the plague gave the vow, são sebastião gave the name
In the Largo da Matriz, what you notice first is the contrast: white limestone stonework cut through by black basalt blocks at the portals. The white stone came from the mainland for the Manueline campaign in the 16th century; the black is from the island and arrived in the 18th, with the Baroque reform. They coexist without mixing.
This isn't the cathedral of the archipelago, that one is in Angra. This is the Matriz, the Igreja de São Sebastião. It was built by popular vow: between 1523 and 1531 a plague swept through São Miguel and, when it passed, the town promised a proper church to the intercessor saint. Construction took place between 1531 and 1547, with help from kings João III and Sebastião. São Sebastião became the city's patron saint.
The three Manueline portals survive from that original campaign, with the royal arms and the shield of the arrows of martyrdom. On the south portal there are two busts identified as João III and Catarina. Inside, the 18th century left its mark in Joannine gilded woodwork. Attached to the church is a small sacred art museum with gold-embroidered vestments and silverwork, including garments that belonged to John Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter in the 14th century.
The Portas da Cidade are a few steps away and the seafront is just below. When you step out, all of Ponta Delgada is there.
what you'll find inside
- the facade with white limestone stonework and Baroque black basalt island-stone finishes
- the three Manueline portals with the royal arms and the shield of the arrows of São Sebastião
- on the south portal, the busts identified as João III and Catarina
- the Joannine gilded woodwork inside, from the 18th century
- the small attached sacred art museum, with gold-embroidered vestments and silverwork
