Igreja e Museu da Misericórdia (Church and Museum of Mercy), Salvador

Igreja e Museu da Misericórdia (Church and Museum of Mercy), Salvador

The Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia (Portuguese: Igreja e Santa Casa de Misericórdia) is a former church and hospital in Salvador. It was established as a branch of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in 1549; a hospital, Hospital da Caridade (English: Charity Hospital), functioned from the 17th century. The Santa Casa additionally held a monopoly on burials in colonial Bahia. It was additionally funded by its brotherhood, the Brotherhood of Santa Casa. The Santa Casa of Bahia accepted the donation of a slave-holding plantation, the Fazenda Saubara in present-day Saubara, in 1652.

The Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia is located in the Historic Center of Salvador. Its monumental portals and baroque façade face a narrow street that runs through the historic center. The rear of the Santa Casa opens to views of the Bay of All Saints. The building was adjacent to the Old Cathedral of Salvador to the north; the demolition of the old cathedral in 1933 disfigured the north façade of the Santa Casa. The old cathedral was replaced by a public square, the Praça da Sé, and the Santa Casa now faces the Archbishop's Palace of Salvador.

The Church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia was listed as a historic structure by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 1938.

The former hospital and chapel now functions as a museum, the Misericórdia Museum (Portuguese: Museu da Misericórdia).

Museu da Misericórdia, located in Santa Casa da Misericórdia is dedicated to the country’s history in medicine. It had been a clay hospital that was replaced by this complex built around two cloisters and a church in 1697. Portraits of notable city figures who donated funds for this museum can be found inside.

It has a collection of 3,874 pieces of furniture, art, sacred imagery, and relics of the Hospital da Caridade itself. The museum additionally maintains the chapel of Santa Casa, much in its original form.

It is open from Tuesday through Friday, from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm; Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

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Igreja e Museu da Misericórdia (Church and Museum of Mercy) on Map

Sight Name: Igreja e Museu da Misericórdia (Church and Museum of Mercy)
Sight Location: Salvador, Brazil (See walking tours in Salvador)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

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