Santa Cruz das Flores (parish)
Encyclopedia
Santa Cruz das Flores is a civil parish
in the municipality of the same name
, corresponding to an area of 39,55 km² and population of 1810 inhabitants (2001). It is the largest population center in the Western Group of Portuguese Azores
, concentrating all governmental and judicial services of the island. In addition, it is the site of the only secondary school, the civil airport
, the centers of health and commerce.
where Willem van der Haegen
and his supporters disembarked looking for the mythical Ilhas Cassitérides. After these colonists abandoned their settlement new pioneers in 1508 and 1510 attempted to succeed in the area of the present Santa Cruz.
This settlement was helped by the installation of the Franciscan
Convent (São Boaventura), now a museum. Its construction began in 1642, two years after Portugal's Restoration of Independence
, under the initiative of local Florense Father Inácio Coelho. The convent was renowned for its Baroque
alter-pieces and its ornamented roof (constructed from local cedros-do-mato
, typical of the region).
The Franciscans had a profound effect on the local population, installing the annual celebrations for the Culto do Divino Espírito Santo (), and becoming responsible for the education of the local community. Offering many courses, including Latin
, it was their system that became the basis for the reforms in the post-Pombolino national educational system. But, after lasting briefly, those educators abandoned the island and the Franciscans returned to their place in São Boaventura. During the early transition between Franciscan and public systems, Father José António Camões
, was important in his functions (between 1797 and 1807) exercising his role as the only grammar teacher on the island. He returned to this place in 1815, where he continued until 1827 in this capacity. Santa Cruz remained the only educational centre in the Western Group of Azorean islands
, until the middle of the 19th Century; it consolidated its position, forcing the local population to send their children to live in the regional capital in order to obtain an education. The convent, whose chief benefactor was Father Maurício António de Freitas, promoter of the religious foundation Externato da Imaculada Conceição, was also the primary establishment to provide post-secondary education after the fall of the religious orders. The nucleus of post-secondary education began in October 1959, in the home of the poet Roberto de Mesquita, until it was moved, much later, to the Convent of São Boaventura where it was transformed into a public institution.
The convent also became the home of the local hospital (now medical centre) for the island, originally founded in 1878, on the initiative of António Vicente Peixoto Pimentel (1827–1881). The hospital occupied the Convent, after the Pombolino explusion of the religious orders (in 1834), which was at the time owned by Francisco da Cruz Silva e Reis. It was purchased in 1877 by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Santa Cruz das Flores as a formal hospital and children's shelter. After a campaign, spearheaded by Peixoto Pimentel, part of the convent was demolished and an extension remodeled to serve the hospital, which was re-inaugurated in 1881, the same year that its founder died. Until the 1940s the convent operated in this capacity, where it was closed until 1945 due to a lack of modern conditions. Part of the convent was demolished, and a new building built after the establishment of the French Communications Base. Apart from local doctors, French military doctors brought new equipment, forms of treatment and conditions that allowed the hospital to boast its eminence in the Azores, even realizing complex surgeries not available on the other islands.
The construction of the Matriz Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição () began in the close years of the 18th Century, after one attempt was impeded by a strong rock deposit near the Praça do Município (now the Praça Marquês do Pombal). Construction ended in 1859, after many years of difficult financial constraints and unexpected difficulties in its construction.
During the second half of the 19th century, the whaling industry was an important part of the island's economy. After a few years of traditional whale-hunting the industrialization of the activity was formalized with construction of factory, and whale oil and products were concentrated in the area of Boqueirão. The Fábrica da Baleia do Boqueirão (), now a part of the Flores Museum, occupies an advantageous place in the area around the port of Boqueirão, with a ramp adapted to drag Sperm whales from the ocean. Its architect of this business was the Lisbon
entrepreneur Francisco Marcelino dos Reis and directed by his partner José Jacinto Mendonça Flores, who was the local investor of Reis & Flores, provisioner to whaling fleets. Construction began in October 1941, and the machinery installed by March 1943. It is likely that the factory began operations in the summer of 1944, probably in the month of July. It continued to operate until 1976. After a couple of tentative attempts to restart operations, it was finally closed in 1981. At its peak (1963) the factory processed 103 whales. The final animal was processed on November 24, 1981 after José Jacinto Mendonça Furtado harpooned the 21st whale of the season.
