Convento de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Lagoa)
Encyclopedia
The Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is found in the Municipality of Lagoa in the Algarve, Portugal
.
, but when certain monasteries were closed by the order, the Carmelites also abandoned this site, which then passed into private hands.
The Convent
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was in ruins after the 1755 Earthquake
, but was restored some years later by its owners, the Cabrita family. Later private masses came to be celebrated in the chapel of the convent, along with the celebration of an an annual festival (with procession) in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
, the patroness of the Carmelite Order.
The convent is now abandoned and in a state of ruin. Although the National Road 125
, one of the most important highways of the Algarve, passes by its door, there is little to inform the tourist of the existence of this monument, an exceptional piece of sacred Portuguese architecture
.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
History
Founded in 1550 by Pedro Fernando, scribe of the household of Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal, the Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was built about one kilometer to the east-southeast of Lagoa, in the Algarve. For many years it was a house of the Discalced CarmelitesCarmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
, but when certain monasteries were closed by the order, the Carmelites also abandoned this site, which then passed into private hands.
The Convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was in ruins after the 1755 Earthquake
1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
, but was restored some years later by its owners, the Cabrita family. Later private masses came to be celebrated in the chapel of the convent, along with the celebration of an an annual festival (with procession) in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid 13th centuries...
, the patroness of the Carmelite Order.
The convent is now abandoned and in a state of ruin. Although the National Road 125
Roads in Portugal
Roads in Portugal are integrated in the Plano Rodoviário Nacional de 2000 , which describes the existing and planned network of portuguese roads....
, one of the most important highways of the Algarve, passes by its door, there is little to inform the tourist of the existence of this monument, an exceptional piece of sacred Portuguese architecture
Architecture of Portugal
Architecture of Portugal refers to the architecture practised in the territory of present-day Portugal since before the foundation of the country in the 12th century...
.
See also
- Carmelites of the Ancient ObservanceCarmelitesThe Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
- Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount CarmelHermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount CarmelThe Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel is a branch of the religious Carmelite Order of the Ancient Observance, who originated as hermit monks and have been mendicant friars since the 13th century. The male Carmelites of this branch of the Order are not considered monastics as...
- Third Order of Our Lady of Mount CarmelLay CarmelitesThe Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a branch of the religious Carmelite Order of the Ancient Observance and was established in 1476 by a bull of Pope Sixtus IV...
- Discalced CarmelitesDiscalced CarmelitesThe Discalced Carmelites, or Barefoot Carmelites, is a Catholic mendicant order with roots in the eremitic tradition of the Desert Fathers and Mothers...