Norte Grande is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Velas on the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

island of São Jorge in the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

; owing to the existence of an ecumenical faith community throughout its history, the parish has also taken on the name of its religious invocation (''Nossa Senhora dos Neves'', or ''Neves'' for short). The population in 2011 was 532, in an area of 31.85 km².Eurostat
/ref>

History

The parish of Norte Grande it has been one of the largest populations on the island; by 1570, its importance along the north coast justified the construction of a road into the areas around Neves. It was around the primitive parochial church of Norte Grande (the Church of Our Lady of the Snows), that the townsfolk encircled officials responsible for collecting the medieval tithes in 1694. This event was part of the Taro Revolt, when tax collectors were sent to the island to collect a tithe for taro cultivated. Indignant Calhetense gathered in Norte Grande, then encircled those officials in the church, who had taken refuge from the angry farmers, who refused to pay the excessive charge on a staple.

Geography

Norte Grande straddles the interior crest and northern coast of São Jorge, approximately the middle of the island. Apart from an interior that is covered in spatter cones, the parish is dotted by sea level debris fields called "fajãs". During the settlement period these became sites of colonization, since the northern coast is wall of cliffs, historically accessible by foot or pack-animal. There are few settlements in the relatively sparse interior, apart from the two primary fajãs (Fajã da Aeira and Fajã do Ouvidor), only two many settlements are observable: Outeiro da Cruz and Neves. Between these settlements and the southern border are plains of agricultural and forested land, in addition to many inactive volcanic cones.

Economy

The parish is home to a milk processing factory, used in the production of the island's epitimous Queijo de São Jorge, a protected denomination (DOP) of cheeses.

Culture

Norte Grande is the seat of the ''Sociedade Filarmónica Recreio Nortense'', founded in 1931, one of the premier philharmonic bands on the island.

References

{{authority control Freguesias of Velas