Ангюштиаш: История и достопримечательности прихода на Фаяле (Азорские острова)

Angústias is one of the three freguesia ("civil parish") that comprise the urban area of the city of Horta, on the island of Faial in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. This is an economically active, densely populated area. The population in 2011 was 2,418, in an area of 3.79 km2. Due to its commercial nature, the parish is one of the island's primary destinations for tourism, due to the concentration of historical sights and shopping. It contains the localities Caminho do Meio, Courelas, Pasteleiro, Port Pim, Termo da Igreja and Vigia.

The first recorded reference to settlers in the area of Angústias referred to the Vila de Orta (in 1532). Since 1468, the island and parish had been under the administration of Josse van Huerter, a Flemish leader during the early colonization of the island of Faial. The settlement and growth of the village of Orta (later Horta) was concentrated in two nuclei: an interior settlement in the valley of Flamengos and the southwestern religious parish of Nossa Senhora das Angústias
Several smaller agglomerations developed within the area of Angústias. Porto Pim, a sheltered bay between Monte Escuro and Monte da Guia, became a natural refuge for the first colonists, where they could easily load and unload cargo and supplies. Along the southern coast, the area of Pasteleiro, became the site of the first commercial businesses associated with the pastel or woad industry (first started by van Huerter). On the western edge of Horta Bay, the first homes were constructed, around the small chapel of Santa Cruz (where Josse van Huerter and his wife, Beatriz de Macedo, were buried). In 1567, the Fort of Santa Cruz was built for the defense of the island. Unfortunately, these fortifications, the convents and many of the churches, were sacked by English privateers in 1589 and 1597, and the buildings burned to the ground. By the beginning of the 17th century, several new military/defensive structures were built in order to protect the growing community, including the Military Doors of Porto Pim (Portões Miltares do Porto Pim), the Fort of São Sebastião (Forte de São Sebastião), the Fort of Greta (Forte de Greta), and the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Guia (Forte de Nossa Senhora da Guia). The Chapel of Santa Bárbara (Ermida de Santa Bárbara) was later constructed in Angústias by the Flemish nobleman Pero Pasteleiro and his wife Madelana da Rosa. Originally completed in 1522, through the initiative of Friar Pedro da Atouguia, the Convent of São Francisco (Convento de São Francisco) was originally built on a site called Pedras dos Frades (along the coastal boulevard where a compass rose was constructed in the 20th Century). It was sacked and set ablaze in 1597 by English privateers, later destroyed during a storm, after being re constructed in 1609. A third convent and church was re constructed in 1696 on higher ground and farther away from the coast. On November 12, 1700, it was reconsecrated as the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary (Igreja da Nossa Senhora do Rosário). Its principal benefactor, Simão Liuz Carolo, was moved from Angra do Heroísmo to a mausoleum in the main chapel on the 4 November 1700. With the end of the religious orders in 1835, the convent was donated to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia, which installed its hospital and Asilo de Mendicidade. On 4 May 1899, a violent fire completely destroyed the convent: the Church survived. The civil parish of Nossa Senhora das Angústias was formed on 28 November 1684. Frair Lourenço, Bishop of Angra, on 30 August 1675, finally initiated the construction of a church in the name of Santa Cruz. In 1688, after a visit of Bishop Clemente Vieria, the parish received 572$000 réis for the construction. It would eventually be constructed in 1800 and receive the name Church of Nossa Senhora das Angústias: its bell towers were finished in 1861. Between 1839 and 1969, due to the developments in the telegraph industries, Horta (and Angústias in particular) was the central node in the trans Atlantic submarine cable network. The basing of English, American and German telegraph companies in Angústias resulted in urban and social growth. Many of the buildings constructed during this period have become integral to the landscape of the parish, including the Hotel Faial, the homes and businesses of the Dabney family, the Colonia Alemã and several of the original buildings constructed to house the telegraph equipment. By October 20, 1876, the commercial port was constructed; it became an important trans Atlantic point, as an Allied port during both World Wars, a stopover for hydroplanes crossing the Atlantic and way point for Dutch Atlantic tugboats. In the early years, the dock came to supplement, then supplant, the harbor of Porto Pim for whaling vessels involved in the North Atlantic whale hunt. A new marina was eventually inaugurated (June 3, 1986) to handle the annual growth in yachts and pleasure craft to the region. The marina is celebrated in yachting circles for the hundreds of yacht calling cards painted on the walks and walls by visiting crews.

