Mercês (Rua das)
Connects the streets of Netos and S. Pedro with the Marquês square and Rua da Saúde, and derives its name from the existence of the Mercês convent, which we have already mentioned in the 1st vol. of this Elucidário. Its grounds extended to near the Almas chapel, and at that time the Capuchin alley was quite narrow.
The City Council considered establishing the jail in the Mercês convent, whose grounds it had obtained after the proclamation of the Republic. However, it gave up on that idea and, on April 22, 1914, decided to cede the same grounds to the 'Auxilio Maternal', receiving in return the part of the Santa Clara convent that had been ceded to the same institution by the decrees of October 31, 1912, and September 22, 1913.
The Mercês convent began to be demolished in 1911 for the construction of the jail, and in the same year, it served as accommodation for part of the troops that came to Madeira to maintain public order during the cholera epidemic. It was on March 4, 1915, that the executive committee of the City Council communicated to the Government that it would not use the building of the aforementioned convent for the construction of the jail.
Nossa Senhora das Mercês and Convents.