The Registos do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres received the artisanal Geographical Indication (GI) seal, valid throughout Europe, following a process promoted by the Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing, and Employment, through the Azores Center for Handicrafts and Design (CADA).

The certification of this artisanal production was awarded by A.Certifica and recognized by the National Institute of Industrial Property and the European Union Intellectual Property Office, explained Maria João Carreiro at the certification ceremony held on Friday in the Lower Choir of the Palácio da Conceição in Ponta Delgada.

“We moved forward with this certification in the belief that it offers the possibility of protecting and recognizing a know-how that carries with it the cultural, historical, and social wealth of a people and a territory,” said the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing, and Employment.

The Records of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres are the second Azorean handicraft production of the collective brand “Artesanato dos Açores” with national and European certification of Geographical Indication, after the Violas da Terra dos Açores, in 2024.

“The GI is a seal of quality and origin that certifies the unique connection between a craft product and the territory where it is produced, in this case the island of São Miguel, with all that this means in terms of protection and enhancement of technique, authenticity, quality, and heritage identity in the European space,” she said.

The GI certificates were awarded to artisans Maria Luísa Benevides, Fátima Rodrigues, Maria da Graça Bastos, Clementina Vieira Botelho, Lurdes Pereira, Gabriela Correia, Maria da Paixão Resendes, Maria da Saudade Riley, Manuela Linhares, and the Nossa Senhora da Paz Cooperative in Vila Franca do Campo.

The Regional Secretary expressed her hope that the artisans “can take advantage of this certification, which brings pride and renews the responsibility for quality and respect for the unique characteristics” of a handcrafted creation where art merges with faith and which takes on both a sacred and decorative character.

GI certification is an opportunity for artisans and consumers in terms of raising awareness of the consumption of authentic products, protecting production methods and techniques rooted in cultural and social heritage, strengthening the competitiveness of artisan businesses, and providing legal protection within the European Union, explained the secretary.

“The approach of handicrafts to new market segments or the stimulation of dialogue between handicraft production and other sectors of activity, such as tourism, now gains new strength with the access of Azorean Handicrafts to GI certification,” she praised.

Also participating in this GI certification ceremony for the Registos do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres were the Director of External Relations and Legal Affairs of the National Institute of Industrial Property, João Amaral, who presented the new European GI regulation, and the Executive Director of A. Certifica, who identified the Azores’ place in the national mapping of artisanal products with GI potential.

The session ended with a performance by the Johann Sebastian Bach Group, which played J. Van Berchem’s “O Jesu Christe” (16th century) and the Hymn of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres.

In Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros, director.

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.