Abrir ListaThis Hostel was founded by Fernão Martins, his wife and their children in the beginning of the 14th century or, maybe, still in the end of the 13th century. In years to come, they would be the donors of the first legacy to the economic survival of the institution. Even the building converted into Hostel belonged to the heritage of the founders and it is likely that it had once been their family home.
The medieval hostels were meant to host the pilgrims and the poor towards whom social rules prescribed hospitality. On the other hand, hospitals were meant to treat and care for sick.
As it was common in those days, the Hostel of Santa Maria had an attached church dedicated to Santa Maria, a place where the religious cult was practiced, namely masses in behalf of the souls of the founders and of those who left assets to the institution.
The actions of the founder couple was in line with what was common practice in those times in what concerns the creation of these type of institutions.
Most donors used to create institutions with a reduced occupation capacity with plain and small spaces, reduced to one or two separate divisions with the corresponding beds. By the beginning of the 16th century, the Hostel had only five or six beds, which leads us to imagine how small it was in the early 14th century.
Hospitals and hostels were maintained by means of donations of land, houses or other assets that where, however, not paid over for the maintenance of the institutions because a large part of these funds was meant to pay for masses in behalf of the souls of the donors.
Ordering masses in behalf of souls was, in fact, the fundamental reason behind the donations to religious institutions (churches, convents, monasteries) or of Christian living (fellowships, hospitals, hostels).
The Fellowship of the Shepherds was founded in 1516 and became responsible for the administration of the Hostel of Santa Maria.
The fellowships, associations of Christians for the practice of charity, spread out through Europe as of the 10-11th century. Their aim was the love for others, in life, death and the afterlife. In life, they took care of the poor “brothers” whether they were members of the fellowship or someone, fellow or not, who suddenly became poor. Therefore, they sometimes owned several hostels and hospitals. Besides this, the cult of the dead was an obligation of the fellows.
The fellowship of Viana, the members of which included the men of higher social profile, breeders of sheep livestock, had a functional spirit, identical to many others all over the country. Besides administrating a hostel, the fellowship would also command masses for the souls of the dead fellows. If a fellow would die far from his hometown, the other members would determine the transportation and escort him to his hometown, at their own expenses or of the fellowship. If a poor man, a non-member of the fellowship died in the hostel, the expenses of the funeral and for in behalf of his soul were divided between the fellowship and its members who were compelled to accompany the dead until his grave, incurring in a fine if they did not.
The Shepherds’ fellowship privileged the cult of the Virgin Mary. They considered the Virgin as their intermediate before Christ, not only of those already departed but also of those that still walked the world. She was the mediator for the achievement of the eternal salvation.
As centuries went by, the name of Hostel of Santa Maria, referring to the invocation in reference to the protection under which it was founded, was surpassed by the designation of Hospital of Nossa Senhora da Graça, designation that appears in documents dated from 1534. This shows us that the invocation was altered, a fact that really happened a little throughout the whole country in several cult spaces.
In an unknown date of the second half of the 16th century, the hospital and church were included in the administration of the Santa Casa da Misericórida of Viana do Alentejo, founded in 1516. Around the same time, the Santa casa absorbed the fellowship. This integration led to the designation of the local hospital as Hospital da Misericórdia and the church of Nossa Senhora da Graça became better known as the hospital chapel.
Until a few years ago, the hospital and, afterwards, the church of Nossa Senhora da Graça was known as the hospital chapel. In addition, the previous hospital and the local health center used to be operating in the exact same space that used to be the head office of the ancient medieval fellowship and hostel.
The fellowship of the Good Fellows, together with the hostel of Santa Maria that was administered by the first one, are, in the present days, the oldest institutions of Viana know by the local historiography.
REFERENCES:
ESPANCA, Túlio, Inventário Artístico de Portugal. Distrito de Évora. Concelhos de Alandroal, Borba, Mourão, Portel, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Viana do Alentejo e Vila Viçosa, Lisboa, Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, Tomo IX, Vol. 1, 1978.
