Ribeira Brava (municipality and town) 1Creation of the municipality
Ribeira Brava (municipality and town)
Original title: Ribeira Brava (Município e Vila da)
Entry on the municipality of Ribeira Brava, created in 1914 from parishes of Ponta do Sol and Câmara de Lobos, and on its seat, the sítio of Lugar, raised to the status of vila in 1928.
1Creation of the municipality
As we have already noted above in connection with Porto Moniz (‘Moniz’s harbour’) and Câmara de Lobos (‘seals’ den’), Ribeira Brava (‘wild river’) never held the rank of town (vila), although it was often given that name, even before the municipality (concelho) was created. On page 213 of volume I of this work we stated that there were seven villages (lugar, settlement rank below a town) in Madeira, among them that of Ribeira Brava. Even today the most important locality (sítio) in this place, which serves as the seat of the parish and of the municipality, is known by the name of Lugar (1921).
The municipality of Ribeira Brava is the most recently created. It has existed for only nine years (1921), for it was created in 1914. Its formal inauguration took place on 2 August of that year. It is made up of the parishes (freguesia) of Ribeira Brava, Serra de Água and Tabua, detached from the municipality of Ponta do Sol (‘point of the sun’), and the parish of Campanário (‘bell tower’), separated from the municipality of Câmara de Lobos. Its population is 12,800 inhabitants. Its arms show the small fort of São Bento (‘St Benedict’), which stands at the entrance to the settlement, on the street leading to the quay.
By a decree of 31 August 1915 a school district was created with its seat in this municipality; its seat is today in the city of Funchal (1921).
The municipality of Ribeira Brava was created by the decree of 6 May 1914, and its seat was raised to the rank of town by the decree of 26 May 1928.
2The town and its services
The locality (sítio) known as Lugar, being the most populous and busiest in the parish (freguesia), adjoining the landing place and in easy and frequent communication with the other localities, could not fail to be chosen as the seat of the new municipality (concelho) and the new town (vila). The town takes in the said locality of Lugar together with those of Calvário, Bagaceira and Moinhos. Within its area stand the town hall and the other municipal offices, the Igreja Paroquial (‘parish church’), two state primary schools, one for each sex, the post and telegraph office and the telephone exchange, the civil registry office, the revenue guard post (posto fiscal), the seat of a medical district (partido médico, served by a municipal doctor), the parish cemetery, the landing quay, the small fort of São Bento, the ruins of the church of the former convent of Franciscan friars, etc. Some forty years ago the now defunct Agricultural Board (Junta Agrícola) set up an experimental agricultural station here; of those established in Madeira at that time, it is perhaps the only one that has been of any practical use. When this district was divided into two primary-education school districts, western and eastern, one of them had its seat at Ribeira Brava. Shortly afterwards the seat was transferred to the city of Funchal, and that district was abolished in 1923.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 05-
The Junta Agrícola set up an experimental farm at Ribeira Brava.
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A decree created the municipality of Ribeira Brava. Campanário was transferred to it from Câmara de Lobos and Tábua from Ponta do Sol.
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The new municipality of Ribeira Brava was formally installed, taking in parishes including Serra de Água, Tábua and Campanário.
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A decree created a primary-school district seated at Ribeira Brava.
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The school district seated at Ribeira Brava was abolished.
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A decree raised the seat of Ribeira Brava to the status of vila, the last in the archipelago, and the locality Lugar was renamed Vila.
Place
Places mentioned · 13- Ribeira Brava · Subject
Subject of the entry, municipality created in 1914.
Municipality of Madeira created in 1914 from parishes of Ponta do Sol and Câmara de Lobos. Its seat, the sítio of Lugar, was raised to the status of vila in 1928.
- Câmara de Lobos
Comparison case, and municipality from which Campanário was separated.
Câmara de Lobos is a municipality of Madeira whose seat was historically a 'lugar' rather than a vila. The Elucidário quotes Gaspar Frutuoso's description of it and outlines the creation of the concelho in 1835 and later changes to its parishes.
- Campanário
Ribeira Brava. Parish separated from Câmara de Lobos to join Ribeira Brava.
Campanário is a parish in Madeira, formerly part of Câmara de Lobos and later joined to the municipality of Ribeira Brava, drained by the Ribeira do Campanário (or da Lapa). The Elucidário records its landing, its band, its capitania-mor, its tithes paid to the Jesuits, a former chapel of St John founded in 1728, and the vicar sentenced by the Alçada of 1823. It was also the birthplace of Bishop D. Manuel Joaquim Gonçalves de Andrade and the jurist Francisco Justino Gonçalves de Andrade.
- Fort of São Bento
Ribeira Brava. Small fort at the town entrance, depicted in the municipal arms.
Small fort at the entrance to the town of Ribeira Brava, rebuilt by the visconde da Ribeira Brava. It is depicted in the municipal arms.
- Funchal
City to which the school district seat was moved.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Lugar
Ribeira Brava. Main sítio, seat of the parish and municipality.
Main sítio and settlement of Ribeira Brava parish, and seat of both the parish and the municipality. It was transformed into a pleasant town.
- Ponta do Sol
Municipality from which three parishes were taken.
Town and municipality of Ponta do Sol on Madeira, an early sugar-producing centre raised to a town in 1501. The Elucidário traces the changes in its municipal territory and its role as seat of a judicial district (comarca).
- Porto Moniz
Cited as another place that never had formal vila status.
North-western parish and municipality with a quay and a tolerable port that serves as a good landing when southerly winds close the south coast. It has one of the oldest Magdalene chapels in northern Madeira, whose feast falls on 22 July. It was the birthplace of Dr Manuel Gomes Jardim.
- Serra de Água
Ribeira Brava. Parish transferred from Ponta do Sol to the new municipality.
Serra de Água is an inland parish of Ribeira Brava whose name recalls former water-powered sawmills; it was created as a vicarage in 1676 and in 1834 formed part of Funchal municipality. It borders Estreito de Câmara de Lobos and the Encumeada pass, where a rest house was built in 1939, is a cherry-growing area, and was the planned site of a hydro-electric power station.