Faial is a civil parish in the

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

n municipality of

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

located along the northern coast of the island of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 1,567, in an area of 24.03 km².

History

It was founded on February 20, 1550 by settlers who chose the name ''Faial'', for the common name for the

Myrica faya ''Myrica faya'' (firetree, faya or haya; syn. ''Morella faya'' (Ait.) Wilbur) is a species of ''Myrica'', native to Macaronesia (the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands), and possibly also western coastal mainland Portugal. Description It ...

, shrubs that are indigenous to the area, growing within the valleys between the mountains. As later recounted, the settlers: :''"Seeing a site of Faias, where the sea is more gentle, with an ideal panorama, that perfect corner, is the vista of Faial."'' For a while

Porto da Cruz Porto da Cruz (, is a Freguesia (Portugal), civil parish in the concelho, municipality of Machico in the northeastern corner of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 2,597, in an area of 25.22 km2. History The origin of the community's name ca ...

and

São Roque do Faial São Roque do Faial is a parish in the municipality of Santana, Madeira, Santana on the island of Madeira Island, Madeira. The population in 2011 was 736, in an area of 15.61 km2. It is located 3 km southeast of Santana. Administrative ...

were part of the parish, but were de-annexed to form their own parishes. In 1519, a chapel was constructed in this parish to the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Natividade (English: ''Our Lady of the Nativity''), and as legend describes it was built entirely from one cedar, which was transported by water to its site. Ribeiras da Metade e do Faial. The construction of the new temple was begun during the reign of King D. João V of Portugal, during the second half of the 18th Century (1771). In addition, a chapel was dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Penha de França (English: ''Our Lady of the Rock of France''), in Fazenda, around 1680. In 1960, a fire completely destroyed the original church in Faial, and it was reconstructed in 1966 through the initiative of Father António Pestana Martinho.

Geography

The parish is located between the municipal of seat of Santana and the parish of São Roque do Faial, 21 kilometres north

Funchal Funchal () officially Funchal City (), is the capital, largest city and a Municipality (Portugal), municipality in Portugal's Madeira, Autonomous Region of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. The city has a population of 105,795, making it ...

the regional capital, while 5 kilometres from

, 15 kilometres from

Machico Machico () is a municipality, parish and city in the southeast part of the island of Madeira Island, Madeira, in the Autonomous Region of Madeira. The easternmost municipality on the island, it is also the third-most populous area with a populati ...

and 39 kilometres from Porto Moniz; it is connected to these centres by a Regional Roadway network that gives its inhabitants limited access to southern communities. Faial consists of the localities Moinhos, Longueira, Penha De Águia, Fajã, Lombo de Cima, Lombo de Baixo, Cruzinhas, Fajã Grande, Limoeiro, Fajã da Murta, Lombo Galego, Pico do Lombo Galego, Quebrada, Água De Alto, Ressoca, Corujeira de Cima, Corujeira de Baixo, Fazenda, Diferença, Lombo Lourenço, Igreja, Covas, Pico do Guindaste, Guindaste and Fajã do Mar.

References

{{authority control Freguesias of Santana, Madeira