São Roque do Pico () 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 authorit ...

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 ...

São Roque do Pico São Roque do Pico () is a municipality in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, occupying most of the northern side of the island of Pico. As of 2021, it has 3,221 inhabitants spread through five freguesias (civil parishes) in an area of 142. ...

, in 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 ...

archipelago of 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 ...

. The population in 2011 was 1,316, in an area of 42.23 km².

History

The parish's name came from its ecclesiastical association with its patron saint,

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79 (traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327, also called Rock in English, is a Catholic saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he is especially invoked a ...

, and owing the number of São Roques in Portugal (not just at the local but also national level), the suffix ''do Pico'' was used to distinguish the locality. Locally, the local name has been reduced to ''São Roque'', while at the municipal level, ''São Roque do Pico'' is identified with the municipality. The first attempt to settle the island of Pico, around 1460, came from settlers from northern Portugal. After a stay on Terceira and Graciosa, these settlers migrated with the first Captain-Donatary Álvaro de Ornelas. Pico was then at part of the Captaincy of Faial. One of the principal economic and demographic factors in the development of São Roque came from the zone known as ''Cais do Pico''. Literally, the ''port of Pico'', Cais was a portage for annual ships, that travelled the central group of Azorean islands. This early transit, though, resulted in a large settlement, resulting in the elevation of the district to the status of ''vila'' (''town'') in 1542. Whaling, which dates back to the 19th century, in which the artesnal hunt (with harpoons and lances) was introduced into the region, primarily by a sedentary population from many of the out-ports. This activity occupied a large part of the activities of local men, from fragile boats and open to the winds, against large sea mammals. The last factory dedicated to the processing of whale meat and blubber was transformed into a museum (): a monument to the men of this industry was inaugurated on 27 July 2000.

Economy

The principal activities of the parish include agriculture and herding, and the processing associated with these products. In the last decades of the 20th century, there has been an evolution towards commerce, services and tourist-related activities.

Architecture

In addition to many of the buildings used in the whaling industry, the local patrimony includes the 18th century parochial church, the similarly dated Baroque Convent of São Pedro de Alcântara, and the hermitage dedicated to the archangel Michael ), in addition to various mills and cellars, that dot the landscape.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Roque do Pico (parish) Freguesias of São Roque do Pico