Our Lady of Pity (convent)
Original title: Convento de Nossa Senhora ds Piedade
Former Franciscan convent in Madeira founded by the Genoese settler Urbano Lomelino, who left his estate entailed to finish and maintain it; after the religious orders were abolished it returned to his heirs, and no trace of it now survives.
Abroad
Around 1476 the brothers João Baptista and Urbano Lomelino, who belonged to one of the oldest and most distinguished families of Genoa (see Lomelino), arrived on this island. It was the second of these brothers who founded this convent and began the building work, which death prevented him from completing. When he died in 1518, he entailed his property by will in favour of his nephew Jorge Lomelino and his descendants, with the obligation of completing the building of the convent, maintaining it and also supporting six friars whenever alms failed them. Joana Lopes and Isabel Correia, the wife and mother-in-law of Urbano Lomelino, built the chantry (capela) of Sant’Ana (St Anne) in the church of this monastery, which served the community as its chapter house, and they were buried in it. Jorge Lomelino died on 9 December 1548 and was buried in the church of the same convent.
Once the religious orders had been abolished,’ wrote the annotator of the Saudades in 1873, ‘and after a bitter lawsuit lasting several years, the convent was restored to the successors of the founder, because he, with a foresight of which this is perhaps the only example, had so provided in the relevant clause of his will, should the convent ever be abolished in the future.
Of the convent and church, which did indeed pass into the possession of the founder’s descendants, no trace remains today.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 04-
The Genoese brothers João Baptista and Urbano Lomelino arrived in Madeira.
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Urbano Lomelino died, entailing his estate to complete and maintain the Santa Cruz convent of Nossa Senhora da Piedade.
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Jorge Lomelino died and was buried in the church of the Convento de Nossa Senhora da Piedade at Santa Cruz.
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Álvaro Rodrigues de Azevedo published in Funchal his annotated edition of Gaspar Frutuoso's Saudades da Terra (Book II), made from Agrela's copy, with extensive notes including a list of governors.
Place
Places mentioned · 03- Convent of Our Lady of Pity · Subject
Câmara de Lobos
A former Franciscan convent in Madeira founded by the Genoese settler Urbano Lomelino, who left his estate entailed to finish and maintain it. After the religious orders were abolished it returned to his heirs. No trace of it now survives.
- Chapel of St Anne
Câmara de Lobos. Chapel inside the convent church, used as the chapter house and burial place of its founders.
Chapel inside the convent church, used as the chapter house and burial place of its founders.
- Genoa
Italy. City of origin of the Lomelino family.
Génova (Genoa) is an Italian city, the place of origin of the Lomelino (Lomellini), Espínola and Catanho families; António Espínola was born there. Bishop D. Francisco José Rodrigues de Andrade lived in exile and died there after renouncing the see, and Joaquim Pedro Cardoso Casado Giraldes died there as Portuguese consul. The work A Piccone was published there.
People
People mentioned · 05-
Mother-in-law of Urbano Lomelino who co-founded the convent's chapel of Sant'Ana and was buried there.
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Wife of Urbano Lomelino who, with her mother, built the chapel of Sant'Ana in the convent church and was buried there.
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Genoese nobleman who arrived in Madeira around 1476 with his brother Urbano, the founder of this convent.
- Jorge Lomelinod. 1548
Nephew and heir of Urbano Lomelino, charged with finishing the convent; buried in its church in 1548.
- Urbano Lomelinod. 1518
Genoese settler who founded the Convent of Nossa Senhora da Piedade and entailed his estate to complete and maintain it; he died in 1518.