Santa Cruz da Graciosa is a municipality located on the island of Graciosa. It was in this city are the administrative authorities of the island, which is also called "white island" because of the bright rocks on the South coast. Santa Cruz da Graciosa is the only town on the island, which consists of four counties: Santa Cruz, são Mateus da Praia, Guadalupe and Los.

The exact date was established in this city, is unknown. It is known that the first settlers came from the island of Terceira in approximately 1450. The main occupations of the early settlers was agriculture. During the XVI-XVII centuries, the island was regularly subjected to attacks by pirates and corsairs, so it was decided to build fortifications along the coast to protect against such attacks.

For centuries in Santa Cruz da Graciosa visited many famous travelers. Renowned Portuguese and Brazilian missionary Jesuit Antonio Vieira, who was considered one of the most outstanding missionaries preachers of his time, after a shipwreck during the voyage from Brazil to Lisbon, made a stop in Santa Cruz da Graciosa. Francois Rene de Chateaubriand in 1791 also visited this city on his way to America. And in 1814, the city was visited by the poet Almeida Garrett, who is considered to be the founders of romanticism in Portugal.

"Santa Cruz" in Portuguese means "Holy Cross". It is in honor of the Holy life-giving cross and was named after this city. In Santa Cruz da Graciosa are many old churches and chapels, among which it is worth visiting the Church of the mercy of God, and the Church of Santa Cruz and the chapel of San Jose and San Salvador. The city has an interesting historical-ethnographic Museum Graciosa.