Santo António (parish)

It is one of the five suburban parishes (freguesia) of Funchal and is bounded by the parishes of São Roque, São Pedro, São Martinho, Câmara de Lobos, Estreito de Câmara de Lobos and Curral das Freiras.

The land that makes up this parish today originally belonged to the parish of the Sé, Funchal Cathedral (Sé), which then extended its vast area as far as the foothills of the mountains encircling Curral das Freiras, which was separated from Santo António (‘St Anthony’) only in 1790.

As to its creation, Dr Álvaro de Azevedo tells us the following in one of his notes to the work of Gaspar Frutuoso: ‘The parish of Santo António, a suburb of Funchal, was probably created at the same time as that of São Pedro, in 1566, both having been separated from the Sé: it undoubtedly existed before 1574, because, as the royal decree (alvará) of 16 September of that year shows, the previous stipend (côngrua) of its vicar was increased’. Elsewhere, in another work, Dr Azevedo gives 1568 as the year of its creation.

We lack the necessary evidence to determine with absolute precision the year in which this parish was established, but it seems to us that its creation must date from an earlier period, at least as an autonomous curacy (curato), like others that existed in this diocese and that formed almost entirely independent parishes with their own civil and religious life. The oldest records we have found in its parish archive date from 1557, and from then on the entries of baptisms and marriages are kept regularly. This leads us to suppose that an autonomous curacy was created in precisely this year, and was later raised definitively to a parish in a year that can no longer be established. In this bishopric there were independent curacies and even chantries (capela) with altar dues in solidum and ‘curate chaplains’, which later became as many parishes, or rather were their true origin. Strong probabilities, then, not to say complete certainty, support our assertion, which places the creation of a curacy in 1557 and its definitive elevation to a parish around 1566.

The parish registers show that Father Gonçalo Jorge Rodrigues was the first priest to perform parish duties here, in the period from 1557 to 1559, although he never indicated the rank of the office he held. His successor, Francisco Afonso, from 1559 to 1569, always styled himself curate, as did others who followed him. It is very strange that, even after the creation of the parish, which beyond any doubt predates 1574, as a document of that year cited in several places shows, some of the priests who exercised the pastoral ministry here continued to style themselves curates, and others sometimes curates and sometimes vicars, as happened with Afonso Lopes, from 1585 to 1586.

The earliest parish priests of this parish were Gonçalo Jorge Rodrigues, Francisco Afonso, Miguel Rodrigues, Manuel Lopes, Vicente Afonso, Afonso de Leme, António Lopes, Domingos Fernandes and Fernão Gomes, all in the 16th century.

Only from 1574 onwards can we establish the amount of the respective stipends (côngruas), on the basis of the decrees we have found cited in the General Index of the former Treasury Superintendency (Provedoria da Fazenda) of the Royal Treasury (Fazenda Real) in this archipelago, to which we have referred on several occasions.

The growth of the population, and with it of parish duties, led the diocesan bishop, Dom Luís de Figueiredo e Lemos, to petition for the establishment of a curacy (curato) in this parish. It was granted by the royal decree of Philip II of 29 October 1602, which authorised the creation of the post, and Father Domingos Brás was appointed to it. His salary was originally 20,000 réis a year in cash and one pipa of wine. This stipend was increased by one moio of wheat by the royal decree of 14 August 1609. The law of 26 March 1845, already cited, set the stipend of this parish’s curacy at 20,000 réis in cash, 1 pipa and 15 almudes of wine, and 1 moio and 30 alqueires of wheat. The decree of 20 April 1911 abolished the last stipend, which amounted to 130,620 réis a year.

We have reason to believe that at a certain period the curates were presented by the Crown, for we see that the curate Fernão Gomes signed himself ‘proprietary curate by the King’ and also ‘confirmed curate’, and we find cited the royal decree of John IV of 18 December 1648, by which Father Francisco de Gouveia was presented as curate of this parish.

It was in a chapel dedicated to St Anthony of Padua, which no doubt originally formed part of a settled estate (fazenda povoada), that the seat of this parish, or at least of an autonomous curacy (curato), was established around the middle of the 16th century, as stated above. It is possible that before the parish (freguesia) was created this chapel had its own chaplain, as generally happened in similar circumstances. The chapel gave its name to the locality (sítio) and later to the parish; the year of its construction is unknown.

