The history of the Golden Chapel and the Third Order of Recife

Olinda was the cradle of Franciscanism in Portuguese America and the starting point for the expansion of convents in Pernambuco. The history of the Golden Chapel stems from the economic and social transformations that took place in Recife during the 17th century, which elevated the prominence of the merchants known as ‘mascates’.

Capela Dourada em Recife PE — Golden Chapel in Recife, Pernambuco

The History of the Golden Chapel in Recife

Capela Dourada - A Jóia Esquecida de Recife

1. The early days of Franciscanism in Pernambuco

Jorge de Albuquerque Coelho (1578–1597) governed the Pernambuco donataria; in 1585, he received the mission led by Friar Melchior de Santa Catharina.

The Franciscan brought six other monks with him to begin catechising the local population and establishing monasteries. The Capuchin missionaries founded the first monastery to be built on Brazilian soil.

By this time, the village founