Santa Cruz (Praia da Vitória)
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Santa Cruz is a parish in the municipality of
Praia da Vitória Praia da Vitória (; translating as "Beach of Victory") is a municipality in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. With a population of 21,035 (in 2011), the second largest administrative authority on the island of Terceira, it covers an area ...
on the island of
Terceira Terceira () is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 53,311 inhabitants in an area of approximately . It is the location ...
in the
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
. The population in 2011 was 6,690, in an area of 30.09 km2. It contains the localities Santa Luzia, Santa Rita, Juncal, Casa da Ribeira and Santa Cruz.


History

Since the beginning of the island's settlement, Praia has been an important centre: it was the centre of the first Captaincy of Terceira (1456–1470), under the command of
Jácome de Bruges Jácome de Bruges, 1st Captain-Donee of Terceira (born Jacob van Brugge, Gruuthuse en van der Aa circa 1418 in Bruges, Flanders) was the brotherPaviot speculates that he was born illegitimate, whereas Claeys maintains that he was legitimate. of Lo ...
, then the first Donatary-Captain. Praia was elevated to the status ''town'' in 1480, under the stewardship of then Donatry-Captain Álvaro Martins Homem. At the end of the 15th and then 16th century, it contributed to the economy and prosperity of the region. In 1582, D.
António, Prior of Crato António, Prior of Crato (; 153126 August 1595; sometimes called ''The Determined'', ''The Fighter'', ''The Independentist'' or ''The Resistant''), was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal who claimed the Portuguese throne during the 1580 d ...
disembarked in the Praia, escaping his conflict with
Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from ...
, where he was acclaimed by the peoples of the Azores. At the end of the Phillippian dynastic union, Francisco Ornelas da Câmara acclaimed D.
John IV of Portugal John IV ( pt, João, ; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), nicknamed John the Restorer ( pt, João, o Restaurador), was the King of Portugal whose reign, lasting from 1640 until his death, began the Portuguese restoration of independence from H ...
as King of Portugal on 24 March 1641 in the courtyard of the parochial church. He was supported by the gathered populous, ending a period of Spanish occupation. During the Liberal Wars between Liberals and Absolutists (1828–1834) the citizens of Praia sided with Liberal faction, resulting in a battle on 11 August 1829. An Miguelist armada, that included 21 ships and military troops that landed, confronted the local population, who resisted heroically and defeated the powerful armada. This victory influenced Queen D.
Maria II , image = Queen Maria II by John Simpson.jpg , caption = Portrait by John Simpson, 1835 , succession = Queen of Portugal , reign = , predecessor = Pedro IV , successor = Miguel I , reg-type = Regents , regent ...
to change and bestow the name of ''Praia da Vitória'' to community. Its economic importance grew, even following the 15 June 1841 earthquake (known as the ''Caída da Praia'') that completely destroyed the settlement. Owing to the efforts of Silvestre Ribeiro, the city was reconstructed. But, this growth and development expanded significantly during the 20th century, with the arrival of the British and North American forces during the Second World War. On 20 June 1981, the town was attributed the status of city.


Geography

Santa Cruz extends along the ''Serra do Facho'', a ridge that extends from the northeast to southeast coast, encompassing that parishes of Lajes and Santa Cruz, that includes the bay of Praia and Ramo Grande area.


Economy

The international airport in Lajes-Santa Cruz and the oceanic port make Santa Cruz the central parish of the municipality, functioning as one of the principal commercial centres of the archipelago. Similarly, the industrial park, located in Praia bay, provides an integration of export commerce.


Notable citizens

* Álvaro Martins Homem (? — Praia, c.1482), 15th century explorer and first Donatary-Captain of Terceira; * Francisco Ornelas da Câmara (Praia, 12 October 1606 — Praia, 28 April 1664), nobleman and politician who was instrumental in the Portuguese Restoration Wars, responsible for his military campaign against the Spanish-occupied Fortress of São João Baptista (1641–1642); * Francisco Joaquim Moniz de Bettencourt (Praia da Vitória, 8 December 1847 — Évora, 9 September 1905), best known as Mendo Bem, was a bibliography, philanthropist, poet and journalist, contributing a large collection of books to the municipal library in Angra do Heroísmo; * Alexandre Martins Pamplona Ramos (Praia da Vitória, 6 June 1865 — Angra do Heroísmo, 4 February 1933) was a medic and politician, notable for his combat against the Black Plague outbreak in the 20th century, eventually become the Civil Governor of the Autonomous District of Angra do Heroísmo; * António Joaquim Sousa Júnior (Praia da Vitória, 15 December 1871 — Lisbon, 7 June 1938), better known as Sousa Júnior, was a medic and Republican politician, member of the constituent congress of 1911, in addition to ''Ministro da Instrução Pública'' (''Minister of Public Instruction''); he was the first minister responsible for education following the Portuguese Republic; * Gervásio Lima (Praia da Vitória, 26 March 1876 — Angra do Heroísmo, 24 February 1945), Gervásio da Silva Lima, was a prolific writer of prose, stories, theatre and enthnographic/historical studies; *
Vitorino Nemésio Vitorino Nemésio Mendes Pinheiro da Silva (19 December 1901, in Praia da Vitória – 20 February 1978, in Lisbon) was a Portuguese poet, author and intellectual from Terceira, Azores, best known for his novel ''Mau Tempo No Canal'', as well as ...
, (Praia da Vitória, 19 December 1901 — Lisbon, 20 February 1978) poet and Romanticist author, renowned for his works ''Mau Tempo no Canal'', ''Festa Redonda'' and ''Paço do Milhafre'', as well as a professor at University of Lisbon.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Cruz (Praia da Vitoria) Freguesias of Praia da Vitória