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Armadas´ Purveyor |
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As one aspect of the policies ruling the discoveries, the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (Vice Roy of India) obtained royal authority to institute Angra as an obligatory port-of-call. This measure allowed the kingdom of Portugal to charge taxes over any ship and merchandise crossing the Atlantic through Terceira Island. This duty control was done in Angra where the Armadas’ Purveyor was created for this and other proposes. A first program for the Statutes ruling this action was sent to the Island by King Sebastian, for adjustments. In 1527 the Purveyor duties were already in functions, as a support to the fleets from India, Mina, Guinea and Brazil. These functions cover specially the following areas: a) protecting the royal property when in danger; b) warn the King whenever pirates and corsairs enter the Azorean waters; c) defend the ships when persecuted; d) save and store the royal property travelling in ships that suffer a wreckage; e) assist and control the shipping of cereals to the kingdom or to North Africa. The Mansion of the Purveyor (Solar dos Remédios, now the Azores Regional Government’s Department of Health) was first build in 1556/1572, |
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by António do Canto, and reformed by one of his sons, Manuel do Canto, through 1599/1625, when he assumed the position of Purveyor and became the richer Azorean heir of an entail. The rank of Purveyor stayed in this family till it was extinct, when Angra lost the statute of port-of-call, on the XVIII century. The Chapel of Our Lady of Remedios, the first building being constructed on this Mansion, dates from 1556. |
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| It is possible to visit the building during the week, at working hours. |
By Antonieta Costa |
