Lomelino
Entry on the Lomelino family, Genoese in origin, brought to Madeira in 1476 by the brothers João Baptista and Urbano Lomelino. Their entailed estate (morgadio) became one of the richest on the island, and Urbano founded the Franciscan convent at Santa Cruz.
This family surname was introduced into Madeira in 1476 by João Baptista Lomelino and his brother Urbano Lomelino, both Genoese and descendants of the Lomellini marquises, who were among the twenty-eight families that made up the old Senate (senado, the municipal council) of Genoa. They came to this island with the recommendation of the Infanta Dona Beatriz, in a letter written to the Council of Funchal. Urbano Lomelino settled in Santa Cruz (‘Holy Cross’), where he acquired a great deal of land. There he married Joana Lopes, with whom he had no children, and he left his property to his nephew Jorge Lomelino, in whose favour he established an entailed estate (morgadio) that was among the most important on this island. As we have already said on p. 308 of volume 1, Urbano Lomelino founded the Franciscan convent in the town (vila) of Santa Cruz, which Jorge Lomelino completed because Urbano had died in 1518, before the building work was finished. (See Convent of Our Lady of Pity (Nossa Senhora da Piedade), p. 308 of vol. 1.) Jorge Lomelino died on 9 December 1548 and was laid to rest in the church of the Santa Cruz convent, of which he was patron. In the chantry (capela) of the Quinta das Cruzes (‘estate of the crosses’), which belonged to the Lomelino entailed estate, there is a marble burial vault containing bones said to be those of Urbano Lomelino, the founder of that entailed house (casa vinculada).
Family arms: ‘a shield party, with a black somewhat arched profile, the upper part purple and the lower part of the said shield gold’, according to Henriques de Noronha.
The house of the Lomelinos was one of the richest entailed estates in Madeira. Its last representative was Nuno de Freitas Lomelino, who died in Funchal on 12 January 1882.
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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Nuno de Freitas Lomelino, last of the Lomelino house, died in Funchal.
Place
Places mentioned · 05
Abroad
- Convent of Our Lady of Pity
Santa Cruz. Franciscan convent founded by Urbano and completed by Jorge Lomelino, who was buried there.
The Convento de Nossa Senhora da Piedade was a Franciscan friary at Santa Cruz, Madeira. It was founded by Urbano Lomelino and completed by Jorge Lomelino, who was buried there.
- Funchal
Seat of the council addressed by the infanta, and place where the last Lomelino died.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Genoa
Italy. City of origin of the Lomellini 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.
- Quinta das Cruzes
Funchal. Former Lomelino property whose chapel holds a marble ossuary said to contain Urbano's bones.
The Quinta das Cruzes is a historic estate in Funchal, identified as the final residence of Zargo, where he died and where his sword was kept. A former Lomelino property later owned by Francisco Gonçalves da Câmara, it has a 1690s chapel with a marble ossuary said to contain Urbano Lomelino's bones. The Junta Geral chose it to house a museum of ancient art based on a collector's donation.
- Santa Cruz
Town where Urbano Lomelino settled, held land and founded the convent.
Santa Cruz is a parish and one of Madeira's oldest settlements, named after a cross Zarco had raised there at the discovery. The Elucidário covers its early ecclesiastical history, collegiate church, chapels, noble settlers and localities.
People
People mentioned · 07-
Infanta who recommended the Lomelino brothers in a letter to the Funchal council.
- Henrique Henriques de Noronha1667–1730
Genealogist cited for the description of the Lomelino arms.
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Wife of Urbano Lomelino at Santa Cruz; they had no children.
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Genoese settler who, with his brother Urbano, brought the Lomelino surname to Madeira in 1476.
- Jorge Lomelinod. 1548
Nephew and heir of Urbano Lomelino who completed the Santa Cruz convent and was buried in its church.
- Nuno de Freitas Lomelinod. 1882
Last representative of the Lomelino house, who died in Funchal in 1882.
- Urbano Lomelinod. 1518
Genoese settler at Santa Cruz who founded the Lomelino entail and the Franciscan convent there, dying in 1518.