Civil parish in Alentejo, Portugal
Vila Nova de Santo Andre
(
Portuguese pronunciation:
[?vil?
?n?v?
ð?
?s??tu
???d??]
), usually just called
Santo Andre
, is a
city
located near the
Atlantic Ocean
and belonging to the
municipality
of
Santiago do Cacem
,
Alentejo Litoral
, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 10,647,
[1]
in an area of 75.11 km
2
.
[2]
It is a
planned city
built in the 1980s, to serve the region's oil industry. It is, from all of Santiago do Cacem's parishes, the one nearer to the sea and it is surrounded as follows: to the North, by
Melides
; to the West, by the Atlantic Ocean; to the East, by Santiago do Cacem and Santa Cruz; and to the South, by
Sines
. It is one of the youngest cities in the world with approximately two years as a city and 30 years since it was founded. It is mostly a residential suburb for the industrial city of Sines, from which is about 10 miles.
Origin
[
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]
The choice of
Saint Andrew
for
patron
of the Church that would give name to the present city (Cidade de Vila Nova de Santo Andre) and village (Aldeia de Santo Andre), simultaneously, is easily understood: Saint Andrew, brother of
Saint Peter
, was, like him, a
fisherman
, and the first of the two to meet and follow
Christ
.
His life is intimately connected to the sea and
fishing culture
as so was that of the people who lived in Aldeia de Santo Andre. It was promoted to city (Cidade) in 2003
History
[
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]
Surrounding the first church of Santo Andre the first houses sprung, as is natural, and, as expected, it inhabitants were deeply connected to the religious
cult
. Some of them
preserved
the church (where an old cemetery use to lay), while others were related to the fishing activities in Santo Andre's
lagoon
and others, still, were economically linked to the region's
annual fair
(that still exists nowadays).
According to
Father
Antonio Macedo e Silva
, a precious source of information about the municipality of Santiago do Cacem, Santo Andre was created after other parishes in the municipality, either during the reign of
D. Joao I
(1385?1433) or during the reign of
D. Duarte
(1433?1438). All the rural parishes of this time, except for Santo Andre, already existed in the year of 1528.
Either created in the 15th century or not, it is known for a fact that the parish already existed in the 16th century, with half a dozen houses that lived in the shadow of the Church who had given name to this place and whose population lived of the
exploration of the lagoon
,
soil
and
fair
commerce
.
According to the obtained information there was, in the Church, a "very thick book and very old with a cover of
sheep wool
", that certainly must have contained records of
baptisms
,
deaths
and
marriages
, as well as other important documents referring to the life of the locals. It is known, however, that the Church was built in 1834.
Santo Andre, first a
parish
then a village, started to turn into a meeting point for people of the
land
and people of the sea.
The main
income
source was the
rice culture
. The
rice cycle
, that started in 1804, would only end in 1974, when the Gabinete da Area de Sines (an organism created on June 19, 1971, that created and managed the Santo Andre as an
Urban Center
up until the December 29, 1988, when it was extinct) started a new cycle that would come to be known as
concrete
cycle.
In the beginning of 1973, taking advantage of the
oil exploration
in that was taking place in
Cabinda
and providing huge amounts of
oil
, the Portuguese
government
decided to create and industrial complex destined to implant the
petrochemical
exploration in the country, and thus make a stand in the European context where industries of this type were already being developed and used to create
wealth
.
Thus, the Urban Center of Santo Andre was born, which would be raised to city on July 1, 2003.
Prior to this large
expropriations
took place, and an area (integrated between the municipality of
Santiago
and
Sines
) was delineated for the birth of Santo Andre. The industrial platform eventually grew and came to be known as Complexo Petroquimico de Sines (Sines' Petrochemical Complex), where the country's largest
oil refinery
, Petrogal (former Petrosul), as well as other important industries (among which a
thermal electrical
power station
and the to-be-biggest
port
of Europe), still operates.
As there was a preoccupation with
the environment
as well as with the
health
of the industrial complex's workers, Santo Andre was kept at a minimum distance of 10 km and a
pine
forest
that works as a protection from eventual
catastrophe
.
Coat of arms
[
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]
Coat of arms
:
Shield
of
silver
with two green
branches
of
orange
tree, fruited in orange, crossed (
St. Andrew
's cross), with a black
crow
above and three blue and silver
waves
below. Three-towered
mural
crown in silver. White scroll with black lettering, in capitals, reading
SANTO ANDRE - SANTIAGO DO CACEM
.
Flag
: blue,
rope
and
tassels
in silver and blue.
Urban areas
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]
Santo Andre is made up of seven urban areas/zones:
Geography
[
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]
Santo Andre is located in the
region
of
Alentejo
, in Portugal, and belongs to the municipality of
Santiago do Cacem
, in the subregion of
Alentejo Litoral
.
It is very near the sea (2 km) and also near the Alentejo Southwest and Vicentyne Coast, a protected area. Its climate is
temperate
, with monthly means ranging from 8 to 16 °C in the winter and 18 to 28 °C in the summer.
Absolute extremes are 0 °C in winter and 41 °C in summer.
In terms of precipitation, the climate is somewhat dry, with annual mean of 570?620 mm falling mostly between November and April.
Thin-
sand
soil can be found in some places and in the city there are a lot of
pine trees
.
There are some extensive sandy beaches within. The extensive
forest
that protects Santo Andre is a good example of possible respect between the protection of
the environment
and the industrial development.
Economy
[
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]
Santo Andre was built during the 1970s to answer the housing needs of the workers of the industrial complex of Sines. For the next two decades it attracted inhabitants from all over the country and especially people from Portugal's African
ex-colonies
. These people were mainly skilled
technicians
and people with an average education (9th?12th grade) or higher (university). This originated a very young population with a wealth considerably higher than the national average.
