São Jorge Island

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Lore & Background

It is unclear when the first explorers discovered the island of São Jorge; as part of the politics of human occupation, the Azores were populated after 1430 (probably 1439) through the initiative of Prince Henry the Navigator. 23 April, known as the feast day of Saint George, has been cited by historians as the reason for the island's name, although this is likely conjecture. Genovese and Catalan maps of the 14th century originally designated the long, slender island "São Jorge," a designation that was maintained by Infante D. Henrique when settlers from northern Europe began to colonize the island (around 1460, or twenty years after it was first sighted). Although unclear, Azorean chroniclers believe that settlement on the island concentrated around the two communities of Velas and Calheta, and developed into the interior. It was in 1460 that the construction of the first church dedicated to São Jorge occurred in the area of Velas, from the testaments of Infante D. Henrique. What is certain is that the island was populated by the time that João Vaz Corte Real, the Donatary-Captain of Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira) obtained the captaincy of the island, by contract on 4 May 1483. By 1500, the settlement of Velas was elevated from villa to municipality. After an unsuccessful adventure to the island of Flores, the Flemish nobleman Willem van der Haegen (later known as Guilherme da Silveira) moved to the area of Topo where he established and founded a local community, in 1480. Topo was eventually elevated to capital of the municipality by 1510, but lost this title to Calheta on June 3, 1534. During the dynastic crisis (1580) caused by the ascension of King Philip II of Spain (King Philip I of Portugal), gentry on São Jorge supported the pretender to the throne, António, Prior of Crato. The garrisons in São Jorge only capitulated to the forces of Castillo after the fall of Terceira in 1583. Following 1583, the island experienced a period of relative isolation. The island did not escape Atlantic piracy: the islanders were subject to attacks by English and French privateers in 1589 and 1590, raiders after 1590 (from the Barbary coast and lands occupied by the Turks) and during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1625, the inhabitants of Fajã de São João were captured by pirates and likely sold into slavery. On September 20, 1708, the town of Velas was attacked by French pirates under the command of René Duguay-Trouin. The resistance, commanded by Sergeant-major Amaro Soares de Sousa, occurred around the village of Banquetas saving the other villages from occupation and pillaging. The most famous of the island's volcanic eruptions began in the early morning of May 1, 1808 (Urzelina eruption). Suffocating gases, as well as carboxylic acid, were emitted from a vent along the Manadas ridge and thick greenish vaporous clouds (of chloric and sulfuric acids) rapidly spread to the plants. Eight major tremors were recorded per hour that caused widespread panic. Many of the homes, buildings and cultivatable lands were destroyed. Between 1580 and 1907, at least six significant eruptions occurred; ten people were killed during the 1580 eruption and eight in 1808. With the inauguration of its ports, and the airport/aerodrome (April 23, 1982) commercial ventures have grown (especially the export of the local cheese), the expansion of animal husbandry, the fisheries and a small crafts industry.

Reader's Guide

São Jorge is a distinct island within the Azores' central 'Triangle' group, shaped by fissural volcanism associated with the plate tectonics of the mid-Atlantic Ridge and a transform fault that extends from the Ridge to the island of São Miguel (referred to as the São Jorge Fault). Through successive fissural eruptions the island was built up: the only remnants of these forces are the line of volcanic cones that extend along the central ridge (approximately 700 metres in altitude). The island was built up from successive morphological structures of progressively younger materials, including the Topo Volcanic Complex (about 600,000 years in age), Rosais Volcanic Complex, and Manadas Volcanic Complex. The island is 55 km in length from the Ponta dos Rosais until the Topo Islet and a maximum width between Fajã das Pontas and Portinho da Calheta (approximately 7 km). The highest point is Pico da Esperança at 1,053 meters. The island has an area of 246 km2, with an obvious difference in the relief between the western and eastern portions of the island: the western coast is ringed with cliffs, while the eastern coast is morphologically smoother. The majority of the cliffs in the northeast are between 300 and 400 m with severe slopes (between 45° and 55°). In the southwest the cliffs are approximately 100m in height and most settlements are located along the lava deltas, such as the Fajã das Velas, Fajã da Queimada, Fajã Grande and Fajã da Calheta. Periods of local prosperity or misery occurred in the following years; there were several bad growing seasons and natural catastrophes (such as the earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tornados in 1580, 1757, 1808 and 1899) that created famines and hardships. The last terrestrial volcanic eruption on the island of São Jorge was the eruption of "Vulcão da Urzelina" in 1808. From March 2022, São Jorge Island had been the location of a serious seismovolcanic crisis. The Instituto de Investigação em Vulcanologia e Avaliação de Riscos is following the crisis with a special webpage called "Crise Sismovulcânica de São Jorge." The alarm level on 26 March was 4.

Did You Know?

• The island's name appears on 14th-century Genovese and Catalan maps, predating Portuguese settlement.
• The Flemish nobleman Willem van der Haegen (Guilherme da Silveira) founded a community at Topo in 1480.
• In 1625, inhabitants of Fajã de São João were captured by pirates and likely sold into slavery.
• The Urzelina eruption began on May 1, 1808, emitting thick greenish vaporous clouds of chloric and sulfuric acids.
• The island's airport was inaugurated on April 23, 1982, the feast day of Saint George.