Idée #738- Exploring the Citade Velha at Ribeira Grande, in Cabo Verde
Founded in 1462, Cidade Velha is the oldest colony of Cape Verde and its oldest capital. Autrefois appealed to Ribeira Grande, whose name was changed to Cidade Velha at the end of the XVIII century. Situated on the north-west coast of Africa, this city was the first European colonial colony in the tropics.
The Isle of Santiago was discovered by Antonio of Noli, a genius at the service of Portugal, in 1460. From Noli he settled in Ribeira Grande with the members of his family and the Portuguese of the Algarve and the Alentejo in 1462. The site becomes a key escalation port for Portuguese colonization of Africa and South America. In the XVI and XVII centuries, the city was a maritime trade center between Africa, the Cape, Brazil and the Caribbean. Due to its proximity to the African coast, it was an essential platform of the slave trade organization. In 1533, Cidade Velha becomes the seat of the new Roman Catholic Diocese of Santiago de Cape Verde, created by the papal bull of Pope Clement VII.
The port of Cidade Velha runs an escalator for three large navigators: Vasco de Gama, in 1497, en route pour l’India, Christophe Colomb, in 1498, during his third voyage to the Americas; in 1522, Ferdinand Magellan, who served the interests of Spain, en route to a tour of the world, was also arrested.
The riches of Ribeira Grande and the conflicts between Portugal and the rival colonial powers that are France and Great Britain attract the attacks of pirates, including those of Francis Drake (1585) and Jacques Cassard (1712). Despite the construction of the Fort Real of São Filipe in 1587–93, Ribeira Grande remains vulnerable and has been destroyed several times. Tombée in declination, the capital was moved to Praia in 1770, which offers the most interesting defensive conditions on the “plateau”.
A part of the original elements of the urban site is still intact, in particular a royal fort, two churches and a place of the XVI century. Cidade Velha possesses the oldest colonial church in the world – the church Nossa Senhora do Rosário, built in 1495. The city was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and counts as one of the seventh wards of ‘ Portuguese origin in the world in 2009.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Cidade Velha, Santiago, Cabo Verde