The Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia () is a former church and hospital in
Salvador, Bahia
Salvador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality and capital city of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognize ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. It was established as a branch of the
Santa Casa da Misericórdia
Santa Casa da Misericórdia is a charitable institution whose mission is to treat and support the sick, the disabled, and orphans. Founded in Lisbon in 1498 by Queen Leonor of Portugal, the institution grew into a network of charitable organizat ...
in 1549; a hospital, Hospital da Caridade ('), functioned from the 17th century. The Santa Casa additionally held a monopoly on burials in colonial Bahia. It was additionally funded by its brotherhood, the Brotherhood of Santa Casa. The Santa Casa of Bahia accepted the donation of a slave-holding plantation, the Fazenda Saubara in present-day
Saubara, in 1652. The former hospital and chapel now functions as a museum, the Misericórdia Museum (). The Santa Casa, apart from the museum, now owns and operates the
Santa Izabel Hospital, the
Santa Casa Medical Faculty, the
Jorge Calmon Memory Center,
Campo Santo Cemetery
The Cemetery of Campo Santo () is a cemetery in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It is located in the Federação neighborhood of Salvador and is administered by the Santa Casa de Misericórdia da Bahia (Holy House of Mercy of Bahia), a branch of the Sa ...
, an events space, and numerous historic buildings in Salvador.
Location
The Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia is located in the
Historic Center of Salvador
The Historic Center (American English, US) or Centre (British English, UK) () of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil, also known as the (Portuguese language, Portuguese for "Pillory") or Pelo, is a historic neighborhood in western Salvador, Bahia. ...
. Its monumental portals and baroque façade face a narrow street that runs through the historic center. The rear of the Santa Casa opens to views of the
Bay of All Saints
The Bay of All Saints (), also known as All Saints' Bay and Todos os Santos Bay, is the principal bay of the Brazilian state of Bahia, to which it gave its name. It sits on the Brazilian coast, eastern coast of Brazil, surrounding part of Bahia' ...
. The building was adjacent to the
Old Cathedral of Salvador
The Old Cathedral of Salvador (antiga Sé da Bahia in Portuguese) was the cathedral of the diocese and later archdiocese of Salvador, Bahia, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, from the 16th century until 1765. The seat of the archdiocese moved to the cu ...
to the north; the demolition of the old cathedral in 1933 disfigured the north façade of the Santa Casa. The old cathedral was replaced by a public square, the Praça da Sé, and the Santa Casa now faces the
Archbishop's Palace of Salvador
The Archbishop's Palace of Salvador (, also ''Palácio do Arcebispado de Salvador'', ''Palácio Arquiepiscopal da Sé'') is a Roman Catholic residence in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It is located on the Praça da Sé in the Pelourinho historical ...
.
Misericórdia Museum
The Misericórdia Museum was established in 2006. It has a collection of 3,874 pieces of furniture, art, sacred imagery, and relics of the Hospital da Caridade itself. The museum additionally maintains the chapel of Santa Casa, much in its original form. The extensive archival records and library of the Santa Casa are housed separately at the Jorge Calmon Memory Center.
Protected status
The Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia was listed as a historic structure by the
National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage
The National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (, IPHAN) is a heritage register of the federal government of Brazil. It is responsible for the preservation of buildings, monuments, structures, objects and sites, as well as the register an ...
in 1938.
See also
*The
Chapel of Senhor Bom Jesus dos Pobres ('), once part of the Fazenda Saubara in present-day
Saubara
*The
Cemetery of Campo Santo, inaugurated in 1840, and still operated by the Santa Casa
*The
Santa Izabel Hospital, inaugurated in 1893, which replaced the Hospital da Caridade
*The
Coleção de Livros do Banguê (English: Banguê Book Collection), an 11-volume set of records of the burial expenses of enslaved people in colonial Bahia, now held at the Jorge Calmon Memory Center
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church and Santa Casa da Misericordia
National heritage sites of Bahia
Portuguese colonial architecture in Brazil
Historic Center (Salvador, Bahia)
Museums in Salvador, Bahia