São Miguel Island, in the Azores, lies on a line joining 12 churches of St Michael the Archangel, from the Chapel of São Miguel in São Tomé to São Miguel Fortress in Luanda.
From São Miguel Island, in the Azores, to a small chapel in the south of São Tomé, a line joins twelve churches of St Michael the Archangel, one in each country. It is called St Michael's Sacred Line of the Atlantic, was identified in 2026 by Luciano Baetz and runs right around the world.
Anyone who knows the Azores knows that the archipelago's largest island bears the Archangel's name. What few people know is that, extended in a straight line, São Miguel Island lies on the same path as São Miguel Fortress in Luanda, the Chapel of São Miguel in São Tomé and churches of the Archangel in the Canary Islands, Canada and Tasmania.
«When I saw the churches of St Michael appear, one by one, along the same line, I was amazed. I share it in the hope that it helps someone draw closer to the Archangel and strengthen their faith.» — Luciano Baetz, pilgrimage guide since 2001 and founder of Vamos Fugir
A new St Michael the Archangel line, like Europe's
In Europe, the most famous St Michael the Archangel line links seven sanctuaries, from Skellig Michael in Ireland to Mount Carmel in Israel, via Mont-Saint-Michel in France. Tradition calls it the Sword of St Michael: the blow with which the Archangel cast out the devil (Aleteia).
It is also the best-known example of a ley line, an alignment of sacred places on a map, an idea put forward by the Englishman Alfred Watkins in 1925. Pilgrims do not follow it to measure it, but to pray.
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St Michael's Sacred Line of the Atlantic follows the same spirit, but runs through the Portuguese-speaking world: the Azores, Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe.
The twelve churches, from São Tomé to the Azores
The line is a great circle, the straightest possible line on Earth. It was calculated from four places dedicated to the Archangel: the chapel in São Tomé, the fortress in Luanda, the church in Cotonou and the parish church of Vila Franca do Campo. In each country it crosses, we chose the nearest church of St Michael the Archangel.
- São Tomé and Príncipe: Chapel of São Miguel (1883), in the south of the island
- Angola: São Miguel Fortress, Luanda
- Benin: Saint-Michel Church, Cotonou
- Togo: Saint-Michel-Archange, Davié
- Burkina Faso: Saint-Michel Archange Parish, Tanghin-Dassouri
- Spain: Iglesia de San Miguel Arcángel, Valsequillo (Gran Canaria)
- Portugal: Igreja de São Miguel Arcanjo, Vila Franca do Campo (Azores)
- Canada: St. Michael Catholic Community, Calgary
- USA: St. Michael Catholic Church, Snohomish
- Australia: St Michael's Anglican Church, Bagdad (Tasmania)
- South Africa: St Michael and All Angels, Johannesburg
- Botswana: St Michael and All Angels, Gaborone
São Miguel Island: the church of Vila Franca do Campo
The line crosses São Miguel Island and passes close to the Parish Church of St Michael the Archangel in Vila Franca do Campo, the first capital of the Azores. It is the Portuguese church on the line.
For visitors to the island, a stop at this church to say the Prayer to St Michael the Archangel can become the start of a greater pilgrimage.
From Portugal to Africa by sea
The Azores, Angola and São Tomé were part of the same route sailed by Portuguese navigators, who carried the name of St Michael to many of these places.
- Luanda. São Miguel Fortress was once called São Paulo. It took the Archangel's name in August 1648, when Salvador Correia de Sá e Benevides retook the city.
- São Tomé. The Chapel of São Miguel was built in 1883 on the Roça de São Miguel plantation, next to the river and islet of the same name. It is in ruins, but the original statue of the Archangel is still on the altar, 143 years later. It can only be reached by boat.
More about the chapel at capeladesaomiguel.com and in our article on the Archangel Michael and the Chapel of São Miguel in São Tomé.
Churches of St Michael the Archangel on the same latitude and meridian
We put the new line and the Sword of St Michael, which links Mont-Saint-Michel to Mount Carmel, on the same map. The result surprised us: there are churches of St Michael the Archangel that answer each other from one continent to another, horizontally and vertically.
The strongest link joins two Portuguese-speaking lands. São Miguel Fortress in Luanda and the Church of São Miguel in Barreiros, Pernambuco, Brazil, lie almost exactly on the same latitude, facing each other across the Atlantic. Barreiros celebrates its patron saint on 29 September, St Michael's Day.
Other links:
- Johannesburg shares its latitude with Porto Vitória, in Paraná, and Formosa, in Argentina.
- Cotonou, in Benin, lines up with Oiba, in Colombia.
- The chapel in São Tomé and the church of Vacas Galindo, in Ecuador, both lie near the Equator.
- Vertically, the monastery of Panormitis, on the Greek island of Symi, sits almost directly above Johannesburg, and Mont-Saint-Michel almost directly above Tanghin-Dassouri, in Burkina Faso.
Read also our article on St Michael the Archangel and the line linking Brazil to Africa.
Coincidence or sign?
These churches were built in different centuries, by peoples who never met, and nobody planned them in a line. For some it is a coincidence of geography. For people of faith, it may be a sign that St Michael watches over his own on both sides of the Atlantic. We do not want to prove anything: we leave the line for each person to contemplate.
Prayer to St Michael the Archangel
Pope Leo XIII's Prayer to St Michael the Archangel is prayed all over the world:
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
The feast of St Michael the Archangel is celebrated on 29 September.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. St Michael's Sacred Line of the Atlantic crosses São Miguel Island in the Azores and passes close to the Parish Church of St Michael the Archangel in Vila Franca do Campo.
Twelve, one in each country: São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Spain, Portugal, Canada, the USA, Australia, South Africa and Botswana.
Pope Leo XIII's, which begins «Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle». The full text is in this article.
On 29 September, the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
