Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário (Lajes)

In 1515, Lajes was elevated to the status of town.^[1]

Sometime in the 16th century, the Hermitage of Espírito Santo (Divine Holy Spirit) which was located near the port was moved to the town, owing to a similar temple in the port.^[1]

On 25 July 1587, the primitive parochial church of Lajes, situated in the location occupied by the municipal cemetery was burned-down by English privateers, that landed five ships whose troops sacked the town and surrounding countryside.^[1]

By 1717, the parish included only 300 homes.^[1] Between 1763 and 1783, the actual church was raised on the site occupied by the Hermitage of Espírito Santo.^[1]

By 1800, there were 486 inhabitants comprising 75 homes and the parochial church within the town limits.^[1] Its vicar received a stipend of 7 bushels of wheat, 4 alqueires of wheat and 8$000 réis to support his services to the community.^[1]

In the middle of the 19th century, the church was renovated, followed by embellishments in the 1880s.^[1] At the beginning of the 20th century, the lateral retables were installed (1908), executed by the Florentinos António de Maurício de Fraga and Francisco José Pimentel.^[1] It would be another few decades before these retables were guided by the Micaelense artisan António Jacinto Carreiro (in the 1960s).^[1]

The church is located in the centre of the town, situated within a group of builds of the historic town, that include the Municipal Palace/Hall, the old Naval Radio-Telegraphic Station of Flores, as well as a short distance from the lighthouse of Lajes.^[1] It occupies a level courtyard and garden limited by minor wall.^[2]

The rectangular building has a principal facade that integrates two large, rectangular bell towers, long single-nave and auxiliary annexes that correspond to the sacristy.^[1][2]

• Gomes, Francisco António Nunes Pimentel (1997), A ilha das Flores: Da redescoberta à actualidade (Subsídios para a sua História) (in Portuguese), Câmara Municipal de Lajes das Flores
• Câmara Municipal, ed. (1997), Revista Municipal (in Portuguese), Câmara Municipal das Lajes das Flores
• Câmara Municipal, ed. (1997), Revista Municipal (in Portuguese), Câmara Municipal das Lajes das Flores