The parish of São Brás is bound by the sea and the parishes of Porto Formoso and Maia (Ribeira Grande municipality) and Ribeira das Tainhas (Vila Franca do Campo municipality).

The name of this parish comes from a 16th century chapel dedicated to São Brás. In his “Saudades da Terra” Gaspar Frutuoso makes the following reference: “jutting out to the sea is a headland called São Brás, because there, on a hill, stand a chapel to this saint”.

The founding date of the locality is uncertain but it would seem that it was first populated in the same period as Porto Formoso. The hamlet of São Brás was dependant on the parish of Porto Formoso until 1980, when it gained the status of parish. São Brás was connected with the struggles between Liberals and Absolutists, and still preserves a natural cave, at Roca do Louro, which was used as a hiding place for the local population whilst the struggles were going on.

The construction of the Parish Church of São Brás commenced in 1866 on land donated by the Count of Fonte Bela. However, it was not completed until 1961 when the bell towers were erected.

Demographic chart of Ribeira Grande Parishes