The island of Corvo, one of the nine islands of the Azores Archipelago, is the smallest island of the Azorean whole. However, its beautiful peculiarities make its size just a miserable number.
Together with the island of Flores, they form the Western Group of the Azores. It is in this small paradise that a rare piece of handicraft emerges, the Corvinas locks.
Due to the size of the island, and the fact that the entire population knows each other, the trust of the neighbours is great, and for this reason, houses that are locked are rare. Corvo’s wooden locks are one of the elements that go back to a medieval time when raw materials were scarce, but when the ingenuity and the need to protect the houses and goods from pirate and corsair attacks was high.
The wood, the material used to build the lock, is weaker than the typical locks of iron and aluminium, which clearly shows the social cohesion of the Corvino people. It is still possible to observe, nowadays, some of these typical locks in houses, mainly in agricultural storage.
The locks have a simple wooden system, with a small lock and a key, also made of wood.
The locks of the island of Corvo, more than an element of handicraft, are an icon of the socio-cultural identity of the island. It was in this sense that the locks were certified by CRAA (Regional Center of Support to Handicraft), due to their traditional manufacture. Furthermore, this certification allows for the more effective dissemination and marketing, projecting more and more the Azores brand and all its products.
