São Roque 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 ...

Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality (''concelho'') and economic capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67,28 ...

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 4,932, in an area of .Eurostat
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History

Its founding originated in the 16th century, although the first documents, referring to the São Roque date to 1563.DRAC (2010), p.20 The Azores Archive, stated: :''"A few miles east of the city of Ponta Delgada is the village of Rosto do Cão...The country homes of a few citizens are delicatebly situated in this village, and the soil in the vicinity is the better cultivated then a large part of the regions of the island..."'' The parochial church to

St. 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 ...

, remotes the 16th century, and was altered in the 17th and 18th century, and was erected over an older temple sited in the cliffs. The primitive hermitage was built in the 16th century;

Gaspar Frutuoso Gaspar Frutuoso (c.1522 in Ponta Delgada – 1591 in Ribeira Grande) was a Portuguese priest, historian and humanist from the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. His major contribution to Portuguese history was hi ...

, the chronicler and humanist was relatively silent on when it was founded, but referred to the 15th century.

Geography

The parish of São Roque, which is situated along the southern coast of Ponta Delgada, and includes smaller neighbourhoods such as Praia dos Santos, Terreiro, Madalena, Poço Velho and Pico das Canas. It is primarily known for its main beaches, that include ''Praia de São Roque'', and the much larger ''Praia da Milicia'', which is normally confused with the neighbouring ''Praia do Pópulo'' (in Livramento). Along with the civil parish of Livramento, the region is known as the unincorporated district of Rosto do Cão.

Architecture

Highlighted by the main parochial church, this temple includes the "Chapel of the Holies" ( pt, Capela do Santíssimo), an altar of immense value, that was decorated in hand-painted azulejo tile. It was also important for being the resting-place for the grandmother of the Marquês e Pombal.

Culture

The festival in honour of the patron saint occurs on the third Sunday of August.

References

Notes

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Roque, Ponta Delgada Parishes of Ponta Delgada