Arrifes

Arrifes is a civil parish in the municipality of Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel in the Azores. The population in 2011 was 7,086, in an area of 25.37 km².HistoryThe name "Arrifes" has its origin in the Arab word "Al-rife" as meaning "reef" or coastal outcropping/rocks. It is unclear whether this name was attributed to the area around Relva originally (and expanded) or was given for other reasons.Constructed in the second-half of the 18th-Century, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Saúde, incorporated the older chapel of the same name, originally initiated by D. Margarida Bettencourt da Câmara in her last will and testament on 12 July 1627. In 1764 and 1765 it was subject to remodelling that expanded the structure to the current dimensions. Designed in the Baroque-style of the post-modern period, this structure consists of a single tower and white-facade typical of Azorean churches, while the interior altar and sacristy have ornate gold-leaf cornices and niches.In the area of Piedade, another chapel was constructed in the name of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, and ordered constructed by João Dias Caridade at the beginning of the 16th-Century, and subject to major renovations in 1791.Further, the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Milgares, constructed after 1816, by the community and completed in 1831. It was this church that was responsible for elevating the community to the status of parish on 3 April 1959. Romarias and associated festivals are celebrated from this church on the first Sunday after 15 August.GeographyIt is situated northeast of the urbanized core of Ponta Delgada and constituted from three main localities: Piedade, Saúde and Milagres. Also, it extends from these communities toward the north-northeast until Serra Gorda, making it the largest parish in the municipality, and one of the largest on the island.