Santo Andre's inhabitants enjoy a higher-than-average living quality, for which the beaches, as well as the proximity of the
Natural Park of Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina
, help contribute.
Sines
, only a few minutes from Santo Andre, by car, is one of the most dynamic cities of the Alentejo, having kept all its
historical
charm. It still represents a main center for development in the province of Alentejo, especially since the University was built in Santo Andre.
Before Santo Andre was built the locals made their livings from
fishing
(in the sea and in the
lagoon
),
agriculture
(mainly rice) and
fairs
.
Nowadays, industry is very important to the economy, giving work to thousands of the people of Santo Andre.
Local commerce
is also important, but on a smaller scale.
Demographics
[
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]
Santo Andre occupies an area of 74.32 km
2
with a population of 10,751 (1991
census
), most of whom are
Roman Catholic
.
In the beginning of 2005 it was considered to have about 14,000 inhabitants.
Patrimony
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]
Historical
[
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]
- Igreja Paroquial de Santo Andre - 18th century
- Built in Santo Andre, and rebuilt in 1815,
Baroque
style, it possesses a beautiful
porch
from the
Manueline architecture
of the 16th century, that had belonged to the initial church and under which people are nowadays
baptized
.
- Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Graca - 18th century
- Also of Baroque style, this fountain was built in 1744, in a pleasant place outside Aldeia de Santo Andre. It owes its name to a previously existing
fountain
.
- Igreja de Santa Maria - 20th century
- Built in Vila Nova de Santo Andre, this modern style church was inaugurated on December 8, 1993. On the inside, one can appreciate the
Via Sacra
, a creation of artist
Graca Lagrifa
. On the outside there is a
tile
panel, with an image of
Mary
, by
Chloe Mac Millan
.
Natural
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Beaches
There are
beaches
of fine sand.
The paths of the "
Blue Coast
" (as it is classified) seem to characterize the landscape of
Alentejo
.
The first impression one has (when in Portugal) when talking about the Alentejo is the image of a burning plain (this is one of Portugal's hottest regions). However, there are dozens of kilometers of beach throughout the coast of Alentejo, ranging from
Sado
's southern margin (in
Troia
) to the beginning of the
Algarve
.
The giant extension of sand that connects Troia to Sines, with over 60 km, has some of the best beaches in Portugal (better
water quality
, cleaner sand and water, as well as good surf spots, than most of the country). They include:
- "Costa" (Coast) beach - has
watchers
; good for
surfing
,
windsurfing
and
fishing
.
- "Areias Brancas" (White Sands) beach - ideal windsurf conditions.
- "Fonte do Cortico" (Cork Fountain) beach - good windsurf conditions and considered one of this area's natural
sanctuaries
.
- "Monte Velho" (Old Mountain) beach - good windsurf conditions; classified by the Environment Ministry as a Golden Beach for presenting itself as one of the best-preserved beaches in the country; it is a part of the protected area of the Lagoons of Sancha and Santo Andre and contains several
walking trails
through its dunes, that lead to places of
natural
and
ecological
value.
Lagoons
Santo Andre Lagoon, near the sea
Up to the 17th century, Santo Andre's Lagoon this lagoon was called Lagoa de Pera (
Pear Lagoon
) and was always communicating with the sea
Nowadays it is kept "closed" from contact with the sea most of the time, but sometimes (for health purposes) the water is "renewed".
The lagoon and the beach are a perfect match when it comes to creating a splendid place on its calm waters, with the green from the wild
pine trees
and low flights of birds their combination makes for a heavenly place to rest, defining the most direct contact in nature-type holidays.
It is considered a Wet Spot of International Importance, for there are some bird species that do their nests in its surrounding and for being the biggest lagoon system of all of Alentejo's Coast, offering a landscape of particular interest and great natural conditions, a fundamental aspect of attraction to becoming a great tourist center in a delicate and tranquil environment.
Its connection to the sea is made once per year - by
Man
- in Spring, thus matching the reproduction periods of numerous
marine species
.
The nature reserve of the Lagoons of Santo Andre and Sancha is one of the most
emblematic
places of Santo Andre, one where we can enjoy the variety of fauna and flora of this region, and which is chosen for the protection of a very rich diversity of aquatic birds:
ducks
,
geese
,
cranes
,
grebes
,
curlews
,
gannets
and
coots
, that used to be hunted every year. It is also the passing ground for many
migratory birds
.
There are some
otter
shelters in the Lagoons.
Amenities
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Santo Andre also the following amenities:
Schools
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Santo Andre has three
primary schools
: EB2, EB3 and EB4 and one school with 5th to 6th grade (covering the last two basic education levels).
It also has a
secondary school
named Escola Secundaria Padre Antonio Macedo (ESPAM) which is an extended secondary school, with students from the 7th grade to the 12th grade.
Santo Andre, although small, contains a University Campus made up by Instituto Superior de Estudos Interculturais e Transdisciplinares, loosely translated as "
Higher Education
Institute
for
Intercultural
and
Transdisciplinary
Studies" and has based its teaching policy in the region's characteristics: Sines' industries, the lacks of the Alentejo interior and its potential as a
tourist
region. To find a suitable example between the academic environment and Santo Andre's surroundings one needs only to go to the beach after school.
This institute's activity was started in the year 2002. The following courses can be studied:
The latter one is supported actively by a local Hotel, Vila Park, a project associated with the
Piaget Institute
.
The Higher Education School of Health will be teaching health-related subjects in the future.
The campus has
labs
,
computer rooms
and a
library
, as well as facilities for sports and services.
Other facilities include: an
amphitheatre
, an
auditorium
, a
fitness gym
, a
psycomotion therapy
room and an exposition room.
See also
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References
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]