{"id":1696,"date":"2015-04-05T00:30:01","date_gmt":"2015-04-05T00:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.funerariaferreira.pt\/en\/vasco-elias-bensaude\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T13:32:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:32:56","slug":"vasco-elias-bensaude","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/funerariaferreira.pt\/en\/vasco-elias-bensaude\/","title":{"rendered":"Vasco Elias Bensa\u00fade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"3\"><b data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-6725\" src=\"https:\/\/funerariaferreira.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/vasco-elias-bensaude-funeraria-ferreira-205x300.png\" alt=\"Vasco Elias Bensa\u00fade\" width=\"205\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/funerariaferreira.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/vasco-elias-bensaude-funeraria-ferreira-205x300.png 205w, https:\/\/funerariaferreira.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/vasco-elias-bensaude-funeraria-ferreira.png 469w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" \/>Vasco Elias Bensa\u00fade, a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur of S\u00e3o Miguel, passed away on 5 August 1967 at his villa in Pico do Salom\u00e3o, Ponta Delgada, aged 71.<\/b><\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4\">Born on 26 April 1896 in the parish of Santa Isabel, Lisbon, he was educated in England. However, he remained deeply connected to the Bensa\u00fade family established on the island of S\u00e3o Miguel, where he lived and worked for the majority of his life.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"5\">For several decades, he inherited and managed the firm formerly known as Bensa\u00fade &amp; C.\u00aa Lda, which today exists as the <b data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"119\">Bensa\u00fade Group<\/b>. He was a pioneer and the primary driving force behind the tourism sector in S\u00e3o Miguel. To this end, and with the cooperation of <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/funerariaferreira.pt\/en\/augusto-arruda\/\">Augusto Rebelo Arruda<\/a><\/span>, he founded the <b data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"302\">Sociedade Terra Nostra<\/b> in 1933. He was responsible for the construction of the <b data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"381\">Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, <\/b>the first tourist hotel in the Azores, and for the acquisition, restoration, and expansion of the adjacent botanical park, now known as <b data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"542\">Terra Nostra Park<\/b>. This park complemented the hotel and evolved into one of the most emblematic botanical gardens in the archipelago, renowned for its camellia collection and thermal pool. Furthermore, he oversaw the construction of the <b data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"779\">Terra Nostra Golf Course<\/b> in 1939 (the first in the Azores) and the acquisition of a historic manor house built by <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/pt.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thomas_Hickling\">Thomas Hickling<\/a><\/span>, which he transformed into the <b data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"940\">Hotel S\u00e3o Pedro<\/b>, opened in 1965 on the Ponta Delgada seafront.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\">Alongside Augusto Rebelo Arruda, he was also a key founder of the <i data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"66\">Sociedade A\u00e7oriana de Estudos A\u00e9reos<\/i>, later known as <b data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"119\">SATA<\/b> (<i data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"125\">Sociedade A\u00e7oriana de Transportes A\u00e9reos<\/i>). Additionally, he developed the tobacco factories (<i data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"218\">F\u00e1bricas de Tabaco Lda<\/i>), the alcohol distillery in Lagoa, and the sugar refinery in Santa Clara. For a long period, he served as the Chairman of the Board and was a major shareholder of the <b data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"408\">Empresa Insulana de Navega\u00e7\u00e3o<\/b>, as well as the President of the Abra\u00e3o Bensa\u00fade Maternity Hospital in Lisbon. He made vast investments to stimulate the Azorean economy, provided significant donations to charitable organisations, and maintained a large workforce, often employing individuals solely to provide them with a livelihood.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\">His contributions were recognised with several prestigious honours. During the presidency of <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/%C3%93scar_Carmona\">Ant\u00f3nio \u00d3scar Carmona<\/a><\/span>, he was appointed an Officer of the <b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"151\">Military Order of Christ<\/b> (1928) and a Grand Officer of the <b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"210\">Civil Order of Industrial Merit<\/b> (1930). In 1941, he was made a Grand Officer of the <b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"294\">Order of Merit<\/b>, and during the presidency of <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Am%C3%A9rico_Tom%C3%A1s\">Am\u00e9rico Tom\u00e1s<\/a><\/span> in 1960, he was appointed a Commander of the <b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"398\">Civil Order of Agricultural Merit<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\">In his honour, a square in the city of Ponta Delgada and a street in the parish of Furnas (Povoa\u00e7\u00e3o) were named after him. Following his passing, as a mark of mourning, flags flew at half-mast at the buildings of Bensa\u00fade &amp; C.\u00aa Lda, the <i data-path-to-node=\"8\" data-index-in-node=\"237\">Companhia de Navega\u00e7\u00e3o Carregadores A\u00e7orianos<\/i>, the <i data-path-to-node=\"8\" data-index-in-node=\"288\">Companhia de Seguros A\u00e7oriana<\/i>, and various other institutions and charities. Operations ceased at the Santa Clara sugar refinery, the Micaelense tobacco factory, and the Lagoa distillery, with only SATA and essential insurance medical services remaining active.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"9\">The funeral took place at 2:00 pm on 7 August, proceeding from his residence at Pico do Salom\u00e3o to the S\u00e3o Joaquim Cemetery. Later, his remains were transferred to the private Bensa\u00fade family cemetery at Pico do Salom\u00e3o.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10\">Vasco Bensa\u00fade played a decisive role in the development of Azorean tourism. By championing the Sociedade Terra Nostra and the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, he established a tradition of hospitality excellence that endures today. The Terra Nostra Park, which he acquired and expanded, remains one of the most iconic botanical gardens in the Azores, continuing to attract visitors and scholars from across the globe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vasco Elias Bensa\u00fade, a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur of S\u00e3o Miguel, passed away on 5 August 1967 at his villa in Pico do Salom\u00e3o, Ponta Delgada, aged 71. Born on 26 April 1896 in the parish of Santa Isabel, Lisbon, he was educated in England. However, he remained deeply connected to the Bensa\u00fade family established [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6725,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1696","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Vasco Elias Bensa\u00fade - Agencia Funer\u00e1ria Ferreira - Ponta Delgada - S\u00e3o Miguel - A\u00e7ores<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Honouring the life and legacy of Vasco Elias Bensaude (1896\u20131967). 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