Church of Mercy

Located in the then suburb in the face of Porta dos Ferreiros, Igreja da Misericórdia is one of the most imposing buildings of the Baroque Era. Despite the documented existence of a former church, the building we can currently admire is an 18th century construction. It is a longitudinal plant church, of a monumental scale and a single nave; its main façade is locked by a baroque “empena”, typically cut and flanked by two recessed bell towers. In its center one can appreciate an arched doorway, framed by very typical baroque ornaments. The façade integrates the royal arms of King João V, as it was a custom in every “Igreja da Misericórdia”, always instituted by a monarch. At the top of the main façade a niche houses the image of Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia. The original complex of the Misericórdia da Guarda included, as in all Portuguese Misericórdias, the Consistory Room, where the brothers gathered and made the decisions concerning the management of the institution, the hospital with two wards, one for men and other for women and a small cemetery. From the initial complex, only the cloister and the pharmacy remain.