Of the many stories of ships being sunk in the waters of Flores, owing to its rocky coastal shores, there is the strange story of the whaler Modena, from the port of Boston
which floundered in the waters of Bermuda
on April 22. Captain William H. Long and eleven men, after abandoning their ship, survived an adventure of 2000 nautical miles (3,704 km) along the Gulf Stream
to the mouth of Ribeira da Cruz, in Fajã do Conde. In this area, the sailors carved on the rocks: "Capt. W. H. Lang and 11 men landed May 5, 1873 from Bark Modena of Boston Mass. Foundered April 22".
, is an urbanized area that includes the historical center, Fazenda d'Alem, Monte, Vales and Ribeira dos Barqueiros. The core is the urbanized area extends from the eastern coast (to include the airport
) and inland. Along the coast two small ports condition exports and traffic: the Porto das Poças (in the south), used by commercial fishermen and for traffic to Corvo
, and the Porto do Boqueirão (in the north), an older whaling station whose ramp and factory (Fábrica da Baleia do Boqueirão) have become part of the Museum of Flores. In the extreme north of the parish is the small port of São Pedro, linked to the northern limit of the airport's runway.
Due to its central place and the existence of the French Base, historically, Santa Cruz has not experienced the same level of immigration that occurred in other Florense communities during the 20th Century. In settlements around the island, the number of inhabitants were halved during this period, while Santa Cruz maintained its population; in 1940, 2,100 people lived in the urbanized area, today about 2,000 people are residents of the parish.
But, because of the rich pasture-lands in the interior, the agricultural sector (dairy products and cattle raising) remain an important part of the economy. The export of butter to Lisbon, was an important part in the villa's development and industrial competition, that resulted in the creation of several small cooperatives on the island. The development of these agricultural syndicates, led by Father José Furtado Mota, was one of the important socio-economic movements in the Azores during the 20th Century. This resulted in several conflicts, known on the island colloquially as the "Butter Wars". The growth in the dairy industry contributed to the decrease in other forms of agriculture, particularly cereals, since lands used for dairy-raising were more lucrative.
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the municipality of the same name
Santa Cruz das Flores
Santa Cruz das Flores is a municipality in Portugal, located across from the island of Corvo on the island of Flores, in the western part of the autonomous region of Azores. With an area of 70.9 km² its approximately 2,500 inhabitants occupy the northern half of the island...
, corresponding to an area of 39,55 km² and population of 1810 inhabitants (2001). It is the largest population center in the Western Group of Portuguese 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...
, concentrating all governmental and judicial services of the island. In addition, it is the site of the only secondary school, the civil airport
Flores Airport
Flores Airport is a regional airport on the island of Flores in the Portuguese Azores. It is located along the eastern coast, bisecting the regional capital of Santa Cruz das Flores into two halves: from the Porto of São Pedro the runway is aligned north-south to the area around Porto dos Poços...
, the centers of health and commerce.
History
The first attempts to settle Flores occurred in the area of CaveiraCaveira
Caveira is the smallest civil parish on the island of Flores, located within the municipality of Santa Cruz das Flores, in the Azorean archipelago. The population in 2001 was less than 100 inhabitants, in an area of approximately 3.29 km²...
where 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...
and his supporters disembarked looking for the mythical Ilhas Cassitérides. After these colonists abandoned their settlement new pioneers in 1508 and 1510 attempted to succeed in the area of the present Santa Cruz.
This settlement was helped by the installation of the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Convent (São Boaventura), now a museum. Its construction began in 1642, two years after Portugal's Restoration of Independence
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...
, under the initiative of local Florense Father Inácio Coelho. The convent was renowned for its Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
alter-pieces and its ornamented roof (constructed from local cedros-do-mato
Juniperus brevifolia
Juniperus brevifolia is a species of juniper, endemic to the Azores , where it occurs at altitudes of 240-800 m, rarely up to 1,500 m...
, typical of the region).
