Calheta de Nesquim
| Calheta de Nesquim | ||
| Civil Parish | ||
 The fishing port and coastal perspective of Calheta de Nesquim, with the parish church dedicated to São Sebastião
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| Official name: Freguesia de Calheta de Nesquim | ||
| Name origin: Portuguese for small bay of Nesquim | ||
| Nickname: Calheta | ||
| Country |  Portugal |
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| Autonomous Region |  Azores |
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| Island | Pico | |
| Municipality | Lajes do Pico | |
| Localities | Canada da Saúde, Canadas, Cruz da Calheta, Fetais, Feteira, Foros, Jogo da Bola, Terreiro | |
| Center | Calheta de Nesquim | |
| - elevation | 420 m (1,378 ft) | |
| - coordinates | 38°25′17″N 28°5′43″W / 38.42139°N 28.09528°WCoordinates: 38°25′17″N 28°5′43″W / 38.42139°N 28.09528°W | |
| Highest point | Topo | |
| - elevation | 779 m (2,556 ft) | |
| - coordinates | 38°25′49″N 28°7′40″W / 38.43028°N 28.12778°W | |
| Lowest point | Sea level | |
| - location | Atlantic Ocean | |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | |
| Area | 13.81 km2 (5 sq mi) | |
| Population | 343 (2011) | |
| Density | 25/km2 (65/sq mi) | |
| Settlement | 15th century | |
| - Parish | fl. 1680 | |
| LAU | Junta Freguesia | |
| - location | Polivalente, Travessa Capitão Medina | |
| President Junta | Mário Manuel da Silveira Ferreira (PSD) (PS) | |
| President Assembleia | Ricardo Manuel Garcia da Silva (PSD) | |
| Timezone | Azores (UTC-1) | |
| - summer (DST) | Azores (UTC0) | |
| Postal Zone | 9930-057 | |
| Area Code & Prefix | (+351) XXX XX XX XX | |
| Patron Saint | São Sebastião | |
 Location of the civil parish of Calheta de Nesquim, within the municipality of Lajes do Pico, on the island of Pico
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| Website: http://www.calhetadenesquim.freguesias.pt/ | ||
| Geographic detail from CAOP (2010) produced by Instituto Geográfico Português (IGP) | ||
Calheta de Nesquim is a civil parish, along the southern coast of the municipality of Lajes do Pico, in the Portuguese Azores. The population in 2011 was 343, in an area of 13.81 km².
In the 16th Century, during tempestuous and dark night, a ship returning from Brazil, loaded with wood, shipwrecked along the southern coast of Pico. Three survived the shipwreck (João Redondo or Rodolfo, João Valim and ship's captain Diogo Vaz Dourado), and were guided to safety by the ship's dog, to a small bay. The dog was named "Nesquim", and the small bay became known as the "Calheta de Nesquim" (small bay of Nesquim). As the story goes, Nesquim had originally survived the tempest by jumping to safety onto a natural dyke along the coast, called Morricão. It was this legendary story, that inspired the heraldry of the parish, which includes a dog, to represent Nesquim, the "discoverer" of the small bay.
By 1680, a religious parish of São Sebastião da Calheta had already existed for some time (although the date of the community's settlement remains unclear). The construction of the parochial church began on 8 July 1851, and concluded with its consecration on 7 September 1856; it was constructed on the ruins of the older chapel (that had existed since the 15th Century). It was the parish priest, Father António Silveira de Ávila, who had lived in Calheta de Nesquim for many years that had originally promoted the construction of the church.
It was Father Manuel Alvernaz, a citizen of Prainha do Norte, who help found the Cooperativa Progresso Calhetense a benevolent group dedicated to economic growth and assisting their members in the eastern municipality, and parish. It constructed a building to produce many of the local goods for export, including ceramics, pottery and local metal-works. Around 1925 a small boat was built by one of its members, Manuel António Furtado Simas (better known as Master Manuel Bentes) a resident of Santo Amaro, and sentimentally referred to as a Rainha das Lanchas (Queen of Launches), but christened Calheta in honor of the people's of the Cooperative. In 1931, the little launch was sold to the municipality of Horta, and later incorporated into the fleet of Transmaçor (the Azorean Maritime Transport company), where it ended its days making regular scheduled trips between Madalena and Horta. Until then it was responsible for transporting people and goods between Pico, Faial, São Jorge and Terceira, under the command of João do José Goulart (and his mates João da Antonica, of Piedade and Francisco Goulart of Santa Cruz. Around 1927, Father Manuel Alvernaz became the confessor in Santa Cruz da Graciosa, and left the Cooperative, starting a slow decline that would finally see it close down in the following years.
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