Ponta do Pargo
Encyclopedia
Ponta do Pargo is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese
archipelago of Madeira
. In 2001 the permanent population within its borders was 1145, in an area of 46 km² that extended into the interior of this diamond-shape parish on the extreme western tip of Madeira (there were about 52 residents per square kilometre of land). It is located west of the municipal seat of Calheta, and southwest of the municipality of Porto Moniz: the main regional road meanders through the parish in the interior of this coastal enclave, linking it to Porto Moniz
and Santana and Funchal
to the east.
explained, came from early explorers to the western tip of the island of Madeira, whom fished the waters and caught a species of porgy
.
The settlement began with Garcia da Câmara, son-in-law of João Gonçalves Zarco
, who here began establishing small estates run by colonists who tilled the land. Many of the lands in the parish were originally in the name of Garcia da Câmara and Afonso Henriques, Master of Alcáçovas (dated to the 16th century). The date for the creation of the parish remains a mystery. In the opinion of Father Fernando Augusto da Silva, it occurred in the late 1560s, since the regal document on 4 March of the same year referred to the congregation of this parish. Meanwhile, the lands of the civil parish pertained, at the time, to the neighbouring parish of Fajã da Ovelha
.
The parish of Ponta do Pargo was incorporated into the municipality of Porto Moniz
, between 31 October 1835 and 1849, until that municipality was suppressed during the administrative reforms of the Liberal regime. Porto Moniz, along with Ponta do Pargo, therefore began to function as a part of the much larger municipality of Calheta. The restoration of the municipality of Porto Moniz in 1855, resulted in the reincorporation of the parish of Ponta do Pargo. On 26 June 1851, Ponta do Pargo was deannexed from Porto Moniz and reintegrated into the municipality of Calheta (as it remains today).
Owing to the extreme geology of the western coast, with its cliffs and rocky coast, a lighthouse was constructed in the heights of Ponta da Vigia, at the extreme westerly promontory of the parish, inaugurated on 5 June 1922.
(Porto Moniz) and Fajã da Ovelha
(within the municipality of Calheta
. The cliff-top bluffs reach a height of 392 metres above sea level, while its interior extent reaches an altitude of just over 1321 metres. The most westerly extent, the Ponta in the parishes name, is manned by a lighhouse.
Ponta do Pargo is identified by several localities scattered throughout the central band of the regional roadway; residential agglomerations that include: Cabo, Lombada Velha, Ribeira da Vaca, Serrado, Salão, Corujeira de Dentro, Corujeira de Fora, Lombadinha, Amparo and Lombo.
About 20% of the inhabitants of the parish are children and youth (less than 15 years), 55% are active adults, while seniors make-up 25% of the population.
Ponta do Pargo has a primary school, lyceum
, a gymnasium, a church, a square and a pharmacy.
Civil construction is one of the most important activity economically, employing a large portion of the active population.
Social services are provided by the Social Centre and Casa do Povo da Ponta do Pargo, including homecare and assistance, while healthcare services are provided by the local Health centre and that located in Calheta.
Non secular highlights include primarily the Festival of the Pêro, an agricultural festival dedicated to the apple, held annually in September in the locality of Salão.
Culturally, the parish is supported by a dynamic collectivity, the Associação Desportiva e Cultural da Ponta do Pargo, established on 16 July 1999, which promotes and develops sports activities with the parish. Similarly, the Grupo de Cantigas Norte a Sul da Ponta do Pargo also establishes a collective support for the arts and music.
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...
archipelago of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
. In 2001 the permanent population within its borders was 1145, in an area of 46 km² that extended into the interior of this diamond-shape parish on the extreme western tip of Madeira (there were about 52 residents per square kilometre of land). It is located west of the municipal seat of Calheta, and southwest of the municipality of Porto Moniz: the main regional road meanders through the parish in the interior of this coastal enclave, linking it to Porto Moniz
Porto Moniz
Porto Moniz is a municipality in the northwest corner of the island of Madeira. It is located west of Santana and Machico, and northwest of Funchal, linked to Santana and Funchal by a main roadway from Calheta.-History:...
and Santana and Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
to the east.
History
The name of the parish, as the historian Gaspar FrutuosoGaspar Frutuoso
Gaspar Frutuoso was a Portuguese priest, historian and humanist from the island of São Miguel, in the Azores...
explained, came from early explorers to the western tip of the island of Madeira, whom fished the waters and caught a species of porgy
Porgy
Porgy is a novel written by American author DuBose Heyward in 1925, as well as a play Dorothy Heyward helped him to write which debuted in 1927....
.
- "From Calheta the captain passed below an area that ended at a point over the sea...and being here, they collected from the boat of Tristão and the boat of Álvaro Afonso a fish that looked like porgy, of a marvellous greatness and the largest that, until that time, was ever seen; for this reason, because of the fish, the point was named porgy. From this Ponta do Pargo look to the North until another point, whose distance one says is two, other say three, leagues..."
The settlement began with Garcia da Câmara, son-in-law of João Gonçalves Zarco
João Gonçalves Zarco
João Gonçalves Zarco was a Portuguese explorer who established settlements and recognition of the Madeira Islands, and was appointed first captain of Funchal by Henry the Navigator.-Life:...
, who here began establishing small estates run by colonists who tilled the land. Many of the lands in the parish were originally in the name of Garcia da Câmara and Afonso Henriques, Master of Alcáçovas (dated to the 16th century). The date for the creation of the parish remains a mystery. In the opinion of Father Fernando Augusto da Silva, it occurred in the late 1560s, since the regal document on 4 March of the same year referred to the congregation of this parish. Meanwhile, the lands of the civil parish pertained, at the time, to the neighbouring parish of Fajã da Ovelha
Fajã da Ovelha
Fajã da Ovelha ) is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. In 2001, the population was approximately 1016 inhabitants, dispersed in semi-forested pastureland in an area of 24 km²...
