Vila do Porto - it is the only municipality, as well as the main city and one of the areas on the island of Santa Maria.

The history of Vila do Porto begins in the XV century, when in 1432 the island came Gonçalo Velho Cabral, Commander of the Order of Christ and the captain in the service of Henry the Navigator. In the XIV century the island of Santa Maria on the map indicate Ilya Lobosh doshas, ​​which means "island of the wolves" because of a special kind of seals that lived at that time on the island. The island became part of the First Captaincy Azores archipelago, which then still included the island of San Miguel. The first settlement was founded in 1439.

Today, the municipality, which is the only one on the island, consists of 5 districts: Almagreyra, Santa Barbara, Santa Eshpiritu, San Pedro and the Vila do Porto. Almagreyra located in the southern part of the island, Santa Barbara is located on the north-east coast and attracts tourists with its iconic Bay of San Lorenzo. Vila do Porto is the largest area in the municipality, as well as it has the largest number of people. The most sparsely populated areas is Santa Barbara.

It will be interesting to visit the parish church of Santa Barbara, built in the middle of XVII century. Cloister Nossa Senhora de Lurdesh (Our Lady of Lourdes) - nave temple, famous for its main altar, made of volcanic stone, which is similar to the stone of the cave in the French city of Lourdes, where in the 19th century there was the famous apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Cloister of Santo Amaro - coastal Chapel, is located near Ribeira da Praia. Inside the nave of the chapel you can see a well-preserved wooden chair in baroque style. It is also worth to visit the small and modest chapel, Imperio do Espirito Santo de Santa Barbara, which hosts an annual celebration dedicated to the worship of the Holy Spirit.