Like our 'walking tour' day in Ponta Delgada, the day's weather looks iff and encourages us to stay near town, so if squall hits, we might take cover. We're on the island of Terceira and the town of Angra do Heroísmo (pop 33,771 in 2021), about half the size of Ponta Delgada (pop 67,229 in 2021). From our quick introduction yesterday, we know Angra is more compact and hillier, and maybe more colorful.
Staying in the Pousada in the Forte de São Sebastião (16th century), we wake with clouds and at breakfast watch the rain fall. The Ilhéus das Cabras (islets of goats) is almost invisible, blending with the low cloud deck.
By the time we finish breakfast, the rain is over, so we venture out to the parapet. Boy, it's windy. The thick clouds rush by and the sky brightens. We have the Forte to ourselves, another perk of staying at the Pousada. Despite the lack of sun, the views from the battlements are tremendous in all directions. The north side of the Forte, the part facing land, ramps up; the height gives us the elevation to see over the buildings to the hills of the Serra do Morião. Of course, the Monte Brasil and the Marina are to our west, and the escarpment of the Ribeirinha headlands are to our east.
With hopes that the rain has passed, we march up the steep incline to the Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem (20th century), an adorable little blue and white chapel, and an appropriate place to pray for a good journey. Cheerful morning sounds spill from the pastelaria on the corner. A van pulls up just as we get ready to take a shot; well, we can try again on the way back.
The Império do Divino Espírito Santo dos Remédios (1909) is the Ermida's neighbor to the north and share its bright blue paint scheme. The tile panel on the Ermida explains the Império:
Império primitivo, construído em 1909, que estava situado no Largo dos Remédios, fronteiriço ao então Orfanato Beato João Baptista Machado, e que, por razões de urbanização, foi transferido para este lugar, em 1959, mantendo, contudo, a traça original.[ The original church, built in 1909, was in the Largo dos Remédios, opposite the then Beato João Baptista Machado Orphanage, and was moved to this location in 1959 due to urbanization, while maintaining its original design. ] (trans Google)
The Império ('chapter house'?) may not have started here, but it fits perfectly on this street with its scale and trim. The Largo dos Remédios is just around the corner, so we trek further uphill.
The Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (16th century) is light green, offset by the deeper, mossy steps and Largo. This village contains the entire color spectrum. Curious carved details and the brasão of the Canto e Castro family adorns the choir window as well as the door of the neighboring Solar (1755).
We assume the building is the former Orfanato named in honor of Beato João Baptista Machado, son of Angra and missionary who was martyred in Japan in 1617. It currently appears to serve as the offices (or residence) of the Vice-Presidência do Governo Regional.
The Palacete Silveira e Paulo (19th century) is just to the north of the Largo dos Remédios. The Palacete is a wide, earth-red block with an octagonal widow's walk. It faces a large lawn with circular planting areas.
Just to our right is the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (15th century), another light blue church, but the herringbone tiles in the bell tower cap includes hints of violet. We step inside for a quick look, but walk into a meeting of some kind, so don't linger. The interior features several Baroque chapels finished in gold, a carved wood ceiling, and painted scenes in the coffers in the vault above the altar.
Turning down the steep Rua da Conceição, we see the street facade of the Palacete, which has a tripartite arched entrance dressed in rusticated stone.
The Convento de São Francisco (17th century) is northwest of the Palacete; yesterday, we learned that this is the resting place of Paulo da Gama. Quite welcoming that this church's accent color approximates 'Golden Gate' red. The narthex fronts a raised plinth, which looks over the Jardim Duque da Terceira.
From the Convento, we take the Rua da Pisão to the highest miradouro in town, the Alto de Memória. We love how the row houses adapt to the gradient and maintain their character.
The Obelisco do Alto da Memória (Memória a Dom Pedro IV, 19th century) is an unmissable landmark this hilly town. But by the time we reach the Obelisco, the northern horizon turns black, and the wind gets rough. We hope that we haven't walked beyond our access to shelter.
In any case, we enjoy a phenomenal panorama. The Monte Brasil clutches the Baía de Angra, and in that embrace, the town is easy to read (top image). The Fortaleza de São João Baptista joins the Monte to the mainland, though we can see the Atlântico on both sides.
Inside the Fortaleza, the cream-colored towers of the Igreja de São João Batista (17th century) stand out against the ocean's blue. Just below, our eyes follow the the herringbone caps to the towers of the Sé Catedral de Angra do Heroísmo. And by the Marina, the domed towers of Igreja Misericórdia (18th century) intersect the breakwater.
The Obelisco is a telescoping, pyramidal form with white panels on ochre-yellow. It's striking but 'generic' in that there's no 'personalization' other than the four elliptical elements with the dedication: "A D PEDRO IV" (south, garden entrance), "NASCEU EM 12 DE OUTUBRO DE 1798" (west), "MORREU EM 24 DE SETEMBRO DE 1834" (east), "A ILHA TECEIRA" (north, street entrance).
