Azores Holiday Destination Guide

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Velas

Located on the south-western coast, Velas was the first settlement on the island to receive the town charter and is still the island’s main town today, due to its protected natural harbour. With its small, narrow streets and a pleasant municipal garden in its centre, this little town emanates a certain charm and boasts – despite many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that severely affected the island’s patrimony – a few churches and manor houses that at least deserve a glance. The most notable among these buildings are the Igreja de São Jorge dating originally from the second half of the 15th century, the adjacent Sacred Art Museum with an impressive collection of religious artefacts and paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, the 17th-century Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, a part of the former Franciscan convent, the Town Hall, a nice example of 18th-century Baroque civil architecture and the 18th-century Portão do Mar, a relict of the town’s old defence wall. Stretching up on the steep slopes behind the town’s centre is a small Botanical Garden from where magnificent views across the town and the sea can be enjoyed. Included in the park is also the Casa de Artesanato, a small handicraft museum where ancient spinning wheels, looms and some agricultural tools are displayed. Off the town’s dark coast, southwest of the centre, near the Hotel São Jorge, the island’s biggest hotel complex, an impressive natural black basalt arch, created by the powers of the sea over the time, can be seen. The area around this arch is a favourite spot for anglers.

Map of São Jorge
Map of São Jorge
Velas
Velas
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