Place · city

Vila Velha

Vila Velha is a city in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo, the oldest in the state, founded in 1535 by the donatary Vasco Fernandes Coutinho. Indigenous attacks led the settlers to move the capital to the nearby island of Vitória in 1551, and the first town became the 'old town'. The hilltop Convent of Penha, founded in the 16th century, overlooks it.

Vila Velha
Image: HVL · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Captaincy of Espírito Santo

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Vila Velha. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vila-velha
MLA
“Vila Velha.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vila-velha. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Vila Velha.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vila-velha.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Vila Velha’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/vila-velha (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