Miradouro do Campanário, in the heart of the parish, with views over the mountains and the sea; Capela de Nossa Senhora da Glória (Chapel, 1599), perched on a clifftop by the sea; Fajã dos Padres, accessible by cable car, with restored cottages and wine tastings in a historic cellar.
about the place
Campanário is a parish in the municipality of Ribeira Brava, on the south coast of the island of Madeira, bordered by the Atlantic to the south and mountains to the north. It covers 11.74 km² and has 4,317 inhabitants (2021); its patron saint is São Brás and agriculture is the main activity. The name comes from a small islet near the coast which, seen by the early explorers as they rounded Cabo Girão, resembled the shape of a bell tower.
history
Campanário has been a parish since the 16th century; some records point to its foundation on 15 May 1515. It belonged to the municipality of Funchal and later to that of Câmara de Lobos, before passing to Ribeira Brava when that municipality was created by Law no. 154 of 6 May 1914. The name comes from a small islet near the coast shaped like a bell tower, now more worn by the sea. Within the parish lies Fajã dos Padres, inhabited since the early settlement of Madeira, which belonged to the Jesuit priests for more than 150 years; it was they who introduced wine there. The Capela de Nossa Senhora da Glória (Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Glória) was founded in 1599 by Henrique de Bettencourt, in the Sítio da Pedra de Nossa Senhora.
