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Heritage - Angra do Heroísmo - 2005 © Oficina Virtual de Turismo
Central within its ultra-peripheral
location, Angra do Heroísmo
has always played the role of
host of the idyllic Azorean
archipelago.
During the sixteenth,
seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries its welcoming bay was
at the centre of North Atlantic
sea trade. At the heyday of the
sea trading Portuguese empire,
Angra was the main stopping
port for the routes to India, Africa
and the Americas, where ships
were supplied, repaired, and
protected from the attacks of
pirates and corsairs.
Discovered during the midfifteenth
century, it was the first
of the Azorean towns to be
granted the title of city, in 1534.
In that same year it was chosen
as the seat of the Diocese of
Angra and the Azores islands,
which it still is to this day.
In the mid sixteenth century,
during the series of disputes for
the Portuguese throne between
Philip II of Spain and D. António,
Prior do Crato, Terceira
supported the latter. It resisted
Philip’s domination and stayed
under the Portuguese flag from
1580 until 1583. Reminders for
posterity of this resistance are
the Battle of Salga and the
names of Ciprião de Figueiredo
and Brianda Pereira.
When it was conquered, Angra
already had a historic centre.
The Castilian presence left
examples of military architecture,
of which we should feature the
nearly 6 km of walls of the S.
João Baptista Fortress, the
nucleus of a network of
fortifications that used to
surround the entire island.
During the disputes between
liberals and absolutists, fidelity
to the crown was put to the test
once again. D. Pedro IV moved
to Angra and there laid the
constitutional and military
foundations of his struggle for
power. On March 15, 1830, he
declared Angra capital of the
kingdom. Angra’s support for
the constitutional cause won it
the titles “do Heroísmo” and “Mui
Nobre, Leal e Sempre
Constante”(Most noble, loyal
and ever true) and the Ordem
da Torre e Espada (Order of the
tower and sword) – for Valour,
Loyalty and Merit.
Today, it boasts a rich
architectural heritage, the legacy
of the economic and political
importance it once had.
Sculptures, gilt work, tile work
and furniture made of exotic
wood fill its mansions, palaces,
churches and monuments. In
spite of being partially destroyed
by an earthquake in 1980, the
historic centre was rebuilt in its
entirety.
The final result is an ample
Renaissance town that is
surprising for its almost
methodical straight lines, and
for its clear functionality and
hierarchy. Acknowledged as
Heritage of Humanity since
1983, Angra do Heroísmo
welcomes the visit of all who
wish to know it.
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