Convent of St Francis
Convento de São Francisco
Sé · Funchal
Former convent in Funchal, on the site of the present Jardim Municipal
The Convento de São Francisco was a Franciscan convent in Funchal founded in 1473, which marked the western limit of the city in 1508. Its church was demolished in 1865, and its fittings, books, tombstones and bones went to the Angústias cemetery, the museum and the Municipal Library. Its buildings briefly lodged prisoners until 1836 and housed the police in 1857.
1Mentioned in
- Police — Former convent housing the police in 1857.
- Our Lady of Consolation (chapels) — Source of the chapel's mosaic altar front.
- Angústias (cemetery) — Demolished convent whose door, tombstone and bones were moved to the cemetery.
- St John the Baptist (chapels) — Franciscan convent to which the friars moved around 1476.
- Ash Wednesday procession — The procession's original starting point.
- Archaeological Museum — Its marble shield and crown went to the museum.
- Libraries — Former convent whose books passed to the Municipal Library.
- Old Buildings — From its grounds the fatal 1693 shot was fired.
- Old Funchal — Existing in 1508, the western limit of the city.
- Inscribed stones — Convent founded 1473 whose church was demolished in 1865.
- Prison — Prisoners were briefly lodged there until 1836.
- Acciaioly (Simão) — Convent housing his chapel and tomb.
- Arruda (Friar Pedro de) — Convent whose first church Arruda built.
- Page (Roberto) — Near it Page provided a poorhouse.
- Hermenegildo Capelo (street) — Franciscan convent whose grounds were cut through by the street.
- Photography — Camacho's studio was on the street east of this convent.
- Campo do Duque — The field reached near its enclosure.
- Fernandes da Silva (Dr Julião) — Where Fr. João de S. José's letter was dated.
- Education — Convent that held private theology courses for its friars.
- Clocks — The dissolved convent supplied the new hour bell in 1835.
- Cupertino (Friar José) — Convent to which Cupertino belonged.
- Procession of St Francis — Probable starting point of the procession.
- Theatre — Suppressed convent adapted as the Prazer Regenerado theatre in 1840.
- Leme — Burial place of Martim de Leme.
- Funchal Poorhouse — Former convent that housed the asylum in 1847 and later the orphan asylum.
- Legends — Site of the legend of the Senhor dos Milagres.
- Lamedo (António José de Jesus) — Former convent where Lamedo was buried.
- Cholera morbus in 1856 and 1910 — Former convent where the regiment first lodged.
- Sancho (Dom) — Its church was consecrated by Sancho.
- Jardim Municipal (Municipal Garden) — Former convent whose grounds became the garden.
- Alvares — Franciscan convent in Funchal whose original foundation in 1473 is credited to Luiz Alvares da Costa.
- Jardim Pequeno — The garden bordered the grounds of this extinct convent.
- Cook (James) — Convent whose bone-lined chapel impressed Cook's party.
- Nurseries and acclimatisation gardens — Its grounds were assigned as a nursery by the 1837 decree, to little effect.
2Chronology
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Luís Álvares da Costa, with his son, founded the Franciscan convent of São Francisco in Funchal.
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Bishop D. Sancho Truxillo, visiting Madeira, consecrated the rebuilt church of the São Francisco convent in Funchal (one entry dates his visit to 1548).
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D. Mécia was accidentally shot dead by a friar from the grounds of the São Francisco convent.
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A street (now Rua Hermenegildo Capelo) was opened through the Franciscan convent grounds in Funchal despite the friars' opposition.
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A decree abolished the religious orders and convents; the Franciscan convent in Funchal was abandoned.
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The council requisitioned a bell from the dissolved São Francisco convent for the town clock.
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Prisoners were returned from the São Francisco convent to the prison house in the Largo da Sé.
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A decree assigned the São Francisco convent grounds in Funchal as a nursery, apparently without result.
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The Prazer Regenerado theatre opened in the former São Francisco convent in Funchal.
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The police were housed in the former São Francisco convent in Funchal.
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Bones and the founder's tombstone from the demolished São Francisco convent in Funchal were transferred to the Angústias cemetery.
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On 21 February the Funchal council appointed a committee to lay out gardens on the São Francisco convent grounds, and the small garden was built that year.
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Work began on the Funchal municipal garden in the enclosure of the Convento de São Francisco; in October an inscribed stone dated 1780 was found during the works.