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The Empires of the Holy Ghost.
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The colorful chapels known as (empires) or teatros (theatres) of the Holy Ghost, with their showy
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decorations and fantastic shapes, contrast with the whiteness of the villages of Terceira and are one of
the most consummate and interesting forms of Azorean popular architecture and of the peculiarities of the local
way of life and feelings.
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Spread all over the island - where there are over fifty of them - most of these empires date from the 19th
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century, when they replaced the original ones, part of which, it is supposed, were wooden affairs that could
be put together and taken apart. Annexed to the empires; are the larders, where the bread, meat and wine
to be used in the festivals is kept; some of them have allegorical decorations. At the top of their facades
the empire; have a white dove or crown. The windows are large, usually with wrought iron gratings. Inside
are the altar, with the niche where the crown and plate are placed, and the tables used by the members of
the Brotherhood to receive alms and to offer food and wine to anyone they want to.
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