The Franciscans had a profound effect on the local population, installing the annual celebrations for the Culto do Divino Espírito Santo (), and becoming responsible for the education of the local community. Offering many courses, including Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, it was their system that became the basis for the reforms in the post-Pombolino national educational system. But, after lasting briefly, those educators abandoned the island and the Franciscans returned to their place in São Boaventura. During the early transition between Franciscan and public systems, Father 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...
, was important in his functions (between 1797 and 1807) exercising his role as the only grammar teacher on the island. He returned to this place in 1815, where he continued until 1827 in this capacity. Santa Cruz remained the only educational centre in the Western Group of Azorean islands
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...
, until the middle of the 19th Century; it consolidated its position, forcing the local population to send their children to live in the regional capital in order to obtain an education. The convent, whose chief benefactor was Father Maurício António de Freitas, promoter of the religious foundation Externato da Imaculada Conceição, was also the primary establishment to provide post-secondary education after the fall of the religious orders. The nucleus of post-secondary education began in October 1959, in the home of the poet Roberto de Mesquita, until it was moved, much later, to the Convent of São Boaventura where it was transformed into a public institution.
The convent also became the home of the local hospital (now medical centre) for the island, originally founded in 1878, on the initiative of António Vicente Peixoto Pimentel (1827–1881). The hospital occupied the Convent, after the Pombolino explusion of the religious orders (in 1834), which was at the time owned by Francisco da Cruz Silva e Reis. It was purchased in 1877 by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Santa Cruz das Flores as a formal hospital and children's shelter. After a campaign, spearheaded by Peixoto Pimentel, part of the convent was demolished and an extension remodeled to serve the hospital, which was re-inaugurated in 1881, the same year that its founder died. Until the 1940s the convent operated in this capacity, where it was closed until 1945 due to a lack of modern conditions. Part of the convent was demolished, and a new building built after the establishment of the French Communications Base. Apart from local doctors, French military doctors brought new equipment, forms of treatment and conditions that allowed the hospital to boast its eminence in the Azores, even realizing complex surgeries not available on the other islands.
The construction of the Matriz Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição () began in the close years of the 18th Century, after one attempt was impeded by a strong rock deposit near the Praça do Município (now the Praça Marquês do Pombal). Construction ended in 1859, after many years of difficult financial constraints and unexpected difficulties in its construction.
During the second half of the 19th century, the whaling industry was an important part of the island's economy. After a few years of traditional whale-hunting the industrialization of the activity was formalized with construction of factory, and whale oil and products were concentrated in the area of Boqueirão. The Fábrica da Baleia do Boqueirão (), now a part of the Flores Museum, occupies an advantageous place in the area around the port of Boqueirão, with a ramp adapted to drag Sperm whales from the ocean. Its architect of this business was the 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...
entrepreneur Francisco Marcelino dos Reis and directed by his partner José Jacinto Mendonça Flores, who was the local investor of Reis & Flores, provisioner to whaling fleets. Construction began in October 1941, and the machinery installed by March 1943. It is likely that the factory began operations in the summer of 1944, probably in the month of July. It continued to operate until 1976. After a couple of tentative attempts to restart operations, it was finally closed in 1981. At its peak (1963) the factory processed 103 whales. The final animal was processed on November 24, 1981 after José Jacinto Mendonça Furtado harpooned the 21st whale of the season.
Of the many stories of ships being sunk in the waters of Flores, owing to its rocky coastal shores, there is the strange story of the whaler Modena, from the port of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
which floundered in the waters of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
on April 22. Captain William H. Long and eleven men, after abandoning their ship, survived an adventure of 2000 nautical miles (3,704 km) along the Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
to the mouth of Ribeira da Cruz, in Fajã do Conde. In this area, the sailors carved on the rocks: "Capt. W. H. Lang and 11 men landed May 5, 1873 from Bark Modena of Boston Mass. Foundered April 22".
Geography
The villa of Santa Cruz, home of the municipal seatSanta Cruz das Flores
Santa Cruz das Flores is a municipality in Portugal, located across from the island of Corvo on the island of Flores, in the western part of the autonomous region of Azores. With an area of 70.9 km² its approximately 2,500 inhabitants occupy the northern half of the island...
