Rosto do Cão

Rosto do Cão (São Roque) is a parish in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, located in the west of the municipality, with an area of 7.16 km² and 4590 inhabitants.

The most important economic activities are commerce, restaurants, hotels and agriculture.

The Church of São Roque is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and oldest churches in the Azores. Located on a cliff of a slag cone over the sea, it was built in 1560 in the Baroque style of São Miguel on the old hermitage from the beginning of the same century. Inside, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament stands out for its hand-painted tiles from the seventeenth century.

Its two beaches: Praia das Milícias; and Praia do Pópulo are charming beaches and as they are very close to Ponta Delgada, they are very popular with tourists and locals alike.

The Fort of São Caetano do Pópulo is located on the coast overlooking the sea, between the two beaches.

In a dominant position on this stretch of coast, it was a fortification intended to defend this anchorage against the attacks of pirates and privateers, once frequent in this region of the Atlantic Ocean.