The July “Entail of the Month” is featuring the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, established in Canas de Senhorim. On 4th January 1594, on Rua de São Paulo, in Goa, Dionísio de Figueiredo, a Jesuit and former canon law student at the University of Coimbra, signed his last will and testament. This founded a chapel dedicated to Saint Denis, appointing his sister and her husband to administer the estate and entrusting them to place an image of Our Lady of Piety there.

The management of the chapel’s property was not always easy and, with the passing of the centuries and the interweaving of matrimonial unions, the assets of the entailment and the associated documentation were dispersed among various family groups.

Although the surviving heritage currently remains as private property, the Cultural Heritage Service of the Municipality of Nelas has been undertaking efforts to enhance and requalify the ruins of the chapel instituted by Dionísio de Figueiredo. In 2019, as part of the European Heritage Days, the municipality proceeded with restoration of the building, converting it to become one of the stages for this initiative. The interest displayed by visitors suggests the space will become a museum, reflecting the growing appreciation of the region’s historical heritage.

To find out more details about this entail, go to this page with all the Entail of the Month information. Here, you may also find out about the other entails made available in the meantime, at: https://www.vinculum.fcsh.unl.pt/entail-of-the-month

You can also contribute to this initiative by making suggestions for future entails of the month and any details you may be able to provide. To this end, please contact the project at: vinculum@fcsh.unl.pt.

The VINCULUM project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by Maria de Lurdes Rosa, Professor of NOVA FCSH and researcher at the Institute of Medieval Studies, awarded the first ERC Consolidator Grant to a Portuguese researcher in the field of History.