The Convent of Caloura () is a Portuguese 16th-century convent located in the civil parish of Água de Pau, in the municipality of Lagoa, on the island of São Miguel in the archipelago of the Azores.
History
Around 1440, from the writings of friar Agostinho de Santa Maria, the construction of a small chapel to Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception) was built by a hermit named Joanne Anes, on this site.
On 28 July 1515, King Manuel elevated the settlement of Água de Pau to the status of town, that consisted of half a league of land, de-annexing the territory from Vila Franca.
Father Gaspar Frutuoso noted that by 1522, the year of the cataclysmic earthquake and landslide in Vila Franca, there already existed a small chapel in the sheltered area, to the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Conceição: the coastal area escaped the cataclysm in Vila Franca. During these events, Jorge de Mota, a knight in the service of the Aviz, who lived in an estate with houses, orchards and chapel (dedicated to São João Baptista) recounted an episode when his daughter, a devout person, and her travelling companion, Isabel Afonso (a native of Braga or Ponte de Lima) had come to São Miguel with her husband Rodrigo Afonso and niece. They had planned to travel overnight to the hermitage of Santa Clara in Ponta Delgada, with Jorge de Mota's daughter's half-sisters (between four and nine). Along the road, sighting the chapel in the Vale de Cabaços (Caloura), they decided to remain there. Later, discovering where his daughters were, Jorge da Mota did what he could to convince the girls to return to his estate, but they reluctantly remained in the hermitage for the next six months, owing to the events of the earthquake and landslide in Vila Franca. Since the site only offered a small hermitage with sacristy, the town council of Vila Franca and settlers of Água de Pau constructed (with their meagre funds) a small house where the two lady's began to preach, taking up residence before Easter and adopting the names Maria de Jesus and Maria dos Anjos. Maria de Jesus wrote to her father, Jorge de Mota, asking that four of his daughters be allowed to remain, while the town council requested alms to support the women. After a month, two daughters of João de Arruda da Costa, from Vila Franca do Campo, also took up shelter on the site, followed by other devout women.
The island's third Captain-donatário, Rui Gonçalves da Câmara, then began to take care of the house, obtaining a papal bull and permission to erect a monastery, of which he and his wife, D. Filipa Coutinho, became patrons. Rui Gonçalves later moved, along with his family, to the area in order to be close to the religious sanctuary, contracting several public works.
On 16 July 1533, Pope Clement VIII determined the creation of a monastery, to Santo André in Vila Franca do Campo, housing 40 nuns, many of whom came from the same Vale de Cabaços.
It was these same nuns and staff that eventually abandoned the shelter on 23 April 1540 to found the monastery of Nossa Senhora da Esperança in Ponta Delgada, taking with them the image of Senhor Santo Cristo. This image had been offered by Pope Paul III to two of the sisters from Vale de Cabaços who had travelled to Rome to solicit the erection of the Ponta Delgada monastery.
The current chapel was constructed in the 17th century, and linked to the date inscribed on a panel representing Father Diogo da Madre de Deus, on the left side of the nave (1630). Yet, until 1632, the site remained deserted and only briefly occupied by a hermit. It was in August that several hermits appeared from Furnas, moving into the Vale de Cabaços. On the 20 November, under provision of D. João Pimenta de Abreu, then Bishop of Angra and the Azores, the hermits of Nossa Senhora da Consolação from the valley of Furnas, were authorized to construct homes alongside the hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (where they had already been housed temporarily). The hermits had abandoned their shelters in Furnas following a series of earthquakes and fires that occurred on 2 September 1630, and migrated out of the area.
By 1633, housing to the rear of the sacristy had been constructed, using wood and recycled elements from Furnas; they built a corridor and five cells that accommodated the brothers and two priests. The house of the original hermit and other dependencies were transformed into a pantry and refectory. Meanwhile, towards the coast they built a kitchen and other spaces. When completed, on 17 November 1633, the blessed sacrament from Furnas, which was saved from the fires, was placed on the altar of Nossa Senhora da Conceição; flanking the tabernacle, the clergy placed the images of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (from the hermitage) and Nossa Senhora da Consolação (also brought from the Furnas Valley). Meanwhile, the brothers constructed two niches over the altar, and placed images of Saint Peter and Mary Magadalene, while in smaller niches other saints and crucifixes were placed. The following year the body of Father Diogo da Madre de Deus of Furnas was brought from the Vale de Cabaços, and buried in a tomb within the chancel. But, by the end of December, the chamber was reopened and the bones were deposited in a stone box and placed to the right of the altar's credenza. In 1635, an image of Nossa Senhora das Dores was already located in the presbytery.
In August 1650, Father Manuel da Anunciação ordered the opening of five tombs, including his own, in the presbytery, between the lateral retables. The following year, on 17 February 1651, Father Manuel da Anunciação died, and a year later, his bones were moved to the credenza in the altar.
