Urzelina and Manadas, São Jorge: the 1808 bell tower, Santa Bárbara church and Fajã das Almas

Most people drive the south-coast road between Velas and Calheta without stopping. Three stops along it fill a morning or an afternoon: a bell tower left standing when lava buried its church in 1808, a church often called the finest baroque building on the island, and a fajã at the bottom of a steep road where about five people still live year round. All three are within a few kilometres of each other, so you can see them in half a day and end with a swim in Urzelina's harbour.

Urzelina and Manadas are neighbouring parishes in the municipality of Velas, on the south side of São Jorge facing Pico. Urzelina is about 10 kilometres from Velas and had 896 residents at the 2021 census. Manadas, the next parish east, had 361, against 1,035 in 1864. Fajã das Almas sits below Manadas, between the cliffs and the sea.

Driving east from Velas you reach Urzelina first, then Santa Bárbara church in Manadas, then the turn down to Fajã das Almas.

On 1 May 1808, after several days of earthquakes, the ground opened on the slopes above Manadas. A priest's account from the time counts about eight tremors an hour. Lava came out of a group of craters on the island's central ridge, the Bocas de Fogo, and ran south down the slope to the sea at Urzelina. The eruption went on through May and June and killed more than 30 people. Ash fell on Urzelina and Manadas, and in early June it reached Pico, Terceira and São Miguel.

The lava destroyed several houses and Urzelina's church. Only the bell tower was left, standing in the rough black rock. That tower is now the picture most people take home from São Jorge. The parish built a new church in 1822.

A "mistério" is a lava field from an eruption that people witnessed. The Mistério da Urzelina is a geosite of the Azores Geopark, and the stone around the tower is aa lava: broken, sharp clinker rather than smooth ropes. Wear proper shoes if you walk out to it, and keep children off the loose blocks.

There is no ticket and no opening time: the tower stands in the open, and you can stop whenever you pass.

A few minutes east, the parish church of Manadas is the interior on this coast worth timing your drive around. There has been a church on the site since the 15th century; the bell tower dates from 1736 and the present nave from 1770. Portugal classified it as a building of public interest in 1950.

From outside it looks plain: white walls, dark basalt trim, a niche with the saint over the door. Inside, the nave ceiling is carved entirely from cedro-do-mato, the Azorean juniper. Six blue-and-white tile panels tell the life and death of Saint Barbara, and the altars carry gilded carving and statues of saints. Look also at the long bench in the sacristy, made by local craftsmen.

The church has been restored and is run as a branch of the Museu Francisco de Lacerda in Calheta. The museum network lists these hours, with no year on the page:

• 1 April to 30 September: Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:30, weekends and public holidays 12:00 to 17:30.
• 1 October to 31 March: Tuesday to Friday 09:30 to 17:00, weekends and public holidays 12:00 to 17:00.

Other listings give different times, and every source agrees it is closed on Mondays. Phone the museum on +351 295 416 323 before you go. We found no published admission price. Guided tours can be arranged.

The feast of Santa Bárbara falls on the first weekend of December.

If you have more time, the Calheta guide covers the main museum building further east.

Below Manadas, a road winds down the cliff to Fajã das Almas, a strip of flat land made by old rockfalls. In 1891 it had 78 inhabitants. Today about five people live there all year.

The road ends at a small platform with limited parking, and beyond it the houses are reached on foot. There are two chapels: Nossa Senhora das Almas at Barbós, and Santo Cristo, built in 1876, burned on 9 September 1880 and blessed again on 14 January 1882. The small port is still used by fishermen.

The slope behind the fajã is a protected area of about 97 hectares. Roseate terns, common terns and Cory's shearwaters nest along this coast, and the cliffs keep native shrubs such as the Azorean heather (Erica azorica) and faya. Bring binoculars.

We found no café or shop listed in the fajã, so bring water and food.

Finish at the Urzelina bathing area, built into the harbour. It has a walled sea pool with a shallow end for children, ladders into open water beyond the wall, showers, toilets, a café and parking. The harbour wall keeps the pool calm when the wind picks up, and Pico is straight across the channel. The campsite is next door, and the bell tower is five minutes up the road.

Our guide to swimming on São Jorge compares the other pools and the bathing season.

You need a car or a taxi. The weekday bus between Topo and Velas passes through Manadas and Urzelina, but in the 2025 timetable, still the one online in autumn 2026, it reaches Velas at 09:30 and only leaves again at 15:30. That is the wrong way round for a half day out of Velas, and there is no bus down to Fajã das Almas at all. Our guide to getting around São Jorge has the times and the taxi options.

• Start at Santa Bárbara church when it opens, and give it 30 to 45 minutes.
• Drive down to Fajã das Almas and walk to the chapels and the port.
• Back up the hill, stop at the Urzelina bell tower.
• Swim at Urzelina harbour, then eat at the café there or drive the 10 kilometres back to Velas.

On a Monday the church is closed, so skip it and give the time to the fajã and the pool.

What happened at Urzelina in 1808? A volcanic eruption that began on 1 May 1808 sent lava from craters on the central ridge down to the sea. It killed more than 30 people and buried the church. Only its bell tower still stands.

Is the Urzelina bell tower free to visit? Yes. It stands in the open, with no ticket and no fixed hours. The lava around it is sharp, so wear proper shoes.

When is Santa Bárbara church in Manadas open? Tuesday to Sunday, with seasonal hours that differ between listings. It is closed on Mondays. Phone the Museu Francisco de Lacerda on +351 295 416 323 to check.

Can you drive down to Fajã das Almas? Yes, a road winds down to a small car park at the bottom. Parking is limited, and the houses and chapels beyond it are reached on foot.