Over the years it underwent some alterations and even additions. However, as it had become too small for the population, which was growing considerably, a church of larger proportions had to be built. The site chosen was the ground between the present parish house and the public road, which formed part of the glebe (passal) and was given for this purpose by the parish priest of the time, Father António Afonso de Faria; its construction dates from the first quarter of the 17th century. Between 1665 and 1682 the chancel was added and the chapels of the Blessed Sacrament (Santíssimo Sacramento) and of the Almas (Holy Souls) were built, and other important improvements were also made. It was not a church of cramped dimensions, for it had 6 altars and its interior was finely decorated with gilt carved woodwork (talha dourada). A visitation decree (provimento) of 1756 calls it a ‘rich church’ as regards its decoration, but by then the ‘six altars were old and ill-proportioned’, in the words of the same decree.

We suppose that at the end of the 17th century or the beginning of the 18th important works of rebuilding or enlargement were carried out on the old church, for in the General Index of the register of the former Royal Treasury Office (Provedoria da Real Fazenda) on this island we find a reference to the royal decree (alvará régio) of 9 September 1711, which ordered the continuation of the works on the church of Santo António, estimated at 2,233,920 réis (old Portuguese money of account; 1$000 = 1,000 réis, 1:000$000 = one conto = 1,000,000 réis). We have no evidence to state that the works were completed in accordance with that estimate, but it is certain that major repairs were made to the old parish church at various times. With the building of the present church, demolition of the old one began in 1785, leaving standing the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, which served as the parish seat until 1789. Next to the parish priest’s residence there still survives a stretch of wall which tradition says belonged to the old church.

The ever-growing population and the ruinous state in which the earthquake of 1748 had left the church at once made it advisable to build a new and larger church. A contemporary account of the earthquake says: ‘The church of Santo António has several cracks in its façade: the dressed stone (cantaria) of the main door is dislodged and the walls of the nave are broken in various places, as are those of the outbuildings, and what is felt most is the ceiling, which is badly damaged.’

Although the church had been so badly damaged, and despite the diligent efforts of its parish priest at the time, Dr António Pereira Borges, construction of the new church did not begin until 1783, that is, 35 years after that great earthquake. The site chosen was a plot of land almost adjoining the old church. Tradition records that, since the excavations found no ground firm enough to lay the foundations of the walls, large chestnut trunks were laid in the footings, and on them were set the first blocks of stone that served as the base for the walls of the new church. This may be a novelty for Madeira, where firm, secure ground is always found at a shallow depth, but not in other places, where the nature of the terrain makes it necessary to resort to these and similar methods.

The building took six years and was declared finished in 1789, although work on the interior ornamentation of the church, and especially of the altars, continued for some years. The guarantor and inspector of the works was Second Lieutenant António Francisco da Cruz Camacho, who died in the locality (sítio) of Ladeira (‘slope’) in this parish (freguesia) on 21 August 1815. He was buried beneath the arch of the chancel, and his tombstone bears this epitaph: ‘tomb of Second Lieutenant António Francisco da Cruz Camacho and of his wife and children and heirs, who was the guarantor and inspector of this church, which was begun in the year 1783 and completed in 1789’. He always showed the greatest dedication and selflessness in advancing the works, which at times proceeded very slowly, though for reasons beyond his control, and his memory deserves great gratitude for the unsurpassed zeal he displayed in bringing the new church to completion.

On the façade, above the main door, is a stone tablet bearing the following inscription: Antonio Lusitanorum Protectori Templum Dedicat Aug. Reg. Maria Prima Illius Liberalitatem Efundentibus Suis In Hac Insula Ab Aerario Ad Ministris. Anno MDCCLXXXIII. (To Anthony, protector of the Portuguese, the august Queen Maria I dedicates this church, her liberality being dispensed by her ministers of the treasury in this island. Year 1783.) Although religious services began to be held in the new church in 1789, its final interior completion took many more years. Work on the chapel of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe was not declared finished until 1798; the chancel was still not entirely complete in 1801, and the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament was only finished at the beginning of the 19th century.

In 1880, when Councillor (conselheiro, honorary title of the royal council) José Silvestre Ribeiro was civil governor of this district, important works were carried out in this church on his orders. They consisted mainly of flooring the chancel, repairs to the walls and towers, re-roofing the whole church and other minor repairs. In 1852, too, some fairly significant repairs were made to the vestry washroom and other parts of the church.

The bell towers had never been completed, and it was in 1880 that Canon Feliciano Teixeira, deputy for Madeira, obtained from the central government the funds needed to raise the towers and finish them for good. The works were not carried out and completed until 1883. The spires of the towers were not built with the necessary solidity, for a stronger gust of wind brought down the southern one on 8 March 1899, and the northern one had to be taken down because it offered no guarantee of withstanding the weather.

