Faja De Baixo: Pineapple Cultivation and Sacred Architecture

Faja De Baixo is best understood through two historic threads: pineapple cultivation and sacred architecture. Agriculture here developed from winegrowing to orange groves and then to pineapple cultivation, which became an important part of the local economy. The area also has a landmark building in its rural landscape and churches and chapels whose history dates back to the 17th century.

Pineapple Culture in an Exhibition and Greenhouses

The Centro de Interpretação da Cultura do Ananás is located in the historic centre of the Fajã de Baixo parish. It preserves the memory of pineapple cultivation; visits to the permanent exhibition are linked to the local plantations. This offers a way to explore the history of agriculture not only as a progression from winegrowing to orange groves and then pineapples, but also in connection with the different stages of cultivation.

At Plantação de Ananases Augusto Arruda, visitors can learn about every stage of pineapple cultivation. The plantation shop also offers pineapple liqueur, made by hand using an old family recipe, for tasting. Estufas de Ananases Santo António offers a different focus: visitors can observe the various stages of growth, and the visit also includes a tasting of the pineapple fruit.

Estufas de Ananases Boa Fruta also showcases the stages of pineapple growth in its greenhouses. The site dates back to the 19th century and is considered the oldest pineapple greenhouse in the Azores. Together, the three sites represent different facets of the subject: cultivation stages and liqueur at Augusto Arruda, greenhouse observation and fruit tasting at Santo António, and the historic significance of the greenhouses at Boa Fruta.

Churches and Chapels Through the Centuries

The Rota Arquitetura Religiosa Fajã de Baixo is a tour of sacred sites and places of worship in the parish. Its stops include buildings from different centuries. Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Conceição was originally built in 1688; Ermida de Nossa Senhora do Loreto dates back to 1699. Its façade was reconstructed in 1820. Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Santa Rita was originally built in 1765 and is classified as an imóvel de interesse municipal, meaning a building of municipal interest.

A later example is Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Lurdes, a 19th-century Neo-Gothic chapel. Igreja Paroquial de Nossa Senhora dos Anjos was built in the Baroque style in 1791. Its three-part façade and richly worked basalt stone give the church a different architectural character from the chapels on the tour. Together, their different dates and architectural styles make the area's religious architecture a distinct thread in local history.

The Mirante and Architectural Heritage

Mirante da Fajã de Baixo is a landmark in the parish's rural landscape and is classified as an imóvel de interesse público, meaning a building of public interest. The classification was published in 2021. This unusual structure has a rectangular ground plan and two levels, with a usable floor area of approximately 252.70 square metres. Its form, dimensions and classification offer concrete points of reference for understanding the building alongside the area's churches and chapels.

Architectural heritage also includes mirantes, torreões and portals of quintas associated with the so-called “Orange Economy.” The house where the writer Natália Correia was born and lived has been converted into a social and cultural centre for Casa do Povo de Fajã de Baixo. These places and architectural features add further aspects of local culture and history to the story of pineapples.

One of the sites mentioned is also associated with a religious tradition: on Easter Monday, a pilgrimage in honour of Nossa Senhora da Boa Nova takes place in connection with Ermida de Nossa Senhora do Loreto. Those exploring Faja De Baixo can therefore pursue a range of interests, from greenhouses and pineapple products to religious architecture and the Mirante.

Discover more destinations: Faja De Baixo, San Jorge, S.Miguel, Terceira, Pico, Calheta De Nesquim, Faial, Corvo.

For the main travel overview: Azores.