São Jorge Island

Matrix Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Topo. Built in the 16th century, it is one of the earliest churches on the island of São Jorge

It is unclear when the first explorers discovered the island of São Jorge; as part of the politics of human occupation, the Azores were populated after 1430 (probably 1439) through the initiative of Prince Henry the Navigator. 23 April, known as the feast day of Saint George, has been cited by historians as the reason for the island's name, although this is likely conjecture. Genovese and Catalan maps of the 14th century originally designated the long, slender island "São Jorge", a designation that was maintained by Infante D. Henrique when settlers from northern Europe began to colonize the island (around 1460, or twenty years after it was first sighted).

Although unclear, Azorean chroniclers believe that settlement on the island concentrated around the two communities of Velas and Calheta, and developed into the interior. It was in 1460 that the construction of the first church dedicated to São Jorge occurred in the area of Velas, from the testaments of Infante D. Henrique. What is certain is that the island was populated by the time that João Vaz Corte Real, the Donatary-Captain of Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira) obtained the captaincy of the island, by contract on 4 May 1483. By 1500, the settlement of Velas was elevated from villa to municipality (giving rise to the supposition that Velas was the first center on the island). By 1659, the parochial church had already undergone public restoration, that gave origin to the present church in that municipality.

After an unsuccessful adventure to the island of Flores, the Flemish nobleman Willem van der Haegen (later known as Guilherme da Silveira) moved to the area of Topo where he established and founded a local community, in 1480. After living there for several years he died and was buried in the chapel of the Casa dos Tiagos. Topo was eventually elevated to capital of the municipality by 1510, but lost this title to Calheta on June 3, 1534. During this period, the island was wild and many of the roads difficult or non-existent between the communities, resulting in isolated villages located along the coast. Connections between these communities developed by sea, and the better provisioned ports were likely to develop economically. This was the case with Calheta, Urzelina and Velas; the sites, although farther from the Terceira (the towns are located on the opposite coast), were preferred way-points due to secure and sheltered ports, with good anchorage and providing many goods and services. The growth of the population was rapid, and by the mid-17th century, São Jorge had approximately 3000 inhabitants and three towns: Velas, Topo and Calheta. The island demonstrated a strong economic vitality: in addition to wine, corn, and yam, it was also an important exporter of woad to Flanders and other countries in Europe.

The dynastic crisis (1580) caused by the ascension of King Philip II of Spain (King Philip I of Portugal) had consequences on the island, since gentry supported (along with those on Terceira) the pretender to the throne, António, Prior of Crato. King António reigned on the continent for about twenty days, until he was defeated at the Battle of Alcântra, whereupon he moved his court to Terceira Island and governed in opposition until 1583. The Habsburg-supported King Phillip finally defeated his forces at sea at the Battle of Ponta Delgada between July 25–26, 1582, and the garrisons in São Jorge only capitulated to the forces of Castillo after the fall of Terceira in 1583.

Old windmill, Morro das Velas

Following 1583, the island experienced a period of relative isolation, partially due to the poor quality of its ports and its limited economic importance. After the Spanish occupation, it was largely abandoned and its inhabitants were left to survive a meager existence. The island did not escape Atlantic piracy: the islanders were subject to attacks by English and French privateers in 1589 and 1590, raiders after 1590 (from the Barbary coast and lands occupied by the Turks) and during the 17th and 18th centuries (mostly around Calheta). In 1625, the inhabitants of Fajã de São João were captured by pirates and likely sold into slavery. The tranquillity around the island was also broken on September 20, 1708, when the town of Velas was attacked by French pirates under the command of René Duguay-Trouin. The population of the community resisted for twenty-four hours, but eventually the pirates made shore where they disembarked. The resistance, commanded by Sergeant-major Amaro Soares de Sousa, occurred around the village of Banquetas saving the other villages from occupation and pillaging.

During the Portuguese Civil War, Liberalist forces were stationed on the island after May 10, 1831. Generally, the island's residents have lived for many years in isolation, interrupted by rare visits from the authorities, commercial boats from the local islands, and the occasional nobleman who has come to contemplate the local scenery.

With the inauguration of its ports, and the airport/aerodrome (April 23, 1982) commercial ventures have grown (especially the export of the local cheese), the expansion of animal husbandry, the fisheries and a small crafts industry.

Agricultural fields in Morro de Velas

Lagoon and Fajã of Santo Cristo

São Jorge cheese is a spicy cheese produced exclusively in São Jorge

After a period of small subsistence agriculture, the local economy began to concentrate on a few chief exports: initially, lichen (Roccella tinctoria) and woad (Isatis tinctoria), later the introduction of wheat and corn crops. Woad was one of the most important exports from São Jorge and the Azores; it was initially introduced by Willem van der Hagen around 1490, and exported primarily to his countrymen in Flanders. Both woad and lichen were very popular in central Europe as a dye.

