A unique refuge

Inhabited and cultivated since Madeira started being populated, the history of Fajã dos Padres accompanies the history of the Island itself. There are countless records and references made to its owners, its crops and inhabitants, as far back as the 15th century.

The property owes its name of to the fact that it belonged to the priests of the Company of Jesus for more than 150 years. As inhabitants of Fajã dos Padres they left a remarkable legacy, in particular the introduction of the malmsey wine, a wine whose reputation expanded the borders of Portugal to become well known in England, in the United States and even in Russia. 

In spite of its isolation, Fajã was once inhabitant by approximately 50 persons, between settlers and Jesuits, distributed by an agglomerate of about 10 houses. In addition to the agricultural activity, it is believed that Fajã was also used for the priests’ summer escape.

Nowadays it is possible to revive a little of this past inheritance, by visiting some of these small rebuilt houses, tasting the delicious malmsey wine in a visit to the old cellar, or walking in the old stone alleys through the cultivated pieces of land.

Fajã dos Padres has the shape of a small piece of land, at the bottom of a cliff approximately 250 meters high, located in the southern coast of Madeira. The cliff represents an enormous barrier to the north, thus Fajã opens itself wide toward the south, allowing an easy access to the sea through a narrow rocky beach, which forms a small bay at the centre.

The peculiar morphologic characteristics of Fajã dos Padres make its climate distinct from that of surrounding regions. Since it is an agricultural property by excellence, it thus fosters the development of exotic cultures, more characteristic in warmer and drier places than the majority of those found in the Island of Madeira.

These aspects, and the fact that it has been inhabited for centuries, makes Fajã dos Padres a very special place, distinct in terms of landscape, climate, agriculture as well as the living experience and inheritance of its past inhabitants.