history
The Festival of Our Lady do Patrocínio and Saint Martin is celebrated in the parish of São Martinho, in the municipality of Funchal, honouring both Saint Martin of Tours and Our Lady do Patrocínio. It is an ancient celebration whose precise origins are unknown, but which has long united the spiritual dimension with the agricultural culture of the region, particularly the tradition of the magusto, with roasted chestnuts. The festivities are linked to the Church of São Martinho, which hosts cultural events and celebrations in its surroundings.
Saint Martin is venerated for his acts of charity, remembered above all for the gesture of sharing his cloak with a beggar. A fourth-century bishop known for his generosity and compassion, his memory is celebrated on the 11th of November, a date that marks the transition from autumn to winter. In Portugal, this tradition has deep roots and is believed to have been introduced by the Romans during their occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.
In Madeira, the festival brings together devotion and the traditions of the land: the tasting of new wine, roasted salt cod, and gathering around roasted chestnuts by the fire at the magusto. Between religious processions and community gatherings, the celebration preserves the bond between faith and the harvest season, when the freshly made wine is tasted.
about the place
Nestled in the sunny embrace of Funchal lies São Martinho, one of the largest parishes in the municipality — a generous land where the sea and the mountains meet. Established by a decree in 1579 that gave it a life of its own, it grew over the centuries to become one of the most vibrant and welcoming faces of the Madeiran capital. It is a land of faith and festivity, of highlands and sea, of roasted chestnuts and new wine, where the magusto brings families and neighbours together around the fire. Those who visit leave with a longing to return — and those who live there know they inhabit one of the most luminous places on the island of Madeira.
