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Ponta Delgada is a rural civil parish in the Azorean municipality of Santa Cruz das Flores, on the Portuguese island of Flores. The population in 2011 was 359,〔(Instituto Nacional de Estatística )〕 in an area of 17.65 km².〔(Eurostat )〕 It is situated along the northern coast from the regional capital. It is the third oldest religious parish on the island of Flores, only preceded by the communities of Lajes and Santa Cruz das Flores. ==History== The religious parish of São Pedro da Ponta Delgada was one of the first three religious parishes on the island of Flores. The historical chronicler, Father Gaspar Frutuoso, stated that at the end of the 16th Century Ponta Delgada was a small population of thirty neighbors and one chapel. A century later, Friar Agostinho de Montalverne referred to 650 inhabitants occupying 140 homes: essentially claiming it was the largest population on the island. Diogo das Chagas first placed the colonization of this area at about 1571, attaining the position of parish immediately. It included the area from Ribeira Funda until Ribeira das Casas, as well as Ponta Ruiva (now in Cedros and Ponta da Fajã (now part of Fajã Grande in the neighbouring municipality). Father António Cordeiro referred to a community of 150 homes and several roads leading to the ocean. The fertility of the land and access to potable water greatly assisted this growth. As Frutuoso noted, a primitive parish chapel was erected to the invocation of Santa Ana, but had long since "disappeared". The church of São Pedro was erected in 1763 near a small chapel, with the same name, at the end of the 17th Century. In addition to São Pedro, the chapel of Santo Amaro (which co-existed in the parish, since the end of the 17th Century) was the centre of popular festivals and testified to the community's dynamic nature: São Pedro, the protector of fishermen and Santo Amaro, protector of animals. The chapel of Santo Amaro was located near the old centre of the village near a grotto and spring. But, over time, the inhabitants decided to move the town centre away from the exposure to local northern wind currents. The principal promoter of a project to re-build the Church of São Pedro was Father Francisco de Fraga e Almeida, a man of immense wealth and former-Vicar of Flores and Corvo Islands. His final testament bequeathed 100$000 réis to the ''Confraria de São Pedro'' (English: Confraternity of Saint Peter) to celebrate a mass in his name on the day of the inauguration of the new temple. It is not clear when that finally occurred, but documents show that in 1774 the builders were still working on the altars of the Church. This church was restored twice more (in 1971 and 1975), both times maintaining the interior and original foundations. On August 13, 1978 a new chapel was consecrated to the invocation of São João Baptista on Pico do Meio Dia near the site of a concrete cross that was consecrated on September 27, 1970. This new chapel gave rise to annual festivals celebrated every September. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ponta Delgada, Santa Cruz das Flores」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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