Rosais (literally,

archaic Archaic is a period of time preceding a designated classical period, or something from an older period of time that is also not found or used currently: *List of archaeological periods **Archaic Sumerian language, spoken between 31st - 26th cent ...

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 ** Port ...

for "

rosaries The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...

") is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

Velas Velas may refer to: Places * Velas, Azores, Portugal * Velas, Maharashtra, India * Cabo Velas, Costa Rica People * Sara Velas Sara Velas is an artist, graphic designer, gardener, curator and Artistic Director of the Velaslavasay Panorama in Lo ...

in the

archipelago of the

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 743, in an area of 24.23 km².Eurostat
/ref>

History

Although Rosais was first mentioned in written documents in 1568, it existed as a settlement before then. It was considered the "

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animal ...

" or "breadbasket" of São Jorge, due to the area's fertility. To this day the area supports rich

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or s ...

Geography

The parish of Rosais is located on the island of São Jorge and extends approximately from Figueiras to

Ponta dos Rosais Ponta dos Rosais (''Rosais Point'', or literally, ''Point of the Rosaries'') is a promontory located along the northwestern coast of the parish of Rosais, municipality of Velas, on the island of São Jorge in the Portuguese archipelago of the Az ...

. The parish had approximately 820 inhabitants according to the 2001 census. It contains the localities Arrifana, Canada da Trás, Canada das Faias,

Fajã de João Dias The Fajã de João Dias is a permanent debris field, built from the collapsing cliffs on the northern coast of the civil parish of Rosais, in the municipality of Velas, island of São Jorge, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Apart ...

, Quarteiro, and Rosais. The western corner of the island is essentially a plateau, with tall cliffs extending until the Ponta dos Rosais, where the

Ponta dos Rosais Lighthouse The Ponta dos Rosais Lighthouse ( pt, Farol da Ponta dos Rosais) is a beacon/lighthouse located along the 200 m cliffs of Ponta dos Rosais near Rosais in the extreme northwest of the island of São Jorge, in the Archipelago of the Azores, Portu ...

stands as a beacon. The rest of the parish consists mostly of pastures, although it also contains the wooded area ''Parque Florestal das Sete Fontes'' (Forest Park of the Seven Springs). Sete Fontes contains green spaces and animal pens and hosts an annual festival honoring the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium ...

emigrants who first settled São Jorge and the Azores. Although many of the cliffs are sheer drops, there are volcanic debris fields along the coast that give rise to São Jorge's '' fajãs''. Of particular note is

, a small enclave of buildings where many of the early settlers established homes, located five minutes by foot from the cliff tops.

References

{{authority control Freguesias of Velas