Museu de Santa Maria

Vila do Porto, on the island of Santa Maria, is the oldest town in the Azores, and the Museu de Santa Maria tells its story. The museum gathers objects and documents on the island’s history, its people and the traditions that grew up around farming, fishing and the sea.

The oldest town in the Azores

Santa Maria was the first island of the archipelago to be settled, and Vila do Porto has been its administrative centre since the fifteenth century. The museum, part of the regional network of Azorean museums, preserves the memory of that long history and of the island’s distinctive culture.

What to see

• History of Santa Maria and Vila do Porto.
• Ethnography, crafts and objects of daily life.
• Collections linked to the sea and to the island’s traditions.
• Temporary exhibitions and cultural activities.

Visiting the museum

The museum is in Vila do Porto, on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores. Opening hours are published on the official website, so check before your visit.

Visitor information: culturacores.azores.gov.pt.

Image credit: Museu de Santa Maria, Vila do Porto, by Carlos Luis Cruz, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.