Sightseeing in Horta from south to north (2):
Flanking the western side of the square, the small and sturdy
Castelo de Santa Cruz, boasting a little 17th-century chapel within its walls, was built right at the seaside in the middle of the 16th century for the protection of the inhabitants against pirates. But at the end of the 16th century, it also played an important role in the struggles for the Portuguese throne led by the Spanish King Felipe Il at the end of the 16th century. Today, the ivy-covered castle houses the
Estalagem de Santa Cruz, the most beautifully located hotel of the town.
Dominating the
square of Duque d’Avila, the imposing parish church,
Igreja Matriz São Salvador, has a beautiful Baroque façade looking towards the sea. The construction works started already in 1860, but it was only in 1760 when the church was consecrated. The church is part of a former Jesuit college, for which the foundation was laid in the beginning of the 16th century and which today houses the
Town Hall and the
Museu da Horta. Severely damaged by the 1926 earthquake, the church underwent comprehensive renovation works. Not to be expected from its exterior looks and when entering through the rather sober main portal, the church has a richly adorned interior, featuring gilded wood-carved altars, magnificent glazed-tiles panels and elaborately carved furniture made of precious woods and enhanced with ivory inlays.
A splendidly decorated portal left of the church’s main portal leads to the
Museu da Horta, a town museum, classified regional museum in the meantime, that was originally established in 1977 but installed in this building only in 1989. Among the museum’s extensive collections, which are documenting the island’s history, are antique paintings and furniture as well as a remarkable collection of filigree miniature art works made of the white pulp of fig trees, created by the local artist Euclides Selveira da Rosa and comprising windmills, sailing boats, landscapes, town houses, and many more.
On the west side of the
Praça da República lies the
Império dos Nobres, probably the oldest Holy-Ghost chapel of the whole archipelago. This chapel was built in 1759 by some wealthy inhabitants in grateful memory for the protection from a series of earthquakes culminating in the eruption of a volcano at
Praia do Norte in 1672, which covered the complete island with volcanic ash.
Nearby the chapel, a striking Art deco building from the 1930s, the private
Clube Sociedade Amor da Patria, with an impressive perron can be observed.
North of the
Praça da República is another small square, known as
Largo do Relógio, where a lone bell tower with a clock, the
Torre do Relógio, still reminds of the old 18th-century church, which stood here before it was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1926 and subsequently torn down later. Above the tower lies the pretty, small
Jardim de Florencio Terra – boasting some magnificent specimens of old trees inclusive of some dragon trees – from where splendid views over the town and the harbour, always with the Pico Mountain in the backdrop, can be enjoyed.
Monte da Guia
Extending into the sea south of the town, the peninsula of
Monte da Guia was formed by an extinct volcano whose mostly submerged crater is opening in a horseshoe-shape to the sea and connected by a low isthmus with the island. Reaching a height of 145 m, the peninsula, of which a large part is protected area, offers magnificent panoramic views of the harbour and the town as well as of the beautiful bay of
Porto Pim with its large beach and turquoise waters. Looking towards the sea, the views embrace the
Caldeira do Inferno, which is filled with deep-blue water and has been also declared natural reserve in the meantime. Only authorized persons can access it by boat.
Monte da Espalamaca
Delimiting the north of
Horta, the mountain ridge of
Monte da Espalamaca with the
Miradouro Nossa Senhora da Conceição, a viewpoint marked by a massive cross, heads far out into the sea and separates the town from the
Praia do Almoxarife, another nice beach in the near surroundings of the town, which has also an attractive camping site. From here, especially early in the morning, fantastic views across
Horta’s bay, with the
Monte Guia and
Porto Pim in the backdrop, can be enjoyed.
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