Unveiling the Soul of the Azores – One Voice, One Creation at a Time
Terceira Island Historical Institute
It was founded in Angra do Heroísmo in 1942 as a private association, on the initiative of a group of citizens who assumed personal responsibility in the field of culture. It emerged as part of a new political and administrative concept aimed at regeneration, based on the 1940 Statute of the Autonomous Districts of the Adjacent Islands. Under this statute, the General Councils assumed responsibilities and powers in the field of culture, but no district services were created in this area; thus, the institutes emerged as executive bodies of the district’s cultural policy. The first, in 1942, was the Historical Institute of Terceira Island, followed shortly thereafter by the Cultural Institute of Ponta Delgada and, several years later, the Cultural Center of Horta.
This small institution, led by Luís Ribeiro, its first president for more than a decade, emerged as a small academy with full members (effective members) and corresponding members, in addition to the honorary members category. Its first cultural program was essentially regionalist and aimed to collect, preserve, and disseminate the customs and traditions, dialects, and cultural heritage of the islands of the District of Angra do Heroísmo.
The 20 founding members were leading figures on Terceira Island from at least two generations, one from the late 19th century and the other from the early decades of the 20th century, with diverse political, social, and cultural backgrounds and choices, yet united in their interest in enhancing Azorean identity. These men came from the upper echelons of the civil service, the liberal professions, high-ranking Church dignitaries, and teachers at the high school and episcopal seminary. They were Gervásio *Lima (1876-1945), Francisco Lourenço Valadão (1889-1969), Henrique *Brás (1884-1947), João Carlos da Costa Moniz (1882-1955), Joaquim Moniz Corte Real e Amaral (1889-1987), José Agostinho (1888-1978), José Augusto Pereira (1885-1969), Luís da Silva Ribeiro (1882-1959), Francisco Garcia da Rosa (1893-1958), Frederico Lopes da Silva (1896-1979), Manuel Cardoso do Couto (1893-1953), Manuel de Sousa Meneses (1892-1958), Miguel Cristóvão de *Araújo (1895-1972), Ramiro Machado (1897-1945), Raimundo Belo (1897-1958), Cândido Pamplona Forjaz (1901-1987), Elmiro Borges da Costa Mendes (1904-1954), Francisco Coelho Maduro Dias (1904-1986), Joaquim Forjaz (1901-1987), Elmiro Borges da Costa Mendes (1904-1954), Francisco Coelho Maduro *Dias (1904-1986), Joaquim Esteves Lourenço (1908-1993), and Teotónio Machado Pires (1902-1987).
In the initial phase, he organized his bulletin (Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira) and, directly or indirectly, founded the Angra Museum (1948) and the District Archive (1949), which, in 1954, was joined by the *Library, with the integration of the Municipal Library.
He developed notable studies in the fields of Ethnography and History and laid the foundations for sentimental and cultural relationships with emigrant communities, particularly the oldest in Brazil (Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul). The studies of his associates are still fundamental today for the theorization of *Azoreanity.
With the death of Luís Ribeiro, one of the most prominent figures in Azorean culture, José *Agostinho, took over the leadership. He served as director of the Institute between 1955 and 1976. He was followed by Manuel Coelho Baptista de Lima (1920-1996), already from the 2nd generation of members, who between 1976 and 1984 gave new impetus to the association’s activities, with a significant focus on the preservation and enhancement of built heritage, which led to the classification of the city of Angra do Heroísmo on UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage list, a process conducted by the Institute. It also opened the institution to new collaborations, notably with the newly created University of the Azores, held international colloquia in Atlantic history research, and expanded the network of scientific cooperation with other institutions.
In 1985, at the beginning of the term of the new President, Álvaro Monjardino, from an even younger generation than Baptista Lima, the statutes and internal regulations were reformulated to adapt them to the latest autonomous reality of regional unity. Still, their cultural action remained private and supplementary, grounded in the status of local and regional realities and in the voluntary work of its members.
In addition to its bulletin, which has already published 60 volumes, the Institute has published important documents in the areas of history and cultural anthropology, notably Fenix Angrence by Father Manuel Luís Maldonado, a 17th-century chronicler.
Since 1991, the UNESCO Center of the Azores has been operating within the Institute. Since 1997, it has had a website (www.ihit.pt), through which it intends to expand and continue its cultural activities.
Written by J. G. Reis Leite (translated by Diniz Borges)
NOTE: The Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira is still in existence and very active with cultural activities, conferences, and debates, as well as publications; it is now directed by José Olívio Mendes Rocha.
Bibl. Statute and internal regulations of the Historical Institute of Terceira Island (1985). Angra do Heroísmo, Historical Institute of Terceira Island. Leite, J. G. R. (2005), The Historical Institute of Terceira Island. Boletim do Núcleo Cultural da Horta, 14: 45-55. “Life of the Institute,” Section of the Boletim do Instituto Histórico da Ilha Terceira (1943-2003).
Mission Statement:
“In the Silence of Hydrangeas: Azorean Arts and Letters” is a weekly digital rubric under the Filamentos platform that seeks to illuminate the cultural, artistic, and literary richness of the Azores and its dynamic connection to the Azorean Diaspora. Each week, we highlight writers, poets, musicians, painters, sculptors, theater groups, and cultural movements that have emerged from or been inspired by this Atlantic archipelago. Our mission is to move beyond folkloric clichés and festive portrayals to reveal the profound creative spirit, complexity, and heritage that shape Azorean identity across generations and oceans.
Vision Statement:
We envision a living archive and vibrant stage where the voices, visions, and legacies of Azorean creators—on the islands and throughout the diaspora—are celebrated, preserved, and made accessible to global audiences. This rubric aims to educate, connect, and inspire by showcasing the Azores not as a distant, nostalgic memory, but as a creative force in continuous dialogue with the world. To know the Azores is not merely to attend a festa, but to listen to the poems etched in basalt, the canvases dyed in sea-light, and the stories whispered in the silence of hydrangeas.
Unveiling the Soul of the Azores – One Voice, One Creation at a Time
We thank the Luso-American Education Foundation for supporting this project.
Filamentos (artes e letras) 