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Filipa Coutinho,
widow of the Donor Captain Rui Gonçalves da Câmara, built the Esperança Convent, <Hope>,
in the first half of the XVI century. Fernando de Quental and his wife Margarida de Matos had donated the necessary
lands for the church and enclosure. The Eastern boundary of the São Francisco Field hasn't been altered
since the second half of the XVI century. Around 1609, Cristovão de Matos Quental, descendant of Fernando
de Quental, had the Nossa Senhora da Ressureição Hermitage,<Our Lady of Resurrection>, also
known as Senhora da Soledade, built in his houses situated on that side.
On the West side,
in the beginning of the XVI century, there was already a hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição,<Our
Lady of Conception>, that belonged to the Town Hall. The first Franciscan convent was built in this space. This
can be read in "Crónica da Província de S. João Evangelista", written by Frei Agostinho
de Mont´Alverne. Construction of the present Franciscan convent and church began in 1709. A part of the convent
extended South with a churchyard higher than the street.
With the extinction
of religious orders, this South side became the Hospital of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in 1834. The
São Francisco Field was, in old times, a place where great feasts took place. At the end of the XVIII century,
when the Marques Moreira family had houses there, at the time owned by Dr. António Francisco de Carvalho,
grand festivities took place to commemorate the birth of a princess, D. João VI´s daughter.
There was then a "brinco militar" - military parody -, a "brinco de touros" - parody of bullfights
-, and a "encamisada" - 200 men on horses who came from the town of São Roque.
The Southern boundary
was the S. Brás Castle and also some houses, their backs facing the "Corpo Santo", <Holy Body>.
The feature that most resembles the present São Francisco Field is its arborization. Around 1825, Military
Governor Brederode had trees planted and benches placed all around the field. Until then it was considered a tithe
field but with these improvements it became a leisure space which was also used for military exercises and parades.
South of the field
there used to be a monumental fountain. The city bearings, sculptured in marble, were sent from Lisbon and placed
on the front of the fountain at the end of 1849.
On September 9, 1868, the field was covered with earth and releveled. At this time the churchyard was cut in order
to open a street which would lead to the Square.
In 1870 a cattle exposition was held at the São Francisco Field. In this same year, in an esplanade close
to the castle José Lopes do Rosário (known as "Rei dos Tambores" - King of the Drums) held
circus shows with monkeys and bears.
On Saturday, July 2, 1870, sailors from the battleship "Duque de Palmela" had fire arm exercises on the
field.
In March of 1871,
there was a public subscription with the intention of making the field more pleasant by having it illuminated (with
petroleum at the time) and a gazebo in the center. The alignment work began the next month, having the Town Hall
planted new trees.
The bandstand - of a light construction, with lace, made of wood, imitating a Chinese house of worship - was inaugurated
on May 12,1871. As for Bretão Ribeira (pseudonym for Joaquim Maria Cabral, in "Açores",
1951), the bandstand's author was Pedro Paulo who was also the author of the building of the Bank of Portugal in
Ponta Delgada, of which he had been manager. Others say that the gazebo had the authorship of the brothers José
and Ernesto do Canto.
This beautiful bandstand
caught on fire on May 24, 1957 at noon. It was already decorated and all the lights in place, all ready for the
festivities, when a typical Azorean firecracker launched close by landed on the dome. The fire spread quickly to
the hundreds of paper and wax flowers that completely covered the bandstand. The firemen were only able to save
the frame, which was rapidly covered with foliage for the feast that year.
The present one
substituted the old bandstand, a heavier structure made of cement, not as gracious, light and harmonious as the
one that burnt down.
In 1884 the first carousel came to the São Francisco field, for the Santo Cristo feast. Its owner Manuel
Coelho Lourenço brought it from the island of Terceira where he was also from. He sold it to Cândido
José Xavier Jr., who then sold it to João Diogo for 60$000 "réis insulanos". That's
why the carousel was called "cavalinhos de mestre João Diogo" (João Diogo´s ponies).
Demolition of part
of the enclosure that belonged to the Esperança convent began on April 7, 1886, in order to open the Coliseu
Avenue today called Roberto Ivens. In June of the same year 80 nuns corpses were exhumed and buried in the S. Joaquim
cemetery, built in 1846.
On October 26, 1886 the three steps leading to the terrace of the S.
José church that the Town Hall had ordered were concluded.
The street in front of the hospital and church began to get paved (with
cobblestone) on November 10, 1886.
On Monday, November 15, 1886, work began on the present terrace of the
hospital.
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