.
The parish of Ponta do Pargo was incorporated into the municipality of Porto Moniz
Porto Moniz
Porto Moniz is a municipality in the northwest corner of the island of Madeira. It is located west of Santana and Machico, and northwest of Funchal, linked to Santana and Funchal by a main roadway from Calheta.-History:...
, between 31 October 1835 and 1849, until that municipality was suppressed during the administrative reforms of the Liberal regime. Porto Moniz, along with Ponta do Pargo, therefore began to function as a part of the much larger municipality of Calheta. The restoration of the municipality of Porto Moniz in 1855, resulted in the reincorporation of the parish of Ponta do Pargo. On 26 June 1851, Ponta do Pargo was deannexed from Porto Moniz and reintegrated into the municipality of Calheta (as it remains today).
Owing to the extreme geology of the western coast, with its cliffs and rocky coast, a lighthouse was constructed in the heights of Ponta da Vigia, at the extreme westerly promontory of the parish, inaugurated on 5 June 1922.
Geography
Ponta do Pargo is a diamond-shape territory on the western edge of the island Madeira. From its high-altitude cliffs it extends into the interior along escarpments cut by several river valleys to the Serra do Paul. The northwest to southwest border fronts the Atlantic Ocean, while its northern frontier is limited by its border with the municipality of Porto MonizPorto Moniz
Porto Moniz is a municipality in the northwest corner of the island of Madeira. It is located west of Santana and Machico, and northwest of Funchal, linked to Santana and Funchal by a main roadway from Calheta.-History:...
(Porto Moniz) and Fajã da Ovelha
Fajã da Ovelha
Fajã da Ovelha ) is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. In 2001, the population was approximately 1016 inhabitants, dispersed in semi-forested pastureland in an area of 24 km²...
(within the municipality of Calheta
Calheta (Azores)
Calheta is a municipality on the island of São Jorge, in the Portuguese autonomous region of Azores. The municipality includes the eastern portion of the island of São Jorge and borders the municipality of Velas; Calheta has a population of 3,972 inhabitants and an area of...
. The cliff-top bluffs reach a height of 392 metres above sea level, while its interior extent reaches an altitude of just over 1321 metres. The most westerly extent, the Ponta in the parishes name, is manned by a lighhouse.
Ponta do Pargo is identified by several localities scattered throughout the central band of the regional roadway; residential agglomerations that include: Cabo, Lombada Velha, Ribeira da Vaca, Serrado, Salão, Corujeira de Dentro, Corujeira de Fora, Lombadinha, Amparo and Lombo.
About 20% of the inhabitants of the parish are children and youth (less than 15 years), 55% are active adults, while seniors make-up 25% of the population.
Ponta do Pargo has a primary school, lyceum
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
, a gymnasium, a church, a square and a pharmacy.
Economy
Its main industry is agriculture, although it is supported by a vibrant commercial industry localized in the localities of Ponta do Pargo, Ribeira da Vaca and Lombada Velha. Agricultural production and support of dairy herding are the primary activities, which support the butter industry, but the area is known for a diverse cultivation of tubers and legumes, including sweet potato, carrots, wheat, grapes and apples.Civil construction is one of the most important activity economically, employing a large portion of the active population.
Social services are provided by the Social Centre and Casa do Povo da Ponta do Pargo, including homecare and assistance, while healthcare services are provided by the local Health centre and that located in Calheta.
Civic
- Farol da Ponta do Pargo (Ponta do Pargo Lighthouse) - Located at Ponta Vigia, a rocky cliff escarpment (290 metres above sea level), the lighthouse was inaugurated in 1922, its silhouette has dominated the skyline of this escarpment. Its light is 312 metres above sea level, sometimes becoming enveloped by fog but an important signal for seafaring ships.
- Centro Cívico da Ponta do Pargo (Ponta do Pargo Civic Centre) - Built through investment of 8 million euros, it is located in front of the parochial church and was inaugurated on 13 September 2006. The modernist design houses the local Health centre, the Junta de Freguesia, Casa do Povo, Day Centre, Social Services and Social Security Centres, while an auxiliary building includes a gymnasium.
Religious
- Church of São Pedro (Church of Saint Peter) - Once a chapel dedicated to Saint Peter, it was expanded and remodelled, but reconstructed by order of the Conselho da Fazenda on 20 July 1620, and completed in 1690. In 1851, new works to repair the buildings were completed. Oral tradition indicates that the constructions and remodelling occurred in three different places within Salão (in Pé do Pico, later Achada da Igreja and finally in its present location), although no records provide dates for its original construction or these latter remodelling projects associated with the different locations.
- Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Amparo (Chapel of Our Lady of Amparo) - The ecclisastical parish of Amparo, created by the Bishop of FunchalFunchalFunchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
, David de Sousa, in 1960, includes the civil parish of Ponta do Pargo, and the chapel was constructed in the 20th century in a simple modernist style.
Culture
The patron saint of the parish is Saint Peter, on which an annual festival is celebrated on 29 June. Meanwhile other religious celebrations are important throughout the parish, including the romeiras or processions that travel from church to church throughout the island, in addition to annual celebrations at the churches of Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte (Cabo) in July and Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem (Amparo) in August.Non secular highlights include primarily the Festival of the Pêro, an agricultural festival dedicated to the apple, held annually in September in the locality of Salão.
Culturally, the parish is supported by a dynamic collectivity, the Associação Desportiva e Cultural da Ponta do Pargo, established on 16 July 1999, which promotes and develops sports activities with the parish. Similarly, the Grupo de Cantigas Norte a Sul da Ponta do Pargo also establishes a collective support for the arts and music.