Carreira (Rua da)

It has the modern denomination of Dr. Vieira Street, but the people only know it by its old name. 'Saudades' says, 'It is called Carreira dos cavallos because horses used to run in it'. It is one of the oldest streets in the city, and in the past, many of the noblest and most qualified families of Funchal had their residences there. It currently goes from Largo do Colegio to the S. João bridge. Before the demolition of the S. Paulo gate, near the chapel of the same name, it was one of the limits of this street, with the other being Rua de S. Francisco. In addition to the general denomination of Carreira, it had the names of Rua da Igrejinha, dos Pintos, de S. Paulo, and de Manuel da Grã, with each of these names corresponding to a part of the current street. The small square, still called Igrejinha, which is the point of intersection between Rua das Pretas (now Camara Pestana) and Rua da Carreira, retains this name because there was once a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy, commonly called Igrejinha. The old chapel of S. Paulo, the chapel of Our Lady of Conception, and the private cemetery of the British colony are located on Rua da Carreira.