These exports were later superseded by grapes and wine after 1571 and endured for the next three centuries. It was first disseminated along the southern coast, owing to the fertile soils, and adapted well to many of the fajãs of Calheta (including Fajã dos Vimes, Fajã de São João, Fajã do Ouvidor, and Fajã Grande), as well as the areas between Ribeira do Almeirda and the parish of Queimadas (in Velas). These were generally considered lands that were not adequate for cereal cultivation, but where vineyards flourished. The majority of the wine production was located in the area between Queimada, Urzelina and Manadas, with grapes of the Verdelho and Terrantez castes, as well as some Bastardo, Moscatel and Alicante produced in an area that became lucrative and highly prized. Unlike the other islands, where grape vines grew on the rocky hedge-rows or around protective volcanic rocks, the grapes of São Jorge were grown between many of the natural species of bush and trees. Over the centuries many barrels of wine were produced in this method, and about 10,000 barrels were regularly exported or consumed locally. São Jorge wines were so highly esteemed that the Count of Almada, then Captain General of the Azores, created the "São Jorge" brand in order to mitigate fraudulent sales. The wine was also appreciated during the World Exposition of 1867 (in Paris, France) where it rivaled Porto wine. Unfortunately, the Oidium tukeri grape/vine disease reached the island in late 1854 and destroyed the prosperous industry. Various attempts were made to restart the wine industry, such as Francisco José de Bettencourt e Ávila, the Baron Ribeiro in the area of Urzelina, and later Miguel Teixeira Soares de Sousa and Marta Pereira da Silveira, who produced wine from the Izabela caste. Meanwhile, the phylloxera disease continued to destroy many of the vineyards in the municipality of Calheta during the second half of the 18th century, and throughout the island the disease would bring many producers to bankruptcy. The remnants of the viticulture of the island banded together around Casteletes, in Urzelina, which include João Inácio de Bettencourt Noronha, producing a new caste of wines around Urzelina and Fajã de São João.

Orange cultivation spread in the Azores around the 17th Century owing to the environmental conditions and the fertility of the lands. The export of oranges to the United Kingdom and North America was an important phase in the island's economy; about six shipments per port were annually exported, which included about 7 million (or about 994,000 kilograms) oranges. Orange orchards were located primarily in the communities of Santo Amaro, Urzelina, Ribeira Seca and in Fajã de São Joãos.

Another crop to form a part of the culture of the Azores is the yam. It is widely popular and cultivated in any plot of land, and was used as an important subsistence food during the island's formative years although never becoming a major export product. It was so important that it was included in the Coat-of-Arms of Calheta, since 1694.

Long before whale-watching became important, whaling was an important industry between the end of the 19th century and middle of the 20th century, where a majority of the inhabitants were tied exclusively to this economy. In strategic locations along the coast, small huts were built to watch-out for whales and give an alarm to the local hunters, who would sail out and harpoon the mammals. Later, when this hunt was prohibited, the islanders began to "hunt" Albacor and Bonito Tuna resulting in the creation of two processing plants in Calheta. Fishing continues to be an important part of the local economy, although whale-watching has turned into a part of local tourism.

While cereals, vineyards and local vegetables are still grown sporadically around the island (much like the other islands of the Azores) the economy of São Jorge is currently dependent on the dairy industry. The local São Jorge cheese has been the most important part of the local economy, resulting in the establishment of an order, the Confraria do Queijo de São Jorge, to promote the consumption and sale of this popular cheese. In addition, Uniqueijo União de Cooperativeas Agrícolas de Lacticínios de São Jorge (Cooperative Agricultural Union of São Jorge Dairy Producers) is the principal dairy-producer on the island.[12] A union of eight cooperatives, Uniqueijo is dedicated to the commercialization of the traditional São Jorge cheese, including new products classified under the DOP Denominação de Origem Protegida (Denomination of Protected Origin) status.[12]

The Most Rev. José Avelino Bettencourt, 2018

• João Soares de Albergaria de Sousa (1776 in Velas – 1875) a liberal politician, rural landowner and author of the 1822 manifesto Corografia Açórica, a thesis on Azorean regional sovereignty.
• João Teixeira Soares de Sousa (1827 in Velas – 1875) an entrepreneur, politician, anthropologist and ethnographist
• José Cândido da Silveira Avelar (1843 in Velas – 1905) an historian and author who wrote about the island of São Jorge.
• João Duarte de Sousa (1862 in Velas – 1909) a politician, historian and writer about São Jorge
• John Bettencourt Avila (1865–1937) a California farmer, the father of the sweet potato
• Maria dos Santos Machado (1890 in Calheta – 1958) a teacher and PCP activist against the Estado Novo government
• José Avelino Bettencourt (born 1962 in Velas) a Portuguese-Canadian prelate of the Catholic Church and Apostolic Nuncio to Armenia and Georgia since March 2018.

• List of volcanoes in Azores

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for São Jorge (Azores).

• Azores.com, a commercial site but with abundant information on São Jorge Island
• (in English) The Azores Islands, Site with abundant information about São Jorge Island