St Maurus (chapels)

The chapel of Santo Amaro (‘St Maurus’), which stands in the locality (sítio) of the same name in the parish (freguesia) of Santo António, is one of the oldest in the diocese. It is one of the few 15th-century buildings to have survived here in Madeira, although perhaps nothing remains of the original structure, given the far-reaching alterations made to it over the course of four and a half centuries.

Dr Álvaro R. de Azevedo, through an evident slip, places this chapel in the parish of São Martinho (‘St Martin’), when it has certainly always belonged to the parish of Santo António. The mistake may stem from the fact that its founder owned extensive lands in both these parishes, perhaps adjoining one another, so that at some time in the not-so-recent past the chapel may have been regarded as lying indifferently in one parish or the other. It was built at a spot on the boundary between the two parishes and, moreover, the main entrance of the quinta (country estate) that surrounded the chapel opened onto the road separating those parishes. These circumstances could easily have misled him and led him to suppose that the little church of Santo Amaro did not lie within the parish of Santo António.

Those even moderately read in the Madeiran chronicles know that four noblemen came to this island from the Kingdom (reino, i.e. mainland Portugal) with the express purpose of marrying the daughters of the discoverer of Madeira and first captain-donatary (capitão-donatário) of Funchal. The third of them, Dona Catarina da Câmara, married Garcia Homem de Sousa, who was the founder of this chapel. The annotator of ‘Longing for the Homeland’ (Saudades da Terra) states verbatim: ‘...Santo Amaro, which was founded by Garcia Homem de Souza, son-in-law of Zargo, in 1460 on the great settled estate (fazenda povoada) where he had a castellated dwelling.’ Elsewhere the Saudades also say of this same Garcia de Souza: ‘...he built the chapel, or strong or castellated house, to defend himself against his brothers-in-law; he was proud and violent’; and they add finally that ‘having quarrels with his brothers-in-law... he built a tower which stands near the Madre de Deus (‘Mother of God’)’.

What was the Madre de Deus? The original name of the chapel or locality of Santo Amaro? We cannot say. However, according to tradition, and as the learned annotator of ‘Longing for the Homeland’ affirms, it was at Santo Amaro that Garcia Homem de Sousa built the castellated house mentioned in the old chronicles of this archipelago, to defend himself against his brothers-in-law in the bloody struggles he had with them. Indeed, some ruined houses of quite ancient construction still stand there, which are probably the remains of the fortress-like manor house that the proud and turbulent Garcia de Sousa built to shelter from the assaults of his enemies. A pointed-arch doorway of dressed stone (cantaria), still to be seen there and apparently bearing the stamp of Manueline-period buildings, ought to be carefully preserved. Traces of an old cistern also remain, and not many years ago the walls of an old tower could likewise still be seen there, all of it apparently of very early construction (1921).

There was a quinta there, within whose grounds stood the chapel and the probable building of Garcia de Sousa. Today only a gateway of some architectural pretension remains, which in former times also served as the entrance to the chapel.

Santo Amaro is one of the most important chapels in this bishopric, for its antiquity and historical traditions, for its size, and also for the crowds of worshippers who attend its patronal feast. It seems to us that little remains of its original structure, which underwent successive alterations over time. With the evident aim of isolating it from the rural and urban property within whose grounds it stood, a high wall was built in front of the façade, three or four metres away from it, and joined to the little church by a porch. All this greatly disfigured the front of the building and also considerably spoilt the beauty of the whole. It was probably from this time, which we cannot determine precisely, that the chapel began to be served exclusively through the present entrance, and the passage that opened onto the road to Tangue and Alecrins (‘rosemary bushes’) was closed off. We presume that the administrators of the chapel had relinquished their duties as patrons and left it to the care and management of the parish vestry, in whose charge it has been for many years, and in this way separated it from the rest of the quinta or estate on which it had been built.

This chapel always remained in the possession of the successors of Garcia Homem de Sousa, and we know that in 1700 the administrator of the entailed property of Santo Amaro was Filipe de Carvalhal Esmeraldo, captain-major (capitão-mor, commander of the local militia) of Câmara de Lobos (‘seals’ den’). His immediate successor was his son, José Joaquim de Carvalhal Esmeraldo, who passed it to his son, also named José Joaquim de Carvalhal Esmeraldo. He was succeeded in this entailed administration by his brother Francisco António de Bettencourt Carvalhal Esmeraldo, whose daughter, Dona Isabel Esmeraldo Barbosa de Matos e Câmara, inherited the property and chapel. She bequeathed it to her sister Dona Júlia Esmeraldo, who died on 14 September 1915.

The chapel as it stands today is a reconstruction dating from the second or third quarter of the 17th century. The little church has three altars and is of no mean size, but it contains nothing to catch the observer’s attention, for not even traces of the old, original building seem to be found there. In former times it was the centre of a well-attended pilgrimage.

Only a few years ago, beside the road leading to Lombada dos Esmeraldos (‘the Esmeraldos’ ridge’) in the parish (freguesia) of Ponta do Sol (‘point of the sun’), could be seen the ruins of a chapel dedicated to St Maurus, said to have been built by João Esmeraldo at the end of the 15th century (see Lombada dos Esmeraldos).

Within the limits of the town (vila) of Santa Cruz (‘Holy Cross’) stands a chapel dedicated to St Maurus, which was built by the people, though the year of its construction is unknown. Every year its patronal feast draws an extraordinary crowd from the surrounding parishes. It was rebuilt in 1922.