented settlement, by the FlemFlemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
Willem van der Haegen
Willem van der Haegen
Willem van der Haegen, at times Willelm van der Hagen or Willelm van der Haagen , transliterated to the Portuguese as Guilherme da Silveira , was a Flemish nobleman, entrepreneur, explorer and pioneer in the settlement of the islands of the...
, occurred in the zone of Ribeira da Cruz (north of the parish) in the 16th Century.
By 1510, the area of Lajes consisted of a significant population; it had benefited from its natural port and the settlement was elevated to the status of vila by the Portuguese government (responsible for administering the south and western portions of the island) by 1515 (making it the oldest settlement in the Western Group with this status). Initially, the settlement included Ribeira da Silva (in the area of Lomba
Lomba (Lajes das Flores)
Lomba is a civil parish in the municipality of Lajes das Flores on the island of Flores in the Azores. The population in 2001 is 197, its density is 19.7/km, and the area is 10.02 km²...
), Fajã Grande, as well as the settlements of Lajedo, Fajãzinha, Caldeira, Mosteiro, Fajã Grande and Fazenda. Settlements in the western coast, with the exception of Lajedo, were de-annexed to form the parish of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios das Fajãs (independent as of 1676, with its seat in Fajãzinha). Fazenda was de-annexed in 1919.
The historian Father António Cordeiro, in his work História Insulana described the village:
- Her in the North, is the noble and strong Village of Lajes, in nothing is it subject to the Village of Santa Cruz, with more than 300 homes, and two great Companies, the Captain of Ordinance and the Captain-General of the Village, their space, constituted of one great road with many intersections, and have in front of them, to the sea, a few dangerous lowlands, where they committed the Villa, more than two leagues from the place known as São Pedro.
The Florense, José António Camões
José António Camões
Father José António Camões , a Florense , a Catholic priest, poet, historian, and author of various works of satire, including his heroic satire O Testamento de D...
, in his Roteiro Exacto da Costa da Ilha, writing in the first decade of the 19th Century, affirmed:
- ...there is that Village port in the south-southeast; outside is a bay anchored by sand. Continuing from the mentioned port, to the south is born a various cliffs, that is called the Canos d’agoa, that they say proceeded from the Caldeira Funda, which is found above it. Continuing to the south is the fajã called Fajã de Loppo Vaz, that they say was first place that they set foot on this island. They produce in this fajã all type of consumables, there is one of particular note, they leave the seeds in the shells of pumpkins, bogango, melons, watermelons, cabaça, etc. and in the following year, in the new culture of the following year, produce them as if being cultivated. There is in this Fajã a small port, quite ridiculous, called the English Port...the district of the Village of Lajes, in the river-valley of Fundão or Ladroens, continues to the South, in a short distance of more or less half a league existed in the pasta small settlement with two homes called Ribeira da Lapa, which is now desserted...its organ is Nossa Senhora do Rosário, whose Vicarage produces in the order of 7 moios, 4 alqueires of wheat and 8,000 reis. There is more, a chapel of the Castillians constructed in 1741...There is in this Village 75 homes where 486 souls reside, of them 240 men and 246 women. There are 35 tiled houses and 17 men with shoes. There are two companies of ordinance. The first formed in the Village, Monte and Morros, with one captain, one ensign, two lieutenants, that were strong, two sergeants and 170 soldiers, the second formed in Fazenda, Lajedo and Mosteiro, with one Captain, one Ensign, one Lieutenant, three Sergeants and 147 soldiers, with 77 in Fazenda, 36 in Lajedo and along the coast, and 34 in Mosteiro and Caldeira. There is a castle in the port of the Village with house and guard and nine pieces, and two large, one of which is along the cliff without a house, and one small.
Although formed as the religious parish to the invocation of the Divine Holy Spirit, the parish was changed to honour Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Our Lady of the Rosary), in the 19th Century.
