São Vicente, Coastal municipality on São Vicente Island, São Paulo, Brazil
São Vicente sits on São Vicente Island and runs along Santos Bay with several sandy beaches and a densely built urban center. The coastline alternates between flat shore areas and forested hills that push down to the water.
Martim Afonso de Sousa founded the settlement in 1532 as the first permanent European base in Brazil, which later served as a starting point for colonizing other coastal regions. The city grew quickly into a trading hub until Santos rose to become the leading port in the nineteenth century and São Vicente took on a quieter role.
The name honors Saint Vincent of Zaragoza, patron of Portuguese seafarers who reached this shore in the early sixteenth century. The city still carries its religious origin in many street names and celebrations that link life by the sea with Iberian tradition.
Coastal roads run through the entire city and connect the beaches, so visitors can walk or cycle along the bay. The connection to São Paulo and Santos runs along wide highways that public bus lines also use.
Oscar Niemeyer designed a monument on Porchat Island that was built for the 500th anniversary of Brazil's discovery and takes the form of a curved arch. The structure stands right at the rocky edge above the sea and is photographed by many visitors for its unusual silhouette.
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