, is an urbanized area that includes the historical center, Fazenda d'Alem, Monte, Vales and Ribeira dos Barqueiros. The core is the urbanized area extends from the eastern coast (to include the airport
Flores Airport
Flores Airport is a regional airport on the island of Flores in the Portuguese Azores. It is located along the eastern coast, bisecting the regional capital of Santa Cruz das Flores into two halves: from the Porto of São Pedro the runway is aligned north-south to the area around Porto dos Poços...
) and inland. Along the coast two small ports condition exports and traffic: the Porto das Poças (in the south), used by commercial fishermen and for traffic to Corvo
Corvo Island
Corvo Island , literally the Island of the Crow, is the smallest and the northernmost island of the Azores archipelago and the northernmost in Macaronesia, with a population of approximately 468 inhabitants constituting the smallest single municipality in Azores and in Portugal.-History:A small...
, and the Porto do Boqueirão (in the north), an older whaling station whose ramp and factory (Fábrica da Baleia do Boqueirão) have become part of the Museum of Flores. In the extreme north of the parish is the small port of São Pedro, linked to the northern limit of the airport's runway.
Due to its central place and the existence of the French Base, historically, Santa Cruz has not experienced the same level of immigration that occurred in other Florense communities during the 20th Century. In settlements around the island, the number of inhabitants were halved during this period, while Santa Cruz maintained its population; in 1940, 2,100 people lived in the urbanized area, today about 2,000 people are residents of the parish.
Ecoregions/Protected areas
- Reserva Florestal de Recreio Luís Paulo Camacho () - this bio-reserve includes a nearby dam, and park responsible for Trout aquaculture, destined for the rivers of the island, as well as a botanical park with a rich and diverse collection of endemic and exotic plant species;
- Miradouro da Monte das Cruzes - overlooking the villa, it provides a panorama that includes the villa, the zone of Barqueiros and the Vales plain, with its homes aligned along the river-valley;
- Miradouro da Cruzinha das Almas - located as one enters the valley of Fazenda de Santa Cruz, and where the visitor may see the cliffs and islets in Alagoa Bay;
Economy
Owing to being the principal population center and home of the majority of administrative/economic services on the island, it is today a modern center concentrating on the tertiary sector. In addition, hotel and other services, the fishery, automobile repair, civil construction, commerce and restaurant businesses are equal contributors to the local economy.But, because of the rich pasture-lands in the interior, the agricultural sector (dairy products and cattle raising) remain an important part of the economy. The export of butter to Lisbon, was an important part in the villa's development and industrial competition, that resulted in the creation of several small cooperatives on the island. The development of these agricultural syndicates, led by Father José Furtado Mota, was one of the important socio-economic movements in the Azores during the 20th Century. This resulted in several conflicts, known on the island colloquially as the "Butter Wars". The growth in the dairy industry contributed to the decrease in other forms of agriculture, particularly cereals, since lands used for dairy-raising were more lucrative.
Civil
- Casa-Museu Pimentel de Mesquita (Museum Home of Pimentel de Mesquita) - currently adapted to house the local public library, the Casa Pimental de Mesquita was the historical home of one the leading figures in the community;
- Fábrica da Baleia do Boqueirão (Whale Factory of Boqueirão) - the whaling station, factory and boat ramp that was once one of the major industries on the islands, and now part of the Museum of Flores;
Religious
- Igreja Matriz da Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Matriz Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição) - the parochial church and classified as a building of significant public interest;
- Igreja da Nossa Senhora de Lourdes (Church of Nossa Senhora de Lourdes) - located in the locality of Fazenda de Santa Cruz;
- Convento do São Boaventura (Convent of São Boaventura) - an old Franciscan Convent, and Church, and part of the Museum of Flores complex;
- Casa do Espírito Santo da Vila (constructed in 1854), Casa da Rua da Aresta (constructed in 1865, and later rebuilt in 1888), Casa da Ribeira dos Barqueiros (constructed in 1873) and Casa do Monte (constructed in 1910), all examples of the historical Casas do Espírito Santo (Houses of the Holy Spirit) devoted to the religious celebrationsCult of the Holy SpiritThe Cult of the Holy Spirit is a religious sub-culture, inspired by Christian millenarian mystics, associated with Azorean Catholic identity, consisting of iconography, architecture, and religious practices that have continued in many communities of the archipelago as well as the broader...
that occur annually.