In this parish church there is a chapel consecrated to Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe), and the veneration of the Most Holy Virgin under that dedication in this parish is very old. The building of this chapel is due chiefly to the curate Manuel J. Pereira de Sousa, who not only adorned it with fine decorations but also obtained a papal brief dated 14 July 1805, granting a plenary indulgence to those who visit this church on the occasion of the feast of Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe.

This parish has the chapels of Santo Amaro, Our Lady of Prayers, Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, São João e Santana, Our Lady of Protection and the cemetery chapel, in all of which Mass is still celebrated. The chapel of St Philip (São Filipe) survives but has been deconsecrated, and that of Santa Maria Madalena is in ruins. No trace remains of the chapels of Nossa Senhora da Quietação, Santa Quitéria and Nossa Senhora das Brotas. We have dealt with each of these chapels elsewhere in this work. The chapel of Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, in the locality (sítio) of Pico do Cardo (‘thistle peak’), which belonged to the Jesuits, and the stay of Blessed Inácio de Azevedo in this parish, we have already discussed in volume I of the Elucidário, on page 110, and in volume II, on page 187.

The chapel of São João e Santana stands on the Quinta do Trapiche (‘sugar mill’), which has an excellent country house attached and was the property of Dona Maria Paula Rego, heiress of the old Gouveia Rego entailed estate (morgadio) to which this quinta (country estate) belonged. It served as the summer residence of the last prelates of this diocese, and a few years ago the diocesan seminary was temporarily housed there. Plans are under way to adapt this rural and urban property for a mental asylum, and some Brothers of St John of God have already begun the work (1921).

The main localities of this parish are: Casas Próximas, Romeiras, Courelas, Quinta das Freiras, Terra Chã, Jamboto, Fontes, Ladeira, Chamorra, Encruzilhadas, Vasco Gil, Casas, Casa Branca, Boliqueme, Barreira, Trapiche, Curral Velho, Laranjal, Lombo dos Aguiares, Pomar do Miradouro, Ribeira Grande, Lugar do Meio, Salão, Álamos, Penteada, Quinta do Leme, Madalena, Levada do Cavalo, Pilar, Pico dos Barcelos, Santo Amaro, Tanque, Alecrins, Preces, Pinheiro das Voltas, Santa Quitéria, Pico do Cardo, Três Paus, Viana, Ribeiro dos Socorridos and Fajã. Many of these localities command vast and striking views. Special mention is due to Pico dos Barcelos, which only a few years ago was almost entirely unknown to the great majority of the people of Funchal. Today, however, thanks to a recently built road (1921) giving easy access to the ridge of that peak, it has become an obligatory stop on every excursion made within the municipality (concelho) of Funchal. Rarely a day passes, especially when tourists are visiting, without a considerable number of motor cars climbing that height, from which one enjoys one of the most marvellous stretches of the incomparable Madeiran landscape.

Besides some mobile schools, this parish has nine official primary schools, in the localities of Madalena, Casas Próximas, Salão, Terra Chã, Lombo dos Aguiares, Trapiche, Encruzilhadas, Chamorra and Romeiras. Santo António is the most populous parish on the island; the last published census gives it a total of 8,839 inhabitants (1921).

A major improvement carried out in this parish in recent years was the widening of the road leading from the Largo das Maravilhas to the parish church. The work began at the end of November 1914 and is still not fully finished (1921).

In March 1914 a small fortnightly magazine began to appear under the title Paróquia de Santo António do Funchal; 46 issues were published, containing a historical account of this parish.

We cannot fail to mention the important improvements made to the parish church between 1922 and 1928, on which more than three hundred contos (one million réis) de réis were spent, raised by public subscription among the parishioners. To these improvements was added the installation of a magnificent clock in one of the bell towers, a generous gift from the benevolent industrialist Henrique Hinton, which renders excellent service to this populous parish.

These notable improvements are described more fully in the book Paroquia de Santo Antonio da Ilha da Madeira, a volume of 230 pages containing a detailed historical monograph on the parish, written by one of the co-authors of this Elucidário.

In the local press and in the higher government of the district, the idea has arisen more than once of dividing the parish of Santo António into two autonomous parishes, in view of its continuous and growing population and the expansion of its territory, which stretches far across the mountainous heights surrounding it. They would bear the apt names of Santo António de Cima, with its seat in the locality of ‘Boliqueme’ or ‘Encruzilhadas’, and Santo António de Baixo, with its seat in the locality of ‘Casas Próximas’. The first would have a population of about 9,000 inhabitants and the second about 6,000. The greatest difficulty in carrying out this plan, which would bring undeniable advantages to the inhabitants, would be the building of a new parish church and of a presbytery, or residence for the clergy.