The stairs at the front of the miradouro fold into the Jardim Duque da Terceira and becomes a curving stone walkway. This leads to the Fonte do Flautista Africano (Tanque do Preto) where a Brazilian-Amerindian figure blows water from his pipe.
At the end of the stairs, we enter the Jardim proper; if we left Lisboa were looking for a touch of spring, we find it here. We find a pavilion where we smooth our hair and wipe the misty rain from our glasses, then sit and linger among the flowers and palm trees.
The Praça Velha is just outside the garden gates. We decide to see if the Cathedral is open; yesterday, we only saw the main (north) facade.
The Sé Catedral de Angra do Heroísmo (do Santíssimo Salvador, 16th-17th centuries) has seven arched bays to the chancel. There is no crossing, but the two bays on either side of the chancel have chapels that are extra wide and tall, with coffered barrel vaults to match the scheme of the lateral chapels. The capela-mor is the central arch of a large 'Serliana', with six Ionic columns forming a screen to the coro. The side openings provide entry to the narrow ambulatory, which utilizes Ionic pilasters.
The frontispício (16th century) includes ten paintings in grisaille depicting scenes of the "Vida de Cristo". The "Crucificação" is in the center, just above the statue of the "Santíssimo Salvador". The capela lateral on the Evangelist side (west) is the Capela do Santissimo, with its stunning silver altarpiece and sacrário. Whoever is polishing the silver is doing an amazing job, but it's so hard to read the images – we think that's the "Última Ceia" just to the right of center.
The Batistério is beside the narthex, under the eastern tower. A small stained-glass window shows the "Batismo de Jesus", while a larger side window shows the "Martírio de Beato João Baptista Machado" (20th century), who was baptized here in 1580 (note the Japanese 'pagoda' and the 'katana' sword):
JOÃO BAPTISTA MACHADOBAPTIZADO NA SÉ DE ANGRA EM 1580MARTIR EM OMURA, JAPÃO, EM 1617
The front desk at the Pousada has told us about a great brunch spot near the Sé. We arrive a little after noon, but there are no tables til two (plus, they are celebrating an anniversary). We can make it til then, so we ask for a reservation and continue with our tour.
The Convento de São Gonçalo (16th-17th centuries) is on the way to the Fortaleza but appears to be closed for lunch. So, we make our way across the broad, grassy hill to the Fortaleza de São João Baptista (do Monte Brasil, 16th century). It is also closed; we can, however, explore the grounds.
This is the first time we can recollect seeing a grid of low, defensive firing positions built outside the barbican, the 'Portão de Armas', on either side of the incredible stone approach. The outer yard is very windy, but the vistas from the bastions of the outer walls are excellent, especially toward the Prainha and the Marina.
A single-lane road crosses under a part of the parapet; there is a safety light to let us know if there is traffic on the other side because the view of the tunnel is blind.
On the other side, we find a guarded gate – guarded by living soldiers. So, the Fortaleza is home to the Regimento de Guarnição Nº 1 of the Exército. The soldier at the gate is polite but tells us it's not possible to visit the church.
We still have time before brunch, so we take our time, making stops at the Glorieta a José Dias (1957) and the Parque Municipal do Relvão.
The Parque is uncomfortably windy, so we take a few quick photos up toward the Fortaleza, and out to the Marina and the Ilhéus das Cabras, before scrambling to the relative calm of the streets.
On the way, we discover another colorful 'chapter house', the Império do Divino Espirito Santo dos Quatro Cantos (1810); this one matches the Obelisco's ochre. The streetscapes generally are full of bright tones and offset by the leaden cobblestones.
After a delicious meal, we head back to the Pousada to rest. But then, in the Praça Velha, we come across the Procissão dos Passos (Procession of the Lord of the Steps – Station of the Cross), so we stop to watch.
A large procession, coming down from the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, brings a figure of "Jesus Carrega a Cruz". There are a lot of people in the procession; we assume the different robes and banners are for the various groups within the church.
They meet another procession coming from the north carrying "Nossa Senhora". They meet at the corner and stop – "Jesus Encontra a Sua Mãe". Passages are read and hymns are sung.
The two processions and the two figures now turn west towards the Sé. The procession seems endless. Finally, a canopy held by more soldiers protects a cleric; this may be the bishop, Dom Armando Esteves Domingues. And he is followed by the musicians, enthusiastically bringing up the rear.
There is one more 'chapter house' on our route, the Império do Divino Espirito Santo da Caridade (1895). This one sits on a corner, with trefoil windows, a tall 'scroll pediment' above the door, and a 'primary blue' paint scheme. That doorway is raised far above the pavement, and we wonder exactly how that works.
We are back at the Forte de São Sebastião with time to rest and relax before dinner. We soon discover that the Forte offers some of the best sunsets in Angra, and the changing light on the Ilhéus das Cabras is fantastic. For a small town, Angra over-delivers with vibrancy, variety, and history.
No comments:
Post a Comment