Graciosa

Geographic Information. The oval shaped island of Graciosa has an area of 61 .66 km2 , with a length of 12.5 km and a maximum width of 8.5 km. Low-lying and flat in the northern and northeastern areas, it rises gradually until the altitude of 398 meters is reached at Pico Timão, located at the centre. The island is situated at 28º 05 West longitude and 39º 05 North latitude.

The population of the island stands at 4.780 inhabitants (2001 census). Graciosa is constituted by only one municipality, Santa Cruz, which is divided in four localities or parishes: Guadalupe, Luz, Playa (San Mato) and Santa Cruz de Graciosa.

Festivities. The mail festivities of this island are:

The Holy Spirit Festivity: The most important celebration of this island is the Holy Spirit Festivity, common to all islands and organized by a small chapel, called "Império". These festivity is an important religious feast that takes place all the Sundays during seven weeks before Christmas and culminates the seventh Sunday, Witsun.

More than its religious component includes a whole of popular manifestations, that goes from musical spectacles to other cultural events. It is celebrated the second week of August and includes boats races and bullfights. These festivities attract the attention of the people of all the islands, in the same way to the emigrants of Azores that are located in North America.

Gastronomy. The gastronomy of Graciosa is known for its delicious fish dishes, among those who emphasize the “caldereta” of fish and the fish cooked in the oven. These are the two most common forms of preparing the fish. The crustaceans are also very abundant in these coasts, where it can be found a good variety of cavacos, santalos, lobsters and limpets, all of them very appreciated by its inhabitants. The “queijadas” of Graciosa are famous in the entire island, in the same way as the rice pies. Finally, the eggs covered with puddles and dough is the biggest specialties of the gastronomy of Graciosa.

In the island are also produced good wines, the same as in the other islands of the archipelago. The old brandies and white wines produced in this region satisfy likewise the tastes of the most exigent.

History

The date of the discovery of Graciosa is doubtful, it is probable that it has been discover by sailors from the neighboring island of Terceira. It´s known only that was conquered by the order of the Infante Don Enrique, and in the middle of XVth century already were in it colonizing, being a pioneer Vasco Gil Sodré, of Montemor-o-Velho, with his family and his servants, he constructed his house in the same place where Carapacho settle. In spite of the formalities done by Sodré to receive the donation of the island, the Capitanería of the north part of Graciosa was granted to Pedro Correia da Cunha, brother-in-law of Christopher Colón, and the southern part to Duarte de Barreto.

The increase of the population - according to some historians came from Beiras and Minho and also Flanders-, as well as the prosperity of the island, makes Santa Cruz to receive the letter of burgo in 1486; while Praia received this distinction in 1546. The names of the big families that contributed to the accession and the growth of the island t are still today in the island.

Since XVIth century dedicated to the agriculture and to the grapevine, Graciosa exports, wheat, chicory, wine and brandy. With agricultural economy predominance, it made all its trade with Terceira that had a port frequented by ships of strong tonnage and was the economic and administrative center.

Graciosa suffered numerous assaults and corsairs' plunders during the XVIIIth century, but also historical personalities have visited it throughout centuries. The first one was Father António Vieira that, in 1654, after the shipwreck of the ship that was transporting him to Lisboa, near the island of Curved, was gathered by a Dutch corsair who took him to Graciosa, where he remained for two months. Later came the French writer Chateaubriand, who did a stop in the island during his escape to America in the time of the French Revolution, and he refers in some of his works his time in Graciosa.

The poet Almeida Garett resided also in Graciosa in 1814, when he was 15 years, after a visit to his uncle judge of the King; he wrote some texts that prove his talent. Finally, in 1879, came the Prince Alberto of Monaco to the Island to make his acquaintances works of hydrography and study of marine life.

Beign an island dedicated to the agriculture, the cattle and the production of milk, Graciosa keeps its characteristics of rural and calm island, and taking part of the progress of Azores.

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