Tourist Attractions in Angra do Heroismo
Angra do Heroísmo, the fortified chief town of its district and of the island of Terceira and the see of the Bishop of the Azores, lies in an open bay 2km/ 1.25mi wide on the south coast of the island. On the west side of the bay is a peninsula, with Monte Brazil (210m/689ft). The attractive little town, which has a good harbor, was founded in 1534 and owes the second part of its name to its heroic resistance to the Spanish conquerors in the late 16th C., falling into Spanish hands only in 1583. Until 1832, when it was displaced by Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel, Angra do Heroísmo was the capital of the Azores, and it still ranks as the cultural heart of the archipelago.
Townscape
The town layout was originally planned in the first half of the 16th C. and it still boasts some imposing 17th and 18th C. Baroque buildings, due in no small measure to the substantial restoration carried out after UNESCO gave it International Heritage status.
Townscape
The town layout was originally planned in the first half of the 16th C. and it still boasts some imposing 17th and 18th C. Baroque buildings, due in no small measure to the substantial restoration carried out after UNESCO gave it International Heritage status.
Cathedral
Southwest of the Praça da Restauraçao, in Rua da República, is the twin-towered cathedral (Sé), built in 1568 on the site of an earlier church. Partially destroyed by fire in 1983 it was subsequently rebuilt according to the old plans.
Conceiçao
To the east of the Praça da Restauraçao, at the end of Rua Rainha Dona Amélia, is the 17th C. church of the Conceiçao (Conception), with rich talha dourada decoration in the interior.
Fort Sao Joao Baptista
Fort Sao Joao Baptista, above Angra do Heroísmo to the northwest, at the foot of Monte Brazil, is worth a visit. It was built by the Spaniards in the 17th century and affords a magnificent panoramic view of the town.
Largo Prior do Crato
The Rua de Lisboa ends in the Largo Prior do Crato, to the north of the Praça da Restauraçao, in which stands the former Jesuit College; the church (1652) has a richly decorated Baroque interior.
Monte Brazil
From the fort it is an easy climb up Monte Brazil (210m/689ft), a crater formed in a submarine eruption. From the rim of the crater there are superb views.
Pedro IV
Northeast of the Praça da Restauraçao, higher up, is an obelisk commemorating Pedro IV; from here there are far ranging views of the town.
Praça da Restauraçao
From the harbor the busy Rua de Lisboa (or Rua Direita) leads past the church of the Misericórdia, an imposing twin-towered Renaissance church, to the Praça da Restauraçao, the hub of the town's life.
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