The

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Holy House of Mercy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

MHIH () is a Portuguese charitable organisation that, in modern times, serves also as the national lottery and off-course betting operator. In spite of its historical links to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, it is today a secular legal person in the public administrative interest, that is to say, a private legal person, recognised by the authorities as pursuing non-profit-making objects of

public interest In social science and economics, public interest is "the welfare or well-being of the general public" and society. While it has earlier philosophical roots and is considered to be at the core of democratic theories of government, often paired ...

. The first of its kind (though many other local '' Misericórdias'' were established, throughout Portugal and its overseas colonies), it was established in 1498 by Queen Regent Eleanor of Viseu, as a ''Brotherhood with the Invocation of Our Lady of Mercy'' (headquartered in a chapel of the

Lisbon Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major ( or ''Sé-Catedral Metropolitana Patriarcal de Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa''), often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé ('), is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is the oldest ch ...

) comprising "one hundred men of good reputation and sound conscience and honest life" that vowed to support the neediest and to uphold the Fourteen Works of Mercy. Although a private legal person, the ''Misericórdia'' is overseen by the

public administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

, namely the Minister in charge of the

social security system Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance pr ...

; its Chairman (''Provedor''), who presides over the Board of Directors, is nominated by the

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

.Estatutos
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References

External links

Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa
1498 establishments in Portugal 15th-century architecture in Portugal 15th-century Catholicism Catholic charities Charities based in Portugal Fraternities and sororities in Portugal {{charity-org-stub

See also

References

External links