EnglishChurch and Convent of Saint Teresa
Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil
Religious Architecture
The first major victory after the restoration struggle began in Pernambuco was the Battle of Montes das Tabocas in 1645. To fulfil a corresponding vow, Mestre-de-camp João Fernandes Vieira had a church built near Olinda in 1661 and dedicated to Our Lady of the Exile. In 1686, it was turned over to the Teresian friars, who started building a small adjacent convent. Another larger one was later built by the east side of the church. The latter’s main façade presents an excellent composition with its centre dominated by a richly ornamented stone niche. A three-arched Franciscan-style ashlar portico stands at the entrance to the nave. The main altarpiece inside is rococo. Tiles from the Queen Maria I period line the sides of the nave. When the Teresians left the convent, it was transferred to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia charitable institution, which installed an orphanage that still functions today.