Church of Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho

The Church of Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho (Portuguese: Igreja Paroquial de Almagreira/Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho) is the parochial church of the civil parish of Almagreira, located in the municipality of Vila do Porto, Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

It is a church of masonry, plastered and painted, constructed with decorative pilasters, friezes and cornices, molds and corner pinnacles, with a carved retable and tile covering.

On 11 June 1702, a deed was signed for the construction of the chapel that would become this church, by Manuel de Moura and his wife Inês Pereira, under the invocation of Nossa Senhora do Bom Despacho.

[1] It would be several years before the Bishop of Angra, D. António Caetano Rocha, would authorize the establishment of a curate for the religious community.

[1] This curate, founded on 2 December 1766, would become the third for the parochial church, which would have an important benefit for the peoples and parishioners that lived in the plateau of central Santa Maria.

The lateral right facade as seen from the pastures of Brejo de Cima
The imposing two-story church, as seen from the staircase leading from the roadway in Brejo