São Jorge

Geographic Information. An elongated island with a length of 56 km and a maximum width of only 8 km, São Jorge has an area of 246.25 km2. Sao Jorge is situated at 28º 33' West longitude and at 38º 24' North latitude. The population of the region stands at 9.764 inhabitants (census 2001).

The island is divided in two municipalities or localities: Calheta and Velas. Concelho del Calheta is constituted by five villages: Calheta, Norte Pequeno, Ribeira Seca, Santo Antao and Topo (Our Lady of Rosario). And Concelho de las Velas is constituted by six villages: Manadas (Santa Bárbara), Norte Grande (Neves9, Rosais, Santo Amaro, urzelina (Sao Mateus) e Velas (Sao Jorge).

Created by successive volcanic eruptions in a straight line, of which craters remain, its central platform has an average altitude of 700 meters that reaches its highest point in Pico de la Esperanza at 1050 meters. The coast is steep, almost vertical, particularly in the north, although the cliffs are interrupted by small coastal flat areas.

Festivities. The main festivities of this island are:

The Holy Spirit Festivities. The most important celebration of this island is the Festivity of the Holy Spirit, celebrated in the entire archipelago and organized by a chapel named imperio. It is about an important religious feast that has place all Sundays during seven weeks before Christmas and culminates the last Sunday, Whitsuntide.

Velas' Cultural Week. Is the most important happening for the island. In this week there are hold conferences and papers of outstanding cultural figures of Azores. During the 1st week of July this festivity of popular character brings joy to the inhabitants of the Municipality, providing activities like folk music, sporting events, regional gastronomy, among others.

·July's Festival. During four days the population of Calheta takes part in ethnographic parades, folk music concerts, sporting events, among other activities.

Our Lady of Carmo Pilgrimage. It’s celebrated in the Faja de Vimes on July 16^th.

Holy Crucifix Pilgrimage. Fireworks and a lot of colours emphasize in this religious feast that is celebrated the first Sunday of September.

Gastronomy. The typical dishes of meat and fish of the Azorean kitchen are also present in San Jorge. But the speciality of this place is the exclusive “carnosos cascos” collected in the waters of the Holy Crucifix boiler. In the sweets there are included pastry with cinnamon, anise, lemon, butter, pepper, typical breads of the Holy Spirit Festivities and loquat brandy.

The cheese of San Jorge is internationally known and is cure during some months in rooms that keeps a constant temperature. It is exported to some countries, where it is appreciated for the taste that acquire with the time making of this cheese a delicious starter. We suggest accompanying with a good red wine and a bread of the day. The production of this cheese is the main economic support of the island of San Jorge.

History

The discovery and accession of this island are surrounded with mysteries. The first reference of São Jorge dates back to1439, and it is known that in1470, when already small groups of colonists existed on the western and southern coasts of the island and even the village of Candles had been already founded, t came to the island the noble Fleming Wilhelm van der Haegen, who created a famous village, Topo, and the one that later was named Guilherme da Silveira.

The accession of the island was quick, by people coming from the north of the continent, like it´s development, since its Major was an object of a donation, in 1483, to João Vaz Corte Real, donator of Angra (Terceira), and provided that Velas received it´s letter of burgo before the end of the XVth century. Topo turned into county town of canton in1510, and Calheta reached it in 1534, demonstrating this way the vitality of an economy that was flourishing in the grapevine, the wheat, the culturing of the pastel and the compilation of the urchilla - these two products that are exported to Flanders and to other Europa's countries to be in use in dry cleaner's shop.

The dynastic crisis caused by the ascension to the throne of Portugal of King Philip II of Spain had it transcendence for São Jorge that, as Terceira, took part by the Portuguese aspirant to the throne, Don António, Prior of Crato, not coming to terms before the Spanish up to the fall of Terceira in 1583. To this date it follows a long period of centuries in which the island remains almost isolated, because of the precarious refuge that his ports were offering to the ships and the limited importance of its economy. In spite of everything, the island is fragile to the assaults of English corsairs, Frenchmen, Turks and Algerians during the XVIth and XVIIth century.

Between the different anecdotes that have remained after the passage of time on Pico, the following ones stand out: At the end of The XVIth century, a part of the set square placed under the order of the count of Essex comes out into Calheta's bay;

To reject it, the inhabitants throw(launch) heavy stones - the only(unique) weapon that they were having - and a soldier of name Simão Gato attacks the civil servant of the enemy force, and snatches his flag. In the 18th century, the French corsair Du-Guay-Trouin attacks São Jorge and, in 1816, one Algerian corsair who was trying to get hold of a commercial merchandise it is rejected by shots of Calheta's fort.

Other calamities that they afflict to São Jorge are the privations and the shortage in the years of bad crop that its inhabitants suffer during the XVIth and XIXth century; as well as the earthquakes and the volcanic eruptions of the year 1757 and 1808.

The isolation that the island suffered during the past was overcome by the works realized in both principal ports of Pico- candles and Calheta - and by the construction of the airport, opening Sào Jorge towards new horizons of prosperity and progress, based on the complete utilization of its native resource, the extension of the cattle and the lacteal products, fishing and the industry of the conserves.

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