Measures and model of the churches of São Miguel (Azores)

Abstract

The religious spaces are carriers of great symbolic importance, standing out in the urban fabric not only for their location, but also for their scale in relation to the surrounding buildings. We show the relevance of the religious space in the São Miguel island (Azores) urban fabric, where the church presents itself as an element of great importance. It is the generator of the urban fabric, and it is usually strategically located as a landmark of the civic centre of the localities. This study presents an analysis of the main façades of the parish churches of the island of S. Miguel built during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It highlights the existence of a typology of façade, which is a consequence of the materials and building systems existing there at the time. This demonstration continues the studies carried out by Sousa (1986) with the concept of façade “micaelense baroque ornamentation” and Caldas (2012) with the concept of “micaelense baroque façade” and “micaelense type façade”. Methodologically, the investigation was carried out through the analysis of the elements that make up the façades of the parish churches, the study of old and current photography, and drawings made in CAD; and the systematization of façades by grouping them into categories and establishing a typology between the various churches of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.