| Capelo | |
| Freguesia do Capelo | |
| Civil Parish | |
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| Name origin: capelo, Portuguese for cape or headland | |
| Country | Portugal |
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| State | Azores |
| Region | Faial Island |
| District | Horta |
| Center | Rua da Igreja |
| Highest point | Lomba de Baixo |
| - elevation | 1,041 m (3,415 ft) |
| Lowest point | Sea Level |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Area | 25.93 km2 (10 sq mi) |
| Population | 493 (2001) |
| Density | 19.0 /km2 (49 /sq mi) |
| Founded | 1600 |
| Council | Junta Freguesia |
| President | Luís Paulo Medina Garcia |
| - Leader 1 | Filomena Teresinha Pereira Serpa |
| Timezone | Azores (UTC-1) |
| - summer (DST) | Azores (UTC-2) |
| Numeric & Codex | 9900-302 Horta |
| Website: jfcapelo@mail.telepac.pt | |
Capelo is a civil parish in the municipality of Horta on the island of Faial in the Azorean archipelago. The population as of 2001 was approximately 493, its density is 19/km² and the area is 25.93 km². Mountainous volcanic craters cover the majority of the parish (being the location of the most recent volcanic eruption in the Azores), and pasturelands dominate the rest.
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Geography
The parish has several facets: an area of volcanic craters that extends from the islands caldera, inland pasturelands used to support the agricultural/dairy industry, and a coastal zone of cottages and oceanfront pools. Linking these areas is the ubiquitous Regional Road E.R. 1-1ª that connects the communities on the island with Horta in the southeast corner.
The parish is located on layers of volcanic materials refered to as the Capelo Volcanic Complex. It is a line of volcanic escoria cones of fissural nature lying on a WNW-ESE orientation consisting of basaltic volcanism of low explosivity. The peninsula shows varying volcanic shapes and products resulting from surtseyan, hawaiian and strombolian phases of volcanism. It is area of young rock (less than 10.000 years), overlying the older pyroclasts of the Caldeira Formation, and includes two historical eruptions (the 1672 Cabeço do Fogo and 1957 Capelinhos eruptions). This fractural zone is defined by the Capelo Fault, a fracture system of cones and craters displaying right lateral en échelon geometry, which extends to Capelinhos volcano in the western tip of Faial. In this particular area, Capelo Fault is expressed by tens of sub-vertical fractures, concentrated in a 250 m wide zone, cutting through the pyroclastic sequence of a surtseyan cone exposed in a paleo-sea cliff east of Capelinhos volcano. An example of these fractures can be found on the surface of the Capelinhos volcano; a warm vent on its eastern flank belies the active nature of this volcanism.
Capelo includes the subdivisions of Arreiro, Ribeira do Cabo, Norte Pequeno and Varadouro.
The southern coast is considered the "spa region" of the island, dominated by an attractive bay and the black rock cliffs of Varadouro and Mouro volcanic plug. The Varadouro spa, and its hypersaline waters at a temperature of 35.5°C (96°F), were available to beachgoers who travelled to ocean-carved pools for refreshment.
History
The village was elevated to civil parish in 1600, when it was de-anexed from the neighboring parish of Praia do Norte. Friar Diogo das Chagas, in 1643, noted that the parish had about 160 inhabitants, and approximately 44 residences. At its largest, the population reached 1,400 inhabitants.
The town was practically destroyed in 1672 and 1673 during the volcanic eruption of Cabeço de Fogo. During this eruption, ash and pyroclastic projectiles rained down on the community, destroying homes and sterilizing agricultural lands in Capelo and Praia do Norte. Ironically, between 1673 and 1845, Praia do Norte was integrated into the civil parish of Capelo.
The church of Santissima Trinidade (Holy Trinity) do Capelo was ordered constructed by the Captain-major, Jorge Goulart Pimental, to replace the parochial church destroyed during the 1672 eruption (Church of Nossa Senhora da Esperança). A chapel to Nossa Senhora da Esperança (Our Lady of Hope) was later constructed near the old church (which has since disappeared from the landscape).
The chapel of Varadouro is founded in 1720, by Father Manuel Pereira Cardoso, in the name of Nossa Senhora do Carmo. Later, in his 1725 last testament, Father Cardoso requested that his inheritors celebrate a mass in perpetuity to the name Nossa Senhora do Carmo, the Holy Sacrament, and Santo António, on every first Sunday of October. The spa at Varadouro was constructed and inaugurated on August 1, 1954 by architect Read Teixeira.
Culture, Tradition & Tourism
Festivities
In addition to the festivals associated with the Holy Spirit (which occur several weeks following Easter), the parish is the center of the Festas do Varadouro. This religious celebration is associated with the testamente of Father Cardoso who requested his heirs celebrate a mass in his Chapel of Varadouro in the name of Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Our Lady of Carmo). The celebration occurs on the first Sunday in October.
Tourism
Tourism in this parish is associated primarily with the main sites: Capelinhos and Varadouro. The re-qualification of the primary roadways within the past few years has been a process of improving and developing rural, eco- and geo-tourism. Similarly, with the emphasis on improving tourism in the Varadouro region, the natural rock pools have been improved and thermal spa in planning for remodeling.
Civil and Civic Architecture
- Termas do Varadouro (Thermal Spa of Varadouro)
- Geological Museum of the Volcano
- Interpretative Center of the Capelinhos Volcano (including the Capelinhos lighthouse)
- Escola de Artesanto do Capelo (School of Handicrafts)
Religious Sanctuaries
- Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Esperança (Our Lady of Hope)
- Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Carmo
- Church of Santissima Trinidade (Holy Trinity)
Natural Environments & Protected Zones
The parish is crossed by several pedestrian hiking trails connecting the volcanic cones along the Capelo Volcanic Complex: Cabeço do Fogo, Cabeço Verde and Cabeço do Canto, as well as interesting geological sites such as Fonte dos Namorados. Capelo is also known for its micro-climate, which has allowed the cultivation of grapes and small wine production. The areas along Canada das Adegas (in Norte Pequeno) and Varadouro are characteristic of these private holdings and "adegas".
In addition, two major regional parks/nature reserves fall within the forders of the parish:
- Natural Forest Reserve of Cabeço do Fogo and Capelinhos Volcano
- Natural Forest Reserve of Capelo
References
- Adriane Machado, José M.M. Azevedo, Delia P.M. Alemida, Farid Chemale Jr., Geochemistry of Volcanic Rocks. e-Terra (Revista Electrónica de Ciências da Terra Geosciences On-line Journal), ISSN 1645-0388, Volume 5, no.1 (2008).
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