Description São Jorge

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São Jorge is the island of cliffs, cliffs and fajãs, one of the greenest in the Azores archipelago and the perfect place for a holiday in contact with nature and the sea.

The contrast of the central mountain range that crosses the island in almost all the length, with its steep and jagged coastline, is dotted with the typical fajãs that extend into the sea.

From Fajã da Caldeira do Santo Cristo, the most famous for its tasty clams, to Fajã dos Cubres, with a crystalline lagoon, and to Fajã do Ouvidor with its natural pools, strolling through the island of São Jorge is admiring the parceled land for the subsistence agriculture, stone houses with three-guillotine windows, waterfalls and the curious steel cables for transporting firewood to the coastal plains.

Completing all this stunning coastal landscape, there is also the Ilhéu dos Rosais and, off the eastern tip of the island, the Ilhéu do Topo, nesting center for many sea birds and good examples of the endemic flora of the Azores. These are reasons that, combined with the landscape aspect, led to its classification as a Nature Reserve.

In the central plateau of the island, at 1,053 m of altitude, we find the highest point of São Jorge, Pico da Esperança, from where we can see unforgettable panoramic views over the island itself, closely watched by Pico, Graciosa, Terceira and Faial. It is in this higher zone, in an area that stretches from Pico do Areeiro to Pico das Caldeirinhas, passing through Picos da Esperança and Carvão and Morro Pelado, which were created by the presence of endemic vegetation of great botanical and scientific value. three Natural Forest Reserves, which adopted the name of those four Peaks.

The various viewpoints spread throughout the island, such as Ribeira do Almeida, Fajã das Almas, Urzes, Fajã dos Cubres and Norte Pequeno, allow for views of indisputable beauty.

São Jorge divides its area by 2 municipalities, the Vilas da Calheta and das Velas. In Vila das Velas, the Portão de Mar welcomes travelers from the boats that dock at the port, taking them to the central square of the village, where they can visit the Igreja Matriz de São Jorge, with the Museum of Sacred Art attached, and the City Hall.

When passing by Urzelina the gaze is fixed on an isolated church tower in the middle of the landscape, almost entirely surrounded by black rocks. It is the only trace of the original construction that was buried under the volcanic eruption of 1808. In Manadas, one of the most interesting examples of Baroque architecture in the Azores, the church of Santa Bárbara (from the 18th century), with a black and white facade, stands out and a rich interior. Calheta and Topo are picturesque ports where secular houses and churches with stories to tell stand out, such as the Church of Santa Catarina, the Museum of São Jorge and the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário.