fechaduras de madeira do corvo - centro regional de apoio ao

FECHADURAS DE MADEIRA DO CORVO
Even today are still rare the houses whose doors are locked in Corvo Island
and, ironically, this island is the home of one of the most peculiar pieces of the
Azorean handicraft, the wood locks. They are probably one last grip of a
medieval time when raw materials were scarce, but the creativity and the need
to preserve the property in a time of corsairs and pirates assaults were profuse.
It is still possible to observe in some doors the typical locks and their respective
wood keys, especially in the houses that support the agricultural works,
scattered throughout many of the island arable land.
By keeping alive the wood locks of the Island of Corvo, also remains awake the
cultural and social identity of a people. this was the goal of another partnership
between the Centro Regional de Apoio ao Artesanato (Regional Centre for
support for Handicraft) and the Association for Local Development, Adeliaçor, in
conducting a teaching program in 2007, when José Mendonça Inês, born in
Corvo Island and carpenter by trade, taught the secret of the manufacture of
these handcrafted pieces that he holds for over thirty years. This was recorded
in a illustrated booklet with some pictures and technical drawings related to the
used tools, the techniques and the execution phases, that can be interpreted by
the public as a practical manual.