Details
Keywords Change this
Project timeline
1958 – 1964
Type
Infrastructure
Location Change this
São Jorge, AzoresPortugal
Architect Change this
Lighthouse of Ponta dos Rosais Change this
Description Change this
The Ponta dos Rosais Lighthouse is located along the 200 m cliffs of Ponta dos Rosais in the extreme northwest of the island of São Jorge, the Archipelago of the Azores, Portugal. It includes the main tower and several living quarters and auxiliary buildings constructed for the maintenance and operation of the lighthouse, currently abandoned and in ruins.
The project was continued by the Administrative Commission for New Installations in 1956 with a completion predicted for 1957 but was finally completed and inaugurated in 1964. At the time of its construction, it was the most advanced lighthouse in the Portuguese network. It was also a self-sufficient complex, with residences for several families, an independent water supply and a power-source to operate independently from the rest of the parish.
Shortly after the lighthouse was completed, it was abandoned during the 1964 Rosais earthquake, when seismic events and an underwater eruption hit the Ponta dos Rosais, causing damage to 900 homes and 400 buildings in the parish of Rosais. The earthquake caused enough panic to warrant the evacuation of its residents to the neighboring island of Terceira, which included the temporary evacuation of the lighthouse families. The lighthouse was automated and reopened on 5 July 1982
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