In 1659, the clergyman João Roiz Vitória provided funding for a few public works, with the acquisition of bunks and gratings, a silver custodio and some ornaments.
D. Manuel Luís Baltazar da Câmara, 1st Count of Riberia Grande, and 8th Donatary-Captain of São Miguel visited in September 1664, along with his wife. He ordered new work on the cell of Father Assunção, providing funding and materials, as well as extending the sacristy, building a high-choir, a new group of dormitories with four cells, and at the end, an oratory with crucifix. It could have been at this time that the work on the azulejos in the sub-choir was completed, while work on the dormitories was finished at the end of Christmas. The Count later improved the housing for the Blessed Sacrament, which was in a bad state. On the feast day of Nossa Senhora da Consolação (Our Lady of Consolation), the image (which was transferred from Furnas) was moved to the left lateral altar on 8 September 1664.
On 14 May 1665, Dr. Manuel Álvares Cabral visited the convent, resulting in the restoration of the older dormitories. The same document indicates that on 16 September, there were ten hermits (six of whom were priests) making a maximum of 13 at the institution; it was prohibited to receive hermits with only the approval of the ouvidor, requiring the intervention and authorization of the bishop. On 11 August 1674, Bishop Lourenço de Castro visited, ordering the remodelling of the building. The bishop also lamented the lack of priests, and the rumour spread that he desired that Franciscans occupy the spaces to allow older priests a place for recreation and retreat, which caused consternation.
In December 1684, a niche in stone was built by Jean Fauger (known as João Faugero), a native of Agen in France, who lived in a small space within the grounds, and who worked as a sculptor.
In 1688, Captain Bartlomeu de Frias Coutinho, expressed his intention to enter the convent, ordering the construction of three rooms in the last dormitory of the western wing, for his spaces. On 23 February, a new image of the Virgin Mary was installed in the front niche, executed by Fauger again, and in white marble which was specially ordered by his son, Father João da Madre de Deus, who ministered in the Recolhimento (religious shelter). The master sculptor also built various columns, pedestals, angels, cherubs and images (including Nossa Senhora da Piedade and São José). The artisan died in 1693, before concluding the altar for the image of Nossa Senhora da Consolação. While a resident at the convent, Father Bartolomeu de Frias Coutinho worked on improving the roads to the chapel in 1695 and decorated the sepulchre tomb, during the Paschal Triduum of Holy Week, and other small works. Upon his death in 1696, Bartolomeu's testament left all his worldly possessions to the shelter, including his books and monies, to be used to create a silver censer and chains (with leftover funds).
In 1704, Fathers Ministro and João de Passos solicited from the Bishop authority for students to live in the shelter, in order for them to continue their studies and practice Latin. Later that year the Bishop issued his approval. Bishop D. António Vieira Leitão then visited the convent on 24 January 1707. At the altar of Nossa Senhora da Consolação he requested an annual mass and three masses at Christmas, leaving four moios of wheat in Água de Pau. In addition, the obedientiary contracted new statutes, similar to those created in Furnas in 1619.
Just after he left, the dormitories and cells of the eastern wing were ruined and secured with props. Domingos Roiz, in exchange for permission to be received as a laymen, donated 200$000 reis for the project. However Domingos Roiz was expelled in 1709 for undignified comportment, and the remainder of his contribution (67$470 reis) was devolved. In the following years there were new projects in the convent, including: azulejos (1725); the doorway in the oblique corridor alongside the chapel (1731); installation of new washroom (1733); new azulejo tile in the nave, construction of a cistern (with a 300$000 réis contribution from the government), reconstruction of the dormitory, kitchen and workshops (1737).
On 22 May 1760, the testament of Adriano da Silva left his possessions to the shelter.
Figurative panels were installed over the central panel of the triumphal arch in 1779, under the orders of Father Pedro Paulo de Vasconcelos, vice-vicar in the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos in Água de Pau, becoming known as Father Saint Paul.
On 17 May 1832, in a decree signed in Ponta Delgada by Regent Peter, Minister and Secretary of State for Ecclesiastical Affairs, and Minister of Justice, José Xavier Mouzinho da Silveira, the shelter of Caloura was closed and Church secularized, with its possessions and properties incorporated into the national treasury. On 11 July Father José Bento Rodovalho, Minister of Shelters, order the immediate inventory of the Church's possessions, decorations and tools; these possessions included silverware, ampoule, two chalices; a pair of cruets with dishes; three panels; ten images of various invocations and heights with silver-leaf; four silver crowns or various sizes; an image of Christ; two cabinets; and a small bell from the belfry. The hermits were expelled from the convent, and the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição fell under the vigilance of the local authority of the parish of Nossa Senhora dos Anjos of Água de Pau.