Our Lady of the People (chapel)

It stands in the parish (freguesia) of Santo António (‘St Anthony’). The chapel is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, but nobody knows it by this name; it is commonly called the chapel of Pico do Cardo (‘thistle peak’) or of the Quinta dos Padres (‘the priests’ estate’). This name comes from its standing in that locality (sítio) and at the residence that the Jesuits owned there. We do not know the year of its foundation, but we presume that it is no earlier than the first quarter of the 18th century. The Jesuits acquired this property between 1635 and 1714 and built the house and chapel there, which in 1770, together with the adjoining land, were sold at public auction for seven contos de réis (conto: one million réis; réis: old Portuguese money of account). This small chapel is hexagonal in shape and stands almost adjoining the residence. It is in a good state of repair, and divine services are celebrated in it.

Fuller information on the subjects touched on in this short article can be found in the articles on Blessed Inácio de Azevedo, on the Jesuits and on the chapel of Pópulo, published in the review Parochia de Santo António do Funchal.