São Roque, Ponta Delgada

São Roque
Civil Parish
A view towards the municipality of Lagoa, from the lookout on the São Roque coast, showing the coastal roadway that extends to the Praia das Malácias (beach)
Official name: Freguesia de São Roque
Name origin: Portuguese for Saint Roch
Country  Portugal
Autonomous Region  Azores
Island São Miguel
Municipality Ponta Delgada
Center Estádio de São Miguel
 - elevation 96 m (315 ft)
 - coordinates 37°45′50″N 25°37′21″W / 37.76389°N 25.62250°W / 37.76389; -25.62250Coordinates: 37°45′50″N 25°37′21″W / 37.76389°N 25.62250°W / 37.76389; -25.62250
Highest point Cruz
 - elevation 386 m (1,266 ft)
 - coordinates 37°47′15″N 25°37′42″W / 37.78750°N 25.62833°W / 37.78750; -25.62833
Lowest point Sea Level
 - location Atlantic Ocean
Area 7.21 km2 (3 sq mi)
 - urban 1.23 km2 (0 sq mi)
Population 4,932 (2011)
Density 684/km2 (1,772/sq mi)
LAU Junta Freguesia
 - location Rua Dr. José de Almeida Pavão Júnior
President Junta Gilberto Araújo Rodrigues
Timezone Azores (UTC-1)
 - summer (DST) Azores (UTC0)
Postal Zone 9500-715
Area Code & Prefix (+351) 292 XX XX XX
Demonym Saoroquensese
Patron Saint São Roque
Location of the civil parish of São Roque in the municipality of Ponta Delgada
Wikimedia Commons: São Roque (Ponta Delgada)
Statistics: Instituto Nacional de Estatística[1]
Geographic detail from CAOP (2010)[2] produced by Instituto Geográfico Português (IGP)

São Roque is a civil parish in the municipality of Ponta Delgada in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The population in 2011 was 4,932,[3] in an area of 7.21 square kilometres (2.78 sq mi).[4]

History

Its founding originated in the 16th century, although the first documents, referring to the São Roque date to 1563.[5] The Azores Archive, stated:

"A few miles east of the city of Ponta Delgada is the village of Rosto do Cão...The country homes of a few citizens are delicatebly situated in this village, and the soil in the vicinity is the better cultivated then a large part of the regions of the island..."[5]

The parochial church to St. Roch, remotes the 16th century, and was altered in the 17th and 18th century, and was erected over an older temple sited in the cliffs.[5] The primitive hermitage was built in the 16th century; Gaspar Frutuoso, the chronicler and humanist was relatively silent on when it was founded, but referred to the 15th century.[5]

Geography

The parish of São Roque, which is situated along the southern coast of Ponta Delgada, and includes smaller neighbourhoods such as Praia dos Santos, Terreiro, Madalena, Poço Velho and Pico das Canas.[5] It is primarily known for its main beaches, that include Praia de São Roque, and the much larger Praia da Milicia, which is normally confused with the neighbouring Praia do Pópulo (in Livramento). Along with the civil parish of Livramento, the region is known as the unincorporated district of Rosto do Cão.[5]

Architecture

Highlighted by the main parochial church, this temple includes the "Chapel of the Holies" (Portuguese: Capela do Santíssimo), an altar of immense value, that was decorated in hand-painted azulejo tile.[5] It was also important for being the resting-place for the grandmother of the Marquês e Pombal.[5]

Culture

The festival in honour of the patron saint occurs on the third Sunday of August.[5]

References

Notes

  1. INE, ed. (2010), Censos 2011 - Resultadas Preliminares [2011 Census - Preliminary Results] (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Instituto Nacional de Estatística, retrieved 1 January 2012
  2. IGP, ed. (2010), Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Instituto Geográfico Português, retrieved 1 July 2011
  3. Instituto Nacional de Estatística
  4. Eurostat
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DRAC (2010), p.20

Sources

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