Vila Franca do Campo () is a Portuguese town on the island of São Miguel in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. It covers an area of 78.00 km<sup>2</sup> and has a population of 10,323 inhabitants (2021). The municipality is divided into six parishes and is bordered to the north by the municipality of Ribeira Grande, to the east by Povoação, to the west by Lagoa, and to the south it has a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean.

The Vila Franca Islet, an uninhabited coastal tuff cone, lies from Vila Franca do Campo. Since 1993, the Ilhéu de Vila Franca has been a natural reserve and remains an important summer destination.

History

thumb|left|Fort of Tagarete, known at least since the beginning of the 18th century

Vila Franca do Campo displays its municipal motto, Quis sicut deus?, on its flag and on its coat-of-arms. This Latin phrase means "Who is like God?" It is a reference to St. Michael the Archangel for whom the island of São Miguel is named; in Hebrew, the name, Michael, means "he who is like God".

Founded in the middle of the 15th century by Gonçalo Vaz Botelho, the settlement was elevated to the status of vila (town) in 1472; Vila Franca do Campo quickly grew into the largest settlement and administrative seat of the island of São Miguel.

The greatest tragedy to befall the Azores occurred on 20 October 1522, when a violent earthquake hit the area of Vila Franca do Campo, then the capital of the archipelago and most important Azorean settlement. During the earthquake and subsequent landslide, 5000 people were killed, with then Captain-Donatário Rui Gonçalves da Câmara II escaping the tragedy: he was relaxing in his summer home in Lagoa at the time of the tragedy. Many of the residents were buried alive from a landslide and debris.

Religious

  • Church of Bom Jesus da Pedra (), the hospital was instituted in 1483, after Isabel Gonçalves (widow of Afonso Gonçalves), donated the home in which she lived (after her heirs refused the home and were disinherited). After 1552 the building was already referred to as a possession of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, where a chapel/church was part of the building.
  • Church of São João Baptista ()
  • Church of São Lazaro (), the three-story 18th-century church is secluded in the upper roads of Água de Alto, first referenced in the testament of João Afonso, of Grotas Fundas in 1511;
  • Church of São Miguel Arcanjo (), often confused as the Church of Senhor da Pedra, the 15th century church is one of the oldest in the Azores, with unpainted brick facade and orante interior that includes 16th century organ, gilded and azulejo-decorated chancel;
  • Church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade (), the 3-story simple Manuelinesque church developed from the construction of a small temple in 1530, through the initiative of Lopo Anes de Araújo, son in law of Rui Vaz, in a letter dated 15 January 1696;
  • Convent of São Francisco (), the convent of Saint Francis of Assisi was reconstructed following the 1522 earthquake to house religious sisters, but following several social convulsions, in the late 20th century it was readapted as local tourist lodging;
  • Hermitage of Mãe de Deus (), the small ornate hermitage was donated to the municipal council of Vila Franca in 1984 by Inácio de Melo and his family, and includes several Manueline-style flourishes in the portico and bell-tower;
  • Hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Paz (), the simple hermitage was elaborated into an important scenic attraction with the construction in 1967 of a staircase to represent Pais Nossos dos Mistérios Gozosos e Dolorosos (Our Father and Joyful/Sorrowful Mysteries) prayer, separated into ten flights to symbolize the Ave Maria prayer;
  • Hermitage of Santa Catarina (), located on the coastal street connecting the lower town to the fishing port (and identifiable for the statue of Henry the Navigator located in its square), the 16th century Mannerist hermitage (today dedicated to the fisherman) was first identified by Nuno Gonçalves in 1504;
  • Hermitage of Santo Amaro (), the historian/priest Gaspar Frutuoso referred to the existence of this hermitage in the area of Relva in Vila Franca, which became the seat of a religious brotherhood, located at the doorstep of Miguel da Grã's farm;
  • Hermitage of São João Baptista (), this hermitage is located on the town's outskirts on a hilltop in the direction of Furnas; a 16th-century chapel, it is simple with an interior niche displaying the image of John the Baptist which is popular displayed during annual festivals;

Notable people

  • Bento de Góis (1562 in Vila Franca do Campo – 1607) a Jesuit brother, missionary and explorer; the first known European to travel overland from India to China, via current day Afghanistan and the Pamir Mountains.
  • Armando Fontes (born in 1958 in Vila Franca do Campo) a former footballer with 166 club caps
  • Nelly Furtado, famous luso-canadian singer, her parents were born in the Parish of Ponta Garça.

References

;Notes

  • Natural Landscapes from Vila Franca do Campo
  • Photos from Vila Franca do Campo