This urbanized parish's northern border begins at the Horta Marina, and crosses through commercial buildings to the Ramp do São Francisco and alongside the Santa Casa da Misericórdia (the Rua da Santa Casa) before intersecting the property line of the former Dabney residence The Cedars, following the Rua Luís de Camões, until intersecting at Rua da Ilha do Pico. From this point the border follows Rua Ilha do Pico until Rua do Moínho, where it skirts Monte Carneiro until reaching the border with Flamengos. The western border follows Calço da Fugeuira for several metres before extending westerly into the pasturelands of Pasteleiro, where it plunges south through the industrial zone, crossing the Via Rápida and the Rua do Lajinho until reaching the sea. The parish encompasses an area that extends from the civil parish of Feteiras along the southern coast of Faial, to the port area of the city of Horta. It includes the bay of Port Pim, Monte da Guia and Monte Escuro, and a small portion of Monte Carneiro. It is fronted on the north by the civil parish of Matriz and Flamengos, while completely surrounded on all other borders by the Atlantic Ocean. The parish is part of the Horta Flamengos Feteira geomorphological zone referred to as the Horta Platform localized along the southeast portion of the island, and characterized by a low altitude, smooth relief created from several lava flow covers. The area includes many Strombolian cones (including Monte Carneiro), in addition to the Monte da Guia Tuff Surtseyan cone.

This is a hilly area that includes several slag/spatter cones (the aforementioned Monte da Guia, Monte Escuro and Monte Carneiro are all extinct cones), as well as rugged coastal areas and public sand beaches (the beach at Porto Pim). The area includes several pasture lands but is generally urbanized, with an industrial area located in the west along an ancillary branch of the Regional E. R.2 1a motorway, a residential neighbourhood along the southwest coast, and portion of the central city of Horta in the northeast coast. Along with the main Regional E. R.1 1a roadway, which follows the coast from the marina to Feteiras, the Regional E. R.2 2a variant (Estrada Príncipe Alberto do Mónaco Estrada Regional de Santa Bárbara) extends from the intersection at the Church of Nossa Senhora das Angústias northwest to Flamengos, while the expressway (the Via Rápida) to Feteiras begins at a traffic circle around the locality of Santa Bárbara. Many of the important civic, cultural or regional buildings are located in Angústias, including the islands only secondary school (EBS Escola Secundária Manuel Arriaga), the only hospital (Hospital da Horta) on the island, the headquarters of the police, the commercial marina, dock and container terminal, the principal installations of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia (the benevolent society that homes the elderly) and the supermarket (Modelo). It also includes historical portions of the village of Orta, including the main commercial and residential buildings that formed the community in the late 19th century.

While the western part of the parish is utilized as pasturelands, or for cultivation, the urbanized nature of the eastern part has concentrated on tertiary and municipal services. The Industrial Zone of Santa Barbara between the Via Rápida and Rua das Courelas is the main secondary nucleus of industrial activity, in addition to the commercial container and fishing port along the eastern coast of Faial.

Being one of the nuclei of the city of Horta, Angústias is the home of many buildings important to the history of the region. Some of these have been renovated and reused for other purposes (for example the Fort of Santa Cruz), while others have become important as tourist attractions (for example Peter's Cafe) or continued to be active in the community (such as the Church of Nossa Senhora das Angústias).