1427 – Discovery of São Miguel Island: It is believed that São Miguel was first recognised at the same time as the island of Santa Maria, which, according to the testimony of the Catalan Gabriel de Valseca, is believed to have happened in 1427 through the navigator Diogo Silves. However, it may also have only happened in 1439, the year Gonçalo Velho Cabral left on a mission to the western territories of the archipelago. According to the next account by Diogo Gomes de Sintra, Prince Henry the Navigator, wishing to know if there were islands or firm land in the distant regions of the Western Ocean, sent navigators who first found the islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel, finding them uninhabited. There they saw many birds, among which they identified the goshawks [açores in Portuguese].
1444 – Population of São Miguel island: Forming a single captaincy together with Santa Maria island, its first donatory captain, Gonçalo Velho Cabral, launched small cattle on the island, in order to understand if the survival in its territory, where there was evidence of active volcanism, was feasible. After the first exploration of the territory, São Miguel Island officially began its settlement on 29th September 1444, the day of the celebration of the Archangel Saint Michael, patron saint of Portugal and saint of special devotion of the Prince D. Pedro, then Regent of the Kingdom, being for that reason so designated.
1440 – Volcanic eruption in Sete Cidades: While the process of identification and settlement of São Miguel Island was in progress, the last volcanic eruption of the volcano took place, in whose caldera the Lagoa das Sete Cidades is currently located. There is no secure news about this eruption, but, according to Gaspar Frutuoso, the navigators that headed to São Miguel Island, immediately after its discovery, found its western territory altered, floating near its coast several trunks and pumice stones. The first settlers, who established themselves in Povoação, felt thunder and earth tremors for almost a year.
1490 – Founding of Calheta by Pêro de Teive: The administrative centre of São Miguel Island had been installed in Vila Franca do Campo and Ponta Delgada (meaning “slim tip”) was a simple village located in its surroundings, so called because it was located near a stone tip, slender and almost shallow to the sea, near which a hermitage of Santa Clara was built. It was due to the initiative of the scribe Pêro de Teive that a small bay was opened, with the purpose of finding a place with better conditions for the boats to dock on the island, due to the dangers and difficulties of its rugged and steep coastline. Mobilising the population, Pêro de Teive undertook the demolition of the inlet that opened up near the São Pedro fishing quarter. That small bay quickly became the island’s main port, to the detriment of the uneven port area of Vila Franca do Campo.
1499 – Ponta Delgada becomes a Town: The appearance of the anchorage at Ponta Delgada, known today as Calheta Pêro de Teive, led to a significant urban and demographic development of that town, a reason that led Pêro de Teive to write a letter to the Portuguese monarch, requesting the recognition of Ponta Delgada as a town, promoting its autonomy over Vila Franca do Campo.
This was in line with the wishes of the people of Ponta Delgada, and also due to the economic and commercial importance of its port, King Manuel I elevated Ponta Delgada to a town in the year 1499.
1518 – Installation of the Customs House in Ponta Delgada: After the creation of its port, Ponta Delgada grew significantly, in inverse proportion to the decline of Vila Franca do Campo. This situation was fostered by the installation of Customs in Ponta Delgada in 1518, as a result of the better conditions offered by its port to ships coming from the mainland.
1522 – Earthquake in Vila Franca do Campo: On the night of 21st to 22nd October, a violent earthquake caused a large landslide on the slopes overlooking Vila Franca do Campo, causing the burying of most of the town and causing the death of thousands of people. The earthquake also caused damage in other villages on the island, namely in Maia and Ponta Garça. This catastrophe caused the transfer of a significant part of the inhabitants of Vila Franca do Campo to Ponta Delgada, underlining its importance in São Miguel Island.
1525 – Foundation of the Convent of Our Lady of the Conception in Ponta Delgada: Following the earthquake in Vila Franca do Campo, the Franciscans were to establish their convent in Ponta Delgada. Following a request from the commissioner of the Order of Saint Francis of Assisi, the hermitage of Our Lady of the Conception (Nossa Senhora da Conceição) is given to the Franciscans, near which they started the construction of their convent by Friar Vasco de Taveira. The current temple was built in the early 18th century, with a plan of three naves and a tripartite headboard, and decorations from the Baroque period. After the extinction of the religious orders, which occurred in 1834, its temple became the headquarters of São José parish, while the convent area was handed over to the charity Misericórdia to install the city hospital. The name of the border square still refers to this ancient coenobium, as it was named Campo de São Francisco.
1535 – Foundation of the Convent of Our Lady of Hope in Ponta Delgada: The convent of Poor Clare nuns, devoted to Our Lady of Hope (Nossa Senhora da Esperança), was started in 1535, under the patronage of Rui Gonçalves da Câmara, Donatary Captain of São Miguel. In 1541, the first nuns entered the convent from the Caloura Convent, which was closed due to its exposure to attack by corsairs. The nuns brought with them the image of Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles (Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres), the same image that, more than a century later, was revealed for worship on the initiative of Mother Teresa of Annunciation.
