Santo Espírito, Santa María Island

Visit the small Santo Espírito, in Santa María Island, Azores, Portugal.

Santo Espírito, Santa María Island
© Câmara Municipal Vila do Porto

Santo Espírito is a small town belonging to the council of Vila do Porto, located in Santa María Island, Azores, Portugal.

This quiet city is worth to be visited for three reasons: the Igreja Matriz (Mother Church), with its unique facade considered by many the most beautiful one in the Azores; the modest Santa María Ethnographic Museum, where you will learn a lot about trades; and the artisanal cooperative, where you will have the chance to buy great quality textile and cuisine products.

Its popular architecture is very similar to the Baixo Alentejo and Algarve ones, due to the fact that most of the colonists of the island came from those areas.

The centre of this little and unfocused population nucleus is located in the Largo Padre José María Amaral Square, where it is found the previously mentioned Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Purificação Mother Church, accompanied by a cult with the copeira (kitchen) . On the back side of the temple you will find the unnoticed Santa María Ethnographic Museum, hosting a fascinating exhibition about Lagoa, Terceira and foreign ceramic.

The Artisanal Cooperative is located on the exit of the town towards Vila do Porto. It takes up a large space with its numerous bedspread, sheets, tapestries, flax clothes, rag dolls, miniatures, etc. They do also make bread and homemade sweets typical of the island.

2 kilometres far from the city direction towards Santa Bárbara is located the Fontinhas Forest Park, with a lush woodland and a recreational area.

Mapa Interactivo:

Why "Portugal Travel"?

Portugal Travel is an organization of Portuguese agencies whose objectives are:

✓ To make Portugal, its culture and its heritage known.
✓ To promote sustainable tourism.

In collaboration with:

Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo do Estoril

Turismo de Portugal

Santo Espírito, Santa María Island

Visit the small Santo Espírito, in Santa María Island, Azores, Portugal.

Santa Maria Island

What to see:

Azores:

Why "Portugal Travel"?

In collaboration with: