Fajã da Ovelha is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese island of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 895, in an area of 22.16 km<sup>2</sup>. Located about 7 km northwest of the town of Calheta, this parish includes three bands of residential, forested and mountain area; the population is actually concentrated in the area between ocean cliffs and main regional road.
History
Fajã da Ovelha originally served as a port of easy access to Madeira, in an area that crossed by several major ravines. Much like many of the parishes, the settlement originally formed around a small chapel, this dedicated to São Lourenço, and the community was drawn together common agricultural roots. It is unclear when the settlement formed, and the unique story relates to a settler, Gonçalo Ferreira de Carvalho, who "lived [here] in the years around 1480". A few branches of families from Calheta and Paul, began to settle in this area, but no clear point marked the organization of a colony. The main hamlets include:
- Lombada dos Marinheiros
- Maloeira
- Raposeira do Lugarinho
- Raposeira do Serrado
- São Lourenço – the historical center and site of the Manueline chapel.
- Fajã de Ovelha de Baixo
- Fajã de Ovelha de Cima
These settlements are distributed across the parish's three distinct zones: the residential coastal belt, the forested mid-section, and the mountain area.