Achadas da Cruz
Achadas da Cruz · Porto Moniz
parish in the municipality of Porto Moniz, north-west Madeira
Achadas da Cruz is a small parish in the far north-west of Madeira, in the municipality of Porto Moniz; it grew from a sixteenth-century chapel and became an independent parish in 1848. It was transferred between municipalities several times: to Porto Moniz in 1835, briefly to Calheta in 1849–55, and to Calheta again when Porto Moniz was abolished in 1895. Its flat is the smallest plateau, with a crater-like lagoon 66 m across; free-ranging cattle and Euphorbia mellifera are found there. Other records include the benefactor Manuel de Pontes Câmara and the wreck of the yacht Varuna in 1909.
1Mentioned in
- Towns — Western limit of the original Ponta do Sol municipality.
- St Lawrence (chapels) — Its church received the fortress chapel's vestments in 1856.
- Livestock — Locality where free-ranging cattle still exist.
- Figueira do Inferno — Locality where Euphorbia mellifera grows.
- Madeira (relief: slopes, plateaux and valleys) — Its flat is commonly called a plateau.
- Porto Moniz (municipality) — Parish included in the municipality in 1835.
- Plateaux — Smallest plateau, with a crater-like lagoon 66 m across.
- Administrative organisation — Parish incorporated into Calheta when Porto Moniz was abolished in 1895.
- Henriques (Father João Maurício) — Parish where he served as parish priest.
- Calheta (town and municipality) — Parish briefly in Calheta concelho 1849–55.
- Furado (shoal) — Parish off whose coast the shoal lies.
- Ponta do Pargo (parish) — Neighbouring parish whose coast was dangerous to shipping.
- Ponta do Tristão — Parish separated from Porto Moniz by the Ribeira do Tristão.
- Norte da Ilha — Westernmost parish of the northern coast.
- Porto do Moniz (parish) — Neighbouring parish once part of Ponta do Tristão, with about 20 households in 1611.
- Cruz (stream) — Parish bordering the stream.
- Norça (Tamus edulis) — Place where the norça is cultivated.
- Prazeres (parish) — A former curacy cited as a comparable case.
- Herbaria — Collecting area of Costa.
2Chronology
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A decree abolished the municipality of Porto Moniz, whose parishes passed to Calheta; it was restored a few years later.
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The municipality of Porto Moniz was restored, and the parish of Ponta do Pargo, among others, rejoined it.
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The vestments of the São Lourenço chapel were given to the church of Achadas da Cruz.