Vera Cruz (Bahia) is a

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

in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

in the North-East region of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It occupies 87% of the island of Itaparica; the remainder belongs to the municipality of Itaparica. The municipality of Vera Cruz has a population of is 43,716 (2020 estimate) and covers an area of . The municipality is located opposite of Salvador across the

Bay of All Saints The Bay of All Saints (), also known as All Saints' Bay and Todos os Santos Bay, is the principal bay of the Brazilian state of Bahia, to which it gave its name. It sits on the Brazilian coast, eastern coast of Brazil, surrounding part of Bahia' ...

History

The island of Itaparica was home to a large population of Tupinambá peoples prior to the arrival of the Portugues. Diogo Álvaro Corrêa (c. 1475-1557), a Portuguese navigator also known as Caramuru, arrived on Itaparica in 1510. He met Catarina Paraguaçu (died 1586), daughter of the Tupinambá chief Taparica, and married her. Catarina travelled with Caramuru to France in 1526, was baptized in 1528, and is noted for her Marian visions. Portuguese settlements in Vera Cruz were established soon after the arrival of

Tomé de Sousa Tomé de Sousa (1503–1579) was the first governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1549 until 1553. He was a nobleman and soldier born in Rates, Póvoa de Varzim. Sousa was born a noble and participated in military expeditions i ...

, Brazil's first governor-general, in 1549. The

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

founded a small settlement in present-day Baiacu in 1560. It was called the Vila do Senhor da Vera Cruz, and featured Brazil's first hydraulic works, a dam to provide drinking water. The ruins of the Jesuit church remain on the site. Sugarcane, wheat, and cattle were introduced to the area in the same period. The wealth of the island led to attacks by English corsairs by 1597. It was invaded by the Dutch between the years 1600 and 1647. The Island of Itaparica was administered as part of Salvador until 1833. It was elevated to city status in 1962, and subsequently divided into two municipalities: Vera Cruz and Itaparica.

Historic structures

Vera Cruz his home to numerous colonial-era structures, many dating to the 16th century. All lack federal, state, or municipal protection, with the exception of the Chapel of Saint Antony of Velásquez. * Chapel of Our Lady of Penha * Chapel of Saint Antony of Velásquez * Parish Church of Santo Amaro * Church of Nosso Senhor da Vera Cruz * Church of Our Lady of the Conception * Mercês Windmill

References

Populated coastal places in Bahia Municipalities in Bahia {{Bahia-geo-stub

History

Historic structures

See also

References