Vila de Sao Sebastiao
| Vila de Sao Sebastiao | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||
| Basic data | ||||||
| Autonomous Region : | Azores | |||||
| Concelho : | Angra do Heroísmo | |||||
| Coordinates : | 38 ° 40 ′ N , 27 ° 5 ′ W | |||||
| Residents: | 2096 (as of June 30, 2011) | |||||
| Surface: | 23.93 km² (as of January 1, 2010) | |||||
| Population density : | 88 inhabitants per km² | |||||
| Postal code : | 9700 | |||||
| politics | ||||||
| Website: | www.jf-vilassebastiao.pt | |||||
Vila de São Sebastião is a Portuguese community ( freguesia ) in the Angra do Heroísmo district in the south of the Azores island of Terceira . It has 2096 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2011).
history
São Sebastião was founded around the middle of the 15th century and is one of the oldest towns in the Azores. Originally the place was called "Lugar de Frei João". City rights ( Vila , which literally means "small town") were granted as early as 1503 and the name was changed to "São Sebastião". São Sebastião became the seat of a district in 1583. In 1580, the fortresses Forte das Cavalas, Forte das Caninas, Forte da Greta, Forte de Santa Catarina das Mós, Forte do Bom Jesus, Forte do Pesqueiro dos Meninos, Forte de São Francisco and the were built near the city Forte de São Bernardo built because of fear of attacks by the Spaniards. In 1581 the sea battle of Salga took place near the city . In 1801, São Sebastião was badly damaged in an earthquake. In 1849 the city had 2 568 inhabitants. In 1870 the district of São Sebastião was dissolved during a territorial reform and incorporated into the district of Angra do Heroísmo and the city's town charter withdrawn. In the 1980 earthquake, the eastern part of the city in particular suffered severe damage. On November 15, 1983, São Sebastião was given city rights again, 133 years after it was withdrawn and 500 years after the district was founded, so that the place is now officially called "Vila de São Sebastião".
City layout and buildings
The center of the city is the rectangular Praça da Vila de São Sebastião with the town hall and a memorial commemorating the sea battle of Salga.
São Sebastião is known for its parish church of the same name, the construction of which began in 1455 in the Gothic style, making it the oldest church in the entire Azores. Inside you can see unique late medieval frescoes , which represent the figure of the founder of the church in addition to the saints Maria Magdalena, Martin and Barbara. In addition to Jesus, they also show Roman soldiers wearing Gothic-style clothing and a view of the city of Jerusalem with Gothic buildings. The frescoes were discovered by chance during a renovation of the church in 1930. During later extensions and renovations of the church building, three chapels in typical Manueline style were added and the sacristy was provided with a door in Baroque style .
Opposite the church is the Império do Espírito Santo de São Sebastião , a particularly colorfully painted Holy Spirit chapel, which was built in 1918 on a pedestal above street level. The partially preserved fortress Forte do Pesqueiro dos Meninos was built around 1580 to protect the city from pirate attacks.
The small chapel Ermida de Santa Santa Ana , built in 1568, not far from the parish church on a small hill above Praça da Fonte, is one of the oldest sacred buildings on Terceira Island. It was profaned in the 17th century and then served as accommodation for soldiers. It was re-consecrated in 1830 and renovated in 1939.
The Chafariz de São Sebastião fountain is the most famous fountain in the city because of its ornate stone carvings.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b www.ine.pt - indicator resident population by place of residence and sex; Decennial in the database of the Instituto Nacional de Estatística
- ↑ Overview of code assignments from Freguesias on epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu
- ^ Wilhelm Voss-Gerling: Madeira, Azoren , p. 57. Munich 1972
- ↑ Stéphan Szeremeta: Acores , p. 165. Paris 2014
- ↑ Grit Müller: Azoren , p. 95. Munich 2016
- ↑ http://www.monumentos.pt/Site/APP_PagesUser/SIPA.aspx?id=34443
