Ribeira Chã is a civil parish in the municipality of Lagoa in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. It is located along a cliff that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. The population in 2011 was 396, in an area of 2.50 km². Ribeira Chã is the smallest parish by population and area in the municipality of Lagoa.
History
Ribeira Chã, or Ribeira das Lagens, was a short distance between Falcão da Ribeira do Pisão and the western edge of Vila Franca do Campo. The first person registered by Gaspar Frutuoso to reside in this zone was Melchior Dias, who married Brioljana Cabral, daughter of Isabel Nunes Velha at the settlement of Santa Maria. Velho Cabral had hoped to obtain the captaincy of São Miguel for Nuno Velho, but the Infante Henry decided in favour of Velho Cabral's other nephew João Soares de Albergaria. Regardless, Melchior and Briolanja, had a daughter Mécia Cabral who married the licentiate Sebastião Pimentel, man of letters and virtues and had children. Sebastião Pimentel was the son of the sheriff of São Miguel, Domingos Afonso Pimentel. Melchior Dias also had a son, Fernão Vaz Pacheco, who married Leonor Medeiros, niece of Lopo Anes de Araújo, of an old, wealthy and privileged family from Viana do Castelo, arriving on São Miguel in 1506. Leonor Medeiros was the daughter of António Furtado de Sousa, a descendant of the noble families Correia, Sousa and Furtado, from the island of Madeira and great-granddaughter of a Fleming, named Solanda Lopes. Frutuoso, also mentioned Gaspar Dias from Ribeira Chã, who was a relative of Melchior, a son-in-law of Luís Mendes Potas. Gaspar had three children, two boys that went to the Spanish Indies and a daughter, Crisóstoma de Lordêlo, ordered construct by José Botelho Veloso and Francisca Frias, alongside their home. The hermitage was constructed for the populous of Ribeira Chã, who were obliged to travel the until the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, in Água de Pau, through the paths and torturous roads, which were dangerous on rainy, windy or warm days. In 1749, after visiting Ribeira Chã and confirmed the difficult passage, João de Sousa Bettencourt, representative of the Bispo de Angra and Vicar-General of the Church of Bom Jesus supported the construction of a church and installation of a curia in Ribeira Chã, in order to serve the community. But, the curia would only be installed in 1902. By 1811, Ribeira Chã had its first visit from the Bishop of Angra, D. José Pegado de Azevedo, who celebrated mass in the small hermitage. Owing to the population by the end of the 19th century this was extremely difficult. Consequently, the parochial council in Água de Pau requested that the chaplain, Father Luciano de Medeiros, authorize the construction of a new hermitage, of greater dimension to serve the public. This temple was constructed in 1853, and dedicated to São José. In 1856, the Civil Governor, Félix Borges de Medeiros, donated to the new hermitage and image of Saint Joseph, which had belonged to the extinct Convent of Conceição, in Ponta Delgada. Still in the 19th century, specifically 1879, the first formal primary instruction started in Ribeira Chã, under the tutelage of Ana Emília dos Santos Sousa, a local teacher.
At the opening of the 20th century, there were several changes to the parish. In 1904, apart from the installation of the curia, the hermitage's bell-tower was inaugurated and in 1911, the first weddings and baptisms were held. In 1916, the locality obtained its first cemetery, provided from lands donated by the municipality of Lagoa, through the diligence of João Ribeiro de Lima. In addition, in 1935, the municipal council of Lagoa inaugurated the first school building in Ribeira Chã. In 1956, a new cleric arrived from the island of São Jorge, João Caetano Flores, who was a central figure in the parishes history. He revolutionized the region, initiating a period of growth and progress. In 1962, a new roadway was inaugurated to Ribeira Chã, while a year later the first bus began to connect the parish with Nossa Senhora do Rosário, three times daily. The following year the historical hermitage of São José was destroyed, while the new church was being constructed. A modernist design, the new church was inaugurated in 1967, designed by architect Read Teixeira, who integrated a mosaic authored by painted Tomás Borba Vieira in the project. But, before its opening, in 1965, the new library and parochial cantinna was inaugurated. Before his death, Father Flores was present for the inauguration of the three museological centers in the parish: two during the 1980s, while the latter in the 1980s. Father Flores was also the originator of a gastronomic fair, that began to run bi-annually. Under decree 47014, Ribeira Chã was elevated to the status of parish on 18 May 1966, at the same time creating the ecumenical parish of the same name.
Architecture
Church of São José, a modernist church by architect Read Texeira, constructed on an elevated platform, once occupied for 111 years by smaller hermitage.
Culture
The church and the local ethnography museums offer glimpses into the cultural life of this agrarian society, that includes a children's garden, multi-purpose sports gymnasium, children's recreational center and seniors center.
Museum of Sacred Art, a reconstructed homage to the old Church of Ribeira Chã, that preserves the traditional images of Saint Joseph, Our Lady of Ajuda, Saint Anthony and the 1902 tabernacle. In addition, the old sacristy includes a ceramic reservatory, executed in 1870 and transported to Expo98 in Lisbon.
Museum Residence of Maria dos Anjos Melo, donated to the church by its former oweder, the house is a typical example of rural life in Ribeira Chã. Inaugurated in 1996, the home includes many of the utensils, furniture and other objects of ethnographic value.
Agricultural Museum and Ethnographic Garden, concluded in 1982, the ethnographic museums include examples of the agricultural implements and machinery used in the pastel era, including endemic Azorean plant species.
