Praia da Vitória is a city and municipality located in Terceira island, in the Azores and has 11 parishes: Agualva, Biscoitos, Cabo da Praia, Fonte do Bastardo, Fontinhas, Lajes, Porto Martins, Santa Cruz, Quatro Ribeiras, São Brás and Vila Nova.
At the beginning of the settlement, Praia was the seat of the captaincy of Terceira between 1446 and 1474, when the first donee captain of the island, Jácome Bruges, took up residence in this place. Praia remained as such until the disappearance of the donee, becoming a captaincy. This region of the island lived a fast development due to the culture of the pastel and wheat, what guaranteed the elevation to Village, county seat, in 1480.
Throughout History, Praia played an important position in relation to the country and its government, as it was here, that in 1581, in the context of the Filipino Dynasty, that the battle of Salga was fought and later D. António Prior do Crato was acclaimed king. Later, in the context of the Restoration of Portuguese Independence, it was in the Praia area that John IV was acclaimed king of Portugal, exactly in front of the Santa Cruz Parish Church, which would remove Portugal from Spanish rule.
During the Portuguese Civil War (1828-1834), the battle of the bay of Praia took place in Praia, where a fight was fought to prevent the landing of the miguelistas troops, which was successfully won, which ended up giving the current name to the city – Praia da Vitória – by royal charter 12th January 1837, as recognition, the titles of “Mui Nobre” and “Vitória” were given to the city by the sovereign.
Praia da Vitória was elevated to city status in 1981 and currently boasts modern infrastructures that make it a prominent and well-developed city in the Azores. It is here that the Lajes Base is located, built in the second half of the 20th century, which has always played an important role both nationally and internationally, acting as the main entrance doors to the island.
This Terceiran city possessed beautiful secular houses, worked in stonework with beautiful windows and balconies, as well as an interesting architectural heritage, highlighting the building of the City Hall of Praia da Vitória, the Mother Church of Santa Cruz, erected in 1456 by the donatory captain Jácome Bruges, later, in the second half of the 500’s, it was rebuilt having been offered by the king D. Sebastião some magnificent marble doors in Manueline style. However, over time it suffered other alterations, many of them due to natural disasters. The Senhor Santo Cristo das Misericórdias Church, on the other hand, dates from 1521 and invokes the Senhor Santo Cristo, however it suffered a reconstruction due to a fire that destroyed it almost completely in the 20’s of last century.
Come and visit the beautiful city of Praia da Vitória!
Last modified: 28 de April, 2022
