São João (Lajes do Pico)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

São João (Portuguese for Saint John) is a parish in the district of Lajes in the Azores. Sao Joao is located on the main roadway between Terra do Pao and Silveira. The population in 2001 is 486, its density is 15/km² and the area is 32.31 km². It is the third least populated parish in Lajes do Pico. There is an upper (Companhia de Cima)and lower (Companhia de Baixo) village designation.

The church is in the lower district in close proximity to the small sea port pictured above. The church is completing renovation after extensive earthquake damage. The Sao Joao Church has a tile facade over cut rock construction. There is a single bell tower on the left side as you face the church that fronts a small road. The church faces the sea as a guiding landmark to those who fish the ocean. A great deal of whaling took place in the waters around Sao Joao. The ocean is clear and deep as lava flows form the shoreline.

Landmarks include a small holy ghost chapel in each the upper and lower village. There is a park built where the 1720 lava flow destroyed the original church. This park is call the Largo de Sao Joao; it has picnic facilities, a playground and wildlife. At the Seashore of the upper village there is the Ponte de Sao Joao where there is a sand volleyball court, showers and picnic facilities adjacent to a point that projects out into the ocean and is home to a small tidal pool that is used as a local swimming hole.

The village of Sao Joao is a quiet community where the is a cafe/merchantile and a restaurant serve the general public. There is an auto repair garage in the location formerly occupied by the village blacksmith. In keeping with the island's primary export there is a cheese factory producing cheese at the east end of the lower village. The cheese from there is well known. The farmers live in the village but the grazing land is up in the matos.