Paixão (Madre Brites da)

It is a name almost entirely forgotten, especially after the extinction of the monastic orders and even more so after the closure of the Convent of Mercês in this city, where she was a nun and where she died in a state of sanctity.

The tradition preserved in this monastery and some writings found in its archive confirm the eminent degree of moral perfection achieved by this nun, attributing to her several miraculous acts, especially after her death and through her intercession. Her tomb was always an object of special veneration and was frequently visited by many people who went there to request special graces from God through the effective intercession of this humble nun.

Madre Brites da Paixão was the natural daughter of Aires de Ornelas de Vasconcelos, 6th lord of Caniço, and she took her vows in the Convent of Mercês in the year 1673 or 1674.

We have an interesting manuscript by Father António Gomes Neto in which many miraculous facts attributed to the nun Madre Brites da Paixão are narrated.