Ajuda da Bretanha
| Ajuda da Bretanha | |
| Civil Parish | |
| Official name: Freguesia da Ajuda da Bretanha | |
| Name origin: Portuguese for help from Britain or Brittany | |
| Country |  Portugal |
|---|---|
| Autonomous Region |  Azores |
| Island | São Miguel |
| Municipality | Ponta Delgada |
| Localities | Ajuda da Bretanha, Amoreira, Lombinha |
| Rivers | Grota da Levada, Grota da Lomba, Grota Grande |
| Center | Ajuda da Bretanha |
| - elevation | 166 m (545 ft) |
| - coordinates | 37°53′55″N 25°45′47″W / 37.89861°N 25.76306°WCoordinates: 37°53′55″N 25°45′47″W / 37.89861°N 25.76306°W |
| Highest point | Chã do Marco |
| - elevation | 596 m (1,955 ft) |
| - coordinates | 37°53′53″N 25°45′44″W / 37.89806°N 25.76222°W |
| Lowest point | Sea level |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Area | 7.09 km2 (3 sq mi) |
| - water | .00 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| - urban | .40 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Population | 661 (2011) |
| Density | 93/km2 (241/sq mi) |
| Settlement | c. 1527 |
| - Parish | c. 1646 |
| - Civil Parish | 10 July 2002 |
| LAU | Freguesia/Junta Freguesia |
| - location | Rua da Igreja |
| Timezone | Azores (UTC-1) |
| - summer (DST) | Azores (UTC0) |
| Postal Zone | 9545-027 |
| Area Code & Prefix | (+351) 292 XX XX XX |
| Patron Saint | Nossa Senhora da Ajuda |
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| Website: http://freguesiadaajuda.com | |
Ajuda da Bretanha is a northern civil parish in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. It is a relatively new parish, being elevated to this status when the former parish of Bretanha was divided, forming Ajuda and Pilar da Bretanha. The population in 2011 was 661, in an area of 7.09 km².
There still exists some controversy relative to the origin of Bretanha in the local lexicon. The parish received its name from the original Bretanha of the older parish, and in accordance with popular tradition, it was adopted by the local Portuguese colonists to refer to the original settlers of the area. It is assumed that the area was originally inhabited between the end of the 15th Century and/or the beginning of the 16th Century. During this period the concentration of colonists from Great Britain, or Brittany, may have led to the local designation. Even today, the area that was the parish of Bretanha is populated by people whose ethnicity are mistaken for British nationals (skin, eye or hair colors primarily), and where the local dialect is punctuated by diction and intonations reminiscent of French. When the area of Ajuda was de-annexed to form the current administration the name was adopted; a compound phrase which means: Ajuda from [the former parish of] Bretanha.
Until 1527, Bretanha was actually part of a much larger parish known as Capelas.
The parochial church is dedicated to the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, and referenced in Gaspar Frutuoso's Saudades da Terra. Constructed at the end of the 18th Century (1770 specifically), it was constructed on the site of an older church constructed of straw, two centuries before. It is a church designed in the typical Baroque-style of the older generations, that includes a symmetrical front-facade, and bell tower; its interior consists of an ample sacristy, with a baptismal fountain constructed of pumice. An ancient image of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, holding the Christ Child, has survived many years, and is sheltered in this church. Further, the original organ in the church was produced by Silvestre Serrão, organist at the Church of Santa Maria de Belém (Jerónimos Monastery), in Lisbon, who would construct various organs for churches in the Azores, such as in Santo António and Capelas, in addition to the Churches of São Sebastião and São Pedro in Ponta Delgada.
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