Favila
The noble Favila (originally Favela) family, settled in Madeira in the late fifteenth century, founders of the Piornais entail centred on the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda.
This surname was originally spelt Favela and belongs to an old and noble family that settled on this island at the end of the 15th century. The first to bear it here was Fernão Favela, known as the Elder, who had served valiantly in Africa and had been a nobleman of the Royal Household (fidalgo da Casa Real). He married Beatriz Pires in Madeira and founded the entailed estate (morgadio) of Piornais (‘broom thickets’), centred on the chapel of Our Lady of Help (Nossa Senhora da Ajuda), which he had founded and where he was buried. He died in 1545, according to Henriques de Noronha, or in 1537, according to the date given by Dr Rodrigues de Azevedo. His son and successor was António Favila, who died in 1601 and lies buried in the Ajuda chapel. Dona Inês Moniz, who was born in 1553 and died in 1589, was the daughter of António Favila. She founded an entailed estate in favour of her niece Dona Isabel Acciaioli de Vasconcelos, with the clause that it should pass in perpetuity to the eldest daughter – an extremely curious circumstance and, we believe, a very rare one, at least here in Madeira.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 04Place
Places mentioned · 03
Abroad
- Africa
Where Fernão Favela served in war.
Africa is referred to as a destination of Madeiran expeditions, soldiers and exiled convicts, and as an export market for Madeiran butter. The explorers Capelo and Ivens crossed the continent, and North Africa is noted as the origin of the date palm.
- Chapel of Our Lady of Help
Funchal. Chapel founded by Fernão Favela, seat of the entail and family burial place.
Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda on Madeira. In Serra de Água it is recorded as an existing chapel that became the parish church and was enlarged around 1699. A chapel of this name in São Martinho was founded by Fernão Favela as the seat of the Piornais entail and family burial place; it was restored in 1876 and briefly placed under interdict in 1916.
- Piornais
Funchal. Seat of the entail founded by Fernão Favela.
Piornais is the principal locality of São Martinho parish in Funchal. It was the seat of the entail founded by Fernão Favela, based at the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, and its levada was dealt with in royal letters of 1562.
People
People mentioned · 07- Álvaro Rodrigues de Azevedo1825–1898
Scholar who gave 1537 as Fernão Favela's death date.
- António Favilad. 1601
Son and successor of Fernão Favela, buried in the Ajuda chapel.
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Wife of Fernão Favela, married in Madeira.
- Fernão Favelad. 1545
Founder of the Favila line in Madeira who served in Africa and instituted the Piornais entail; died 1545 or 1537 according to different sources.
- Henrique Henriques de Noronha1667–1730
Genealogist cited for Fernão Favela's death in 1545.
- Inês Moniz1553–1589
Daughter of António Favila who founded an entail to pass perpetually to the eldest daughter.
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Niece of Inês Moniz and beneficiary of her entail.