The primitive church was constructed in the present location of the cemetery, but was burned-down by English privateers on July 25, 1587, when five English ships offloaded troops and sacked the village, and caused the residents to flee into the hills. The current Matriz Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário was constructed between 1763 and 1783, where the old chapel of the Holy Spirit was located. It was renovated in the middle of the 19th Century, but also received remodelling in 1880. The temple was repaired again in 1907 and 1910, with the lateral alters executed by the Florense António de Maurício de Fraga and Francisco José Pimentel, and in the 1960s, by the Micalense artist António Jacinto Carreiro. New renovations were also completed in 1953, 1954, 1964, 1968 and 1991. The church houses important reliquary, including an silver oil lamp, an antique osstuary, and chalice offered by Pope Pio X (in gratitude for the assistance of the local townspeople, for saving peoples from the shipwreck of the Slavonia on June 10, 1909). It also houses an interesting painting of the "Baptism of Jesus" produced in the first quarter of the 20th Century by Filomena Albertina Mourão de Freitas, a Lajense artist, who also created the image of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, for the 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...
on the front facade of the Church.
Two fortes guarded the villages coastal frontier: the Fort of Santo António, which defended the town from two American privateers in 1770 and the Forte do Espírito Santo. By 1868 these garrisons were demolished, but the name Santo António in the village remains, designating the area along the coast in front of the Church, the former location of the fort and chapel of the same name.
Geography
It is situated along the southeast coast, and incorporates the localities of Jogo da Bola, Monte, Morros, Outeiro Negro, Pátio Grande, Ribeira Seca and Vila de Baixo. The center of the parish is dominated by the Paços do Concelho (literally, the "Municipal place/space"), the dis-activated installations of Radionaval das Flores, the Lajes Lighthouse, and the commercial port (which serves the island).Between 1960 and 1980, emigrants of this parish became residents primarily of the United States and Canada. In 2001, the parish included 545 inhabitants (37% adolescents/children, 49% adults and 14% seniors), 437 registered to vote.
Ecoregions/Protected areas
There are several natural landscapes that fall within the boundaries of the parish, these include:- Natural Reserve of the Caldeiras Funda and Rasa - portions of the natural reserve, specifically the crater lakes of Lagoa Funda (Deep Lake) and Lagoa Comprida (Long Lake), fall within the parish's boundaries, a natural environment with many endemic plants and forests typical of the Azores;
- Pedrinha - a geological feature in the western part of the parish;
- Rocha Alta - the largest cliff on the island of Flores, about 500 meters in altitude;
- Fajã de Lopo Vaz - an area of high cliffs, with its islet (Islet of Lopo Vaz) located offshore;
- Pedras dos Frades - huge blocks of basalt rock located along the coast;
- Vale da Boca da Baleia - a valley landscape.
Civic
- Paços do Concelho - the civic square of Lajes das Flores;
- Chafrarizes - three fountains constructed in the parish to provide water to the inhabitants: Chafrariz da Cruz, Chafrariz dos Morros and Chafrariz dos Montes;
- Port of Lajes - the commercial port and access ocean-access to the municipality
Military
- Fort of Santo António - demolished in 1868, the area in front of the Matriz Church retains the place-name, where the fort once protected the town.
Religious
- Parochial Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário - constructed between 1763 and 1783, on the site of an older Chapel of the Holy Spirit (that stood until the 16th Century); it substituted the older Matriz Church, whose lands were converted into a cemetery;
- Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Angústias - now located in the cemetery, and which was part of the original Matriz Church; it was constructed in 1729 para two Spanish noblemen, D. Pedro and D. Manuel, who were saved from the shipwreck of the galleon Nuestra Señora de Angústias e San José alongside Lajes, with 180 crew (February 27, 1727;
- Império of the Divino Espírito Santo da Vila - reconstructed in 1819, and remodelled in 1846;
- Casa do Divino Espírito Santo dos Morros - a gathering-place for religious celebrations, constructed in 1846;
- Casa do Divino Espírito Santo dos Montes - also constructed to support religious celebtrations, in 1868;