Faia

Vineyard, cherry and trades linked to wood and footwear are part of the history of Faia. Between the headquarters of São Tiago, Senhora do Amparo and the houses of Tojeira and Ribeira Grande, there is heritage to discover in the south of the municipality.

Faia on the southern roads

In the south of the municipality, Faia approaches Cabeceiras de Basto from Arco de Baúlhe and the link to Celorico from Basto. Houses and fields accompany the communication routes. It is a landscape of neighborhoods and paths, where settlement and agricultural work help to recognize the territory.

Agriculture, crafts and heritage

The vineyard, the production of cherry, the tannaria and the manual manufacture of footwear are activities referred to in the municipal characterization. The church of St James, the chapel of the Lady of Amparo and to Casa da Tojeira are references to know the religious and manorial architecture. In 2022, the matrix reopened after restoration of paintings, images and altars. In the Lady of Amparo, a renovation reported in 2025 brought an altar and an amboon made of olive roots by Atelier Amadeus. The presence of a house in a script does not mean that its interior is open to visitors.

A Faia in the Parish Memories

In 1758, the abbot identifies São Tiago da Faia in the term and municipality of Cabeceiras de Basto and describes the deployment on a northern slope. It is a historical point of view on the relationship between church, relief and neighboring lands. The scores of neighbors and persons in that document are not directly comparable to the residents of the Censuses of 2021 presented on this page.

The Lady of the Amparo and other hermides

The account of the Faia of 1758 lists the Lady of Amparo on a hill, Santo António da Covilhã, Santo António da Ribeira and Nossa Senhora da Piedade. It distinguishes chapels linked to houses and one belonging to the residents. This distribution allows to study devotions outside the matrix of São Tiago and relations between residence and worship. The ancient cast does not itself demonstrate the conservation or accessibility of each building.

St James between devotion and ancient beliefs

The same source describes the search for leeches in a stream near the church on the day of St James, a practice then associated with the cure of diseases. The episode is here heritage of beliefs and history of care, without validation of any therapeutic effect. Alongside these memories, the houses of Tojeira and Ribeira Grande and the services related to wine help to recognize other dimensions of the parish.