Vila Franca do Campo displays its municipal motto,
Quis sicut deus?, on its flag and on its
coat-of-arms. This Latin phrase means "Who is like God?" It is a reference to
St. Michael the Archangel for whom the island of
São Miguel is named; in Hebrew, the name,
Michael, means "he who is like God". Founded in the middle of the 15th century by Gonçalo Vaz Botelho, the settlement was elevated to the status of
vila (
town) in 1472; Vila Franca do Campo quickly grew into the largest settlement and administrative seat of the island of São Miguel. The greatest tragedy to befall the Azores occurred on 20 October 1522, when a violent earthquake hit the area of Vila Franca do Campo, then the capital of the archipelago and most important Azorean settlement. During the earthquake and subsequent landslide, 5000 people were killed, with then Captain-Donatário
Rui Gonçalves da Câmara II escaping the tragedy: he was relaxing in his summer home in Lagoa at the time of the tragedy. Many of the residents were buried alive from a landslide and debris. Because of its destruction, the capital of São Miguel was transferred to Ponta Delgada, where the Captain-Donatário installed his administration in a residence near the Church of São Pedro. King John III eventually elevated Ponta Delgada to the status of city on 2 April 1546, attracting more and more economic activity and settlement. In the sequel of the
1582 naval battle off the coast of São Miguel, the Spanish victors had several hundred French and Portuguese prisoners executed in the town. The town began to prosper again from the 18th century onwards from orange plantations, and later, from pineapple production. In July 1562, Bento de Góis was born in this town. He undertook, between 1602 and 1606, the greatest Portuguese overland expedition to Central Asia and one of the largest in human history. The first Micaelense nun, Petronilha da Mota, daughter of Jorge da Mota, is buried here. She became known as Mother Maria de Jesus, the first abbess of the Convent of Santo André. During the Colonisation of the Azores, São Miguel Island became known for "the great yields" of wheat and woad cultivation, introduced by Flemish immigrants, thanks to the rich and fertile soil. The cultivation of woad,
pastel in portuguese Isatis tinctoria was introduced by Lodewijk Govaert, a migrant from Bruges to the Island of Faial, but he "lived in Vila Franca do Campo," where he became known as Luis Govarte, Gouaert, or, eventually, Luis Goulart. There was a general consensus regarding the successful exploitation of woad, wheat, and sugar, introduced by the Flemish immigrants, which formed the backbone of the Azorean economy during the 16th and 17th centuries, providing significant profits to the Portuguese Crown. Vila Franca do Campo, was once known as the ‘Coimbra Micaelense,’ (
a reference to the great portuguese academic city of Coimbra), due to the existence of a centre of studies, more specifically at the Convent of São Francisco, where various students from all over São Miguel Island, and even from the neighbouring island of Santa Maria, would come to study grammar, Latin, and theology. It became the first municipality on São Miguel Island to have access to electricity. The inauguration took place on 18 March 1900, at 7:00 PM local time, when 162 light bulbs were lit, as well as three large voltaic chandeliers, which were installed in the town centre, at the Bento de Góis square, and finally at the forecourt of the Church of São Miguel Arcanjo. On 4 October 1904, a Royal Decree was published, signed by Queen Dona Amélia of Orléans, at the request of Doctor Urbano de Mendonça Dias along with César Rodrigues and Cortes Rodrigues, which led to the creation of the Instituto Vilafranquense, also known as "O Colégio" (The College). For a long time, it was the oldest school in the Azores, where students could obtain their preparatory and secondary education. The school was donated by Doctor Urbano de Mendonça Dias's family to the Fabriqueira Committee of the Church of São Miguel Arcanjo. The Chapel of the Nativity can still be found there, and today catechism classes are held in one of the buildings that once housed "The College", next to the chapel. ==Geography==