Orphan Girls’ Retreat House

The home was founded in 1725 by the governor and captain-general Francisco da Costa Freire, with money raised from alms. It opened with 4 orphan girls, who were given a matron, a portress and a maid from the start. The number of residents was later raised to 6, and in time other ladies were also admitted to the establishment, among them some widows and some married women. All of them came on the vow (promessa) to pay annual pensions of never less than 30$00 réis (old Portuguese money of account; 1$000 = 1,000 réis, 1:000$000 = one conto = 1,000,000 réis), which were not always paid.

For a long time the establishment was governed by the so-called Compromisso de Lisboa (Lisbon statutes (compromisso)). Among various provisions, these allowed only orphans aged 15 to 20 to be admitted, besides as many ladies in the conditions already mentioned as could be taken. The orphans themselves, however, had to leave on coming of age, to make room for new admissions, so that the function of this recolhimento (religious retreat house for women) was kept up in this way.»

In 1849 regulations (regimento) of its own, with eight articles, were drawn up for the recolhimento, but they were never put into effect.

Councillor (conselheiro, honorary title of the royal council) José Silvestre Ribeiro tried to turn the Orphan Girls’ Retreat (Recolhimento das Órfãs) into an independent charity home (casa pia), but the idea came to nothing, even though many people received it favourably.

The Orphan Girls’ Retreat, also called the Orfanato or Recolhimento of St Elizabeth of Portugal, is housed in a building adjoining the old Hospital, and the Commission of the Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy, a lay charitable brotherhood) is responsible for paying the subsidies that the residents receive. There are at present (1921) 16 residents, together with a superintendent, a doorkeeper and a servant. The superintendent receives 18 escudos (Portuguese currency from 1911, = 1,000 réis) a month, the doorkeeper 15 and the servant 5. As for the residents, one receives 12.50 escudos and another 10.00, while the rest receive subsidies ranging from 7.50 to 5.00 escudos a month. The commission at present spends 140 escudos a month on the subsidies for the 19 people who live in the recolhimento (religious retreat house for women) (1921).

Expenditure on the Orphan Girls’ Retreat amounted to 631.42 escudos in 1909–1910 and 716.67 escudos in 1913.

In 1913 there were 2 orphan girls and 24 ladies living there. The orphans received 3 to 6 escudos a month, according to circumstances, for their keep, as well as diets of meat and milk. The subsidised residents received an average of 3.50 escudos a month; two of them held the posts of doorkeeper and turn-keeper (rodeira, in charge of the revolving hatch), and therefore received an additional monthly allowance of 1 escudo. One of the orphans was superintendent of the Recolhimento, for which she received 15 centavos a day in addition to the subsidy mentioned.

The designation of Orphans has disappeared from the subsidy roll, which now lists only 16 residents, besides the superintendent, the doorkeeper and the servant (1921).