1546 – Ponta Delgada becomes a city: Ponta Delgada was elevated to city during the reign of King John III, according to the royal letter of 2nd April 1546. Some years later, in 1554, the same monarch also created the position of Municipal Judge (juiz de fora), highlighting the importance of Ponta Delgada, not only in the context of São Miguel, but also in the Azores archipelago, equating it to Angra, the main Azorean town at the time.
1560 – Beginning of the construction of the São Brás Fort: The São Brás Fort was built to protect the city of Ponta Delgada, much affected by attacks from corsairs and pirates. Its construction began after 1560, with a project by Isidoro de Almeida, later reformed with the Italian school’s bastion-type design. Featuring a quadrangular layout, composed by four bulwarks, it was altered during the 18th century with the construction of a barracks.
It is considered to be the first fortification to be completely bastioned in Portuguese overseas territory that has survived to the present day. It is the most powerful fortification on São Miguel Island, standing in a dominant position above the city of Ponta Delgada. In the 20th century, following the World Wars, it suffered alterations for the installation of heavy machine gun positions.
1563 – Volcanic eruption in Lagoa do Fogo: The volcanic eruption, which took place in the caldera of the volcano where Lagoa do Fogo now stands, began on 29th June 1563, preceded by at least five days of violent earthquakes that caused enormous destruction on São Miguel Island. The eruption, of the Plinian type, revealed extreme violence, causing many deaths and massive destruction. The gas emissions were of such magnitude that they were visible on the Central Group islands. Almost simultaneously, a strombolian eruption occurred in Pico do Sapateiro, in Ribeira Seca.
1582 – Naval Battle of Vila Franca do Campo: The Naval Battle of Vila Franca do Campo was a combat fought on 26th July 1582, between a Portuguese-French force and a Castilian armada, which was also part of the Portuguese armada. This confrontation took place in the context of the civil war that followed the acclamation of D. António Prior do Crato and the accession of Filipe II of Spain to the Portuguese throne. The Portuguese-French forces were defeated, forcing the withdrawal of D. António Prior do Crato, who took refuge on the island of Terceira.
1592 – Foundation of All Saints’ College (Colégio de Todos os Santos): The College of the Society of Jesus (Colégio da Companhia de Jesus) in Ponta Delgada started on 1st November 1592, All Saints’ Day. The temple, built during the 17th century, is one of the most significant examples of Azorean baroque architecture, and hosted one of Father António Vieira’s sermons in 1654. After the Jesuits were expelled in 1759, the College building was acquired by Nicolau Maria Raposo do Amaral. It has been a Property of Public Interest since 1953 and currently houses the Ponta Delgada Public Library and Archive.
1630 – Last eruption of the Furnas volcano: The eruption of the Furnas volcano, whose caldera corresponds to the homonymous lagoon, of the Plinian type, began on 3rd September 1630, being preceded by violent earthquakes. According to records, it caused the death of 191 people, having caused immense devastation in its surroundings, due to the earthquakes and the deposition of pomitic material. The ash cloud was so dense that it affected all the islands of the archipelago.
1700 – First procession in honour of Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles: It was in the year 1700 that the first public devotional act in honour of Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles took place, with the holding of a procession through the streets of Ponta Delgada. The procession took place on 11th April 1700, following the initiatives undertaken by Mother Teresa of Annunciation with a view to strengthening the worship of the image of Lord Ecce Homo, venerated inside the Convent of Our Lady of Hope. The Festivities of the Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles became the greatest manifestation of the Azorean people’s religiosity.
1835 – Creation of the Autonomous District of Ponta Delgada: The district of Ponta Delgada was created in 1835, as part of the political-administrative reform of the liberal regime, including the islands of São Miguel and Santa Maria. At the same time, the district of Angra do Heroísmo was created, which included the islands of Terceira, São Jorge, and Graciosa.
In the following year, the city of Horta also became one of the island districts, including the islands of Faial, Pico, Flores, and Corvo. The three Azorean districts became formally extinct on 22nd August 1975, with the creation of the Regional Government of the Azores, a provisional government body which undertook the respective powers, assets, and liabilities, following the process of the establishment of the constitutional autonomy of the Azores.
1840 – The charity Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Ponta Delgada sets up a hospital in the former Franciscan convent: Following the extinction of the religious orders, implemented from 1834, and the consequent stripping of property, the charity Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Ponta Delgada requested the building of the former Franciscan convent to install the Hospital there, which was in the space currently occupied by Casa Bensaúde. The building was handed over in 1840, and in the meantime it was enlarged and adapted to its new mission. The two-storey cloister of the old convent is still preserved. Founded in 1513, the charity Santa Casa da Misericórdia developed its hospital mission from the late 16th century, and ran the Ponta Delgada Hospital until 1975, when it was nationalised. In 1999, it was transferred to its current facilities.
1975 – Ponta Delgada becomes capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores: The Revolution of 25th April 1974 unveiled a new horizon to the autonomous aspirations of the Azores archipelago. After the appointment of the Regional Council on 22nd August 1975, the archipelago’s own political-administrative regime was approved, based on its geographical, historical, economic, and cultural particularities. The Azores then gained a regional legislative assembly, elected by universal suffrage, and a regional government, which was installed in Ponta Delgada, the largest city in the Azores, housed in the Conceição Palace, an elegant 19th-century building, built adjacent to the former convent of the same name, whose church is still standing.