Cidade Velha (,
Portuguese for "old
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
", also: ''Santiago de Cabo Verde'') is a city
[Cabo Verde, Statistical Yearbook 2015]
Instituto Nacional de Estatística, p. 32-33 in the southern part of the island of
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
,
Cape Verde
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
. Founded in 1462 by Portuguese traders,
[Valor simbólico do centro histórico da Praia]
Lourenço Conceição Gomes, Universidade Portucalense, 2008, p. 97 it is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital. Once called ''Ribeira Grande'' by the Portuguese colonists, they changed its name to ''Cidade Velha'' in the late 18th century after relocating the capital to
Praia.
It is the seat of the
Ribeira Grande de Santiago municipality.
Located on an island off Africa's northwest coast, this town was the first European colonial settlement in the tropics. Some of the meticulously planned original design of the site is still intact, including a royal fortress, two churches and a 16th-century town square. Today, Cidade Velha is an Atlantic shipping stop and center for Creole culture. The city became a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
and is designated in 2009 as one of the
Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.
Geography
Cidade Velha is situated on the south coast of Santiago, at the mouth of the river
Ribeira Grande de Santiago. It is west of the capital
Praia. City subdivisions include ''Largo Pelourinho'', ''São Sebastião'', ''Santo António'', and ''São Pedro''.
History
The island of Santiago was discovered in 1460 by
António da Noli, a Genoese in Portuguese service.
[ Da Noli settled in 1462 at ''Ribeira Grande'' with his family members and Portuguese colonists from ]Algarve
The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...
and Alentejo.[ The site had good conditions, as there was abundant water from Ribeira Grande. This gave it an advantage over the other settlement on Santiago, Alcatrazes.][
The settlement became a key port of call for Portuguese colonisation in both Africa and South America. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was a centre of maritime trade between Africa, the ]Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...
, Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, and the Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
. Due to its proximity to the African coast, it was an essential platform for the trade in enslaved Africans.
Cidade Velha's port was a stopping place for two great navigators: Vasco da Gama, in 1497, on his way to India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, and Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...
, in 1498, while on his third voyage to the Americas
The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
. In 1522, it was the stopping place for the expedition of explorer Ferdinand Magellan, sailing for Spain and on the final leg of the survivors' circumnavigation of the world.
Cidade Velha has the oldest colonial church in the world: Nossa Senhora do Rosário church, which was constructed in 1495. In 1533, Cidade Velha became the seat of the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde, created by papal bull of Pope Clement VII
Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate o ...
. Today the seat is in Praia, in keeping with its status as capital.
The riches of Ribeira Grande and conflicts between Portugal and rival colonial powers France and Britain attracted pirate attacks, including those by Francis Drake ( 1585) and Jacques Cassard ( 1712).[ Despite the construction of Forte Real de São Filipe in 1587–93, Ribeira Grande remained vulnerable and went into decline. The capital was moved to Praia in 1770.][Centre historique de Praia]
UNESCO
Ribeira Grande (now Cidade Velha) was reduced to the rank of a village and its civil, religious and military buildings began to decay after so many institutions left. Since the 1960s, restoration works have begun.[Cidade Velha, Centre historique de Ribeira Grande]
Proposition d’inscription sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial In 2009, this was designated as a UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
.
Demography
Sites of interest
* (''Pillory''), erected in 1512 or 1520. At this marble pillar rebellious slaves were punished publicly. It was restored in the 1960s. It stands at the main square of the city.[
* Forte Real de São Filipe, constructed in 1587–93.][ This fort was built as defence from pirate attacks (mainly by French and English). The elevation is 120 m above sea level.
* Nossa Senhora do Rosário church, the oldest colonial church in the world, built in 1495. It has a side chapel in Manueline Gothic style.][
*Ruins of Sé Cathedral. Its construction started in 1556 and was completed in 1705; the church was pillaged in 1712. Its impressive ruins (the church was 60 m long) have been conserved in 2004.][
*Ruins of the convent of São Francisco, built in 1657 on a slope outside the city centre. The convent church was restored in 2002.][
*Many traditional houses can be found along the streets ''rua Banana'' and ''rua Carreira''.][
]
Climate
Cidade Velha has a hot arid climate (Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BWh''). Its average annual rainfall is , and its average temperature is . The coolest month is January (average ) and the hottest is October (average ).[
]
Gallery
Pelourinho Cidade Velha IW.jpg, square
Image:Cidade Velha - House by the ocean 2014-10-02 12.jpg, Cidade Velha - House by the ocean.
ForteSFilipeQuarteis.JPG, Ruins of São Filipe fort.
References
{{Authority control
Cities in Cape Verde
Ribeira Grande de Santiago
Municipal seats in Cape Verde
Geography of Santiago, Cape Verde
Populated places established in the 1460s
World Heritage Sites in Cape Verde
1462 establishments
15th-century establishments in Cape Verde