FARRICA, Fátima, No Espaço e no Tempo: Contributos para a História das Instituições de Viana do Alentejo (séculos XIV-XX), Casal de Cambra, Caleidoscópio, 2015.
The medieval hostels were meant to host the pilgrims and the poor towards whom social rules prescribed hospitality. On the other hand, hospitals were meant to treat and care for sick.
As it was common in those days, the Hostel of Santa Maria had an attached church dedicated to Santa Maria, a place where the religious cult was practiced, namely masses in behalf of the souls of the founders and of those who left assets to the institution.
The actions of the founder couple was in line with what was common practice in those times in what concerns the creation of these type of institutions.
Most donors used to create institutions with a reduced occupation capacity with plain and small spaces, reduced to one or two separate divisions with the corresponding beds. By the beginning of the 16th century, the Hostel had only five or six beds, which leads us to imagine how small it was in the early 14th century.
Hospitals and hostels were maintained by means of donations of land, houses or other assets that where, however, not paid over for the maintenance of the institutions because a large part of these funds was meant to pay for masses in behalf of the souls of the donors.
Ordering masses in behalf of souls was, in fact, the fundamental reason behind the donations to religious institutions (churches, convents, monasteries) or of Christian living (fellowships, hospitals, hostels).
The Fellowship of the Shepherds was founded in 1516 and became responsible for the administration of the Hostel of Santa Maria.
The fellowships, associations of Christians for the practice of charity, spread out through Europe as of the 10-11th century. Their aim was the love for others, in life, death and the afterlife. In life, they took care of the poor “brothers” whether they were members of the fellowship or someone, fellow or not, who suddenly became poor. Therefore, they sometimes owned several hostels and hospitals. Besides this, the cult of the dead was an obligation of the fellows.
The fellowship of Viana, the members of which included the men of higher social profile, breeders of sheep livestock, had a functional spirit, identical to many others all over the country. Besides administrating a hostel, the fellowship would also command masses for the souls of the dead fellows. If a fellow would die far from his hometown, the other members would determine the transportation and escort him to his hometown, at their own expenses or of the fellowship. If a poor man, a non-member of the fellowship died in the hostel, the expenses of the funeral and for in behalf of his soul were divided between the fellowship and its members who were compelled to accompany the dead until his grave, incurring in a fine if they did not.
The Shepherds’ fellowship privileged the cult of the Virgin Mary. They considered the Virgin as their intermediate before Christ, not only of those already departed but also of those that still walked the world. She was the mediator for the achievement of the eternal salvation.
As centuries went by, the name of Hostel of Santa Maria, referring to the invocation in reference to the protection under which it was founded, was surpassed by the designation of Hospital of Nossa Senhora da Graça, designation that appears in documents dated from 1534. This shows us that the invocation was altered, a fact that really happened a little throughout the whole country in several cult spaces.
In an unknown date of the second half of the 16th century, the hospital and church were included in the administration of the Santa Casa da Misericórida of Viana do Alentejo, founded in 1516. Around the same time, the Santa casa absorbed the fellowship. This integration led to the designation of the local hospital as Hospital da Misericórdia and the church of Nossa Senhora da Graça became better known as the hospital chapel.
Until a few years ago, the hospital and, afterwards, the church of Nossa Senhora da Graça was known as the hospital chapel. In addition, the previous hospital and the local health center used to be operating in the exact same space that used to be the head office of the ancient medieval fellowship and hostel.
The fellowship of the Good Fellows, together with the hostel of Santa Maria that was administered by the first one, are, in the present days, the oldest institutions of Viana know by the local historiography.
REFERENCES:
ESPANCA, Túlio, Inventário Artístico de Portugal. Distrito de Évora. Concelhos de Alandroal, Borba, Mourão, Portel, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Viana do Alentejo e Vila Viçosa, Lisboa, Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, Tomo IX, Vol. 1, 1978.
FARRICA, Fátima, No Espaço e no Tempo: Contributos para a História das Instituições de Viana do Alentejo (séculos XIV-XX), Casal de Cambra, Caleidoscópio, 2015.
MUNICÍPIO DE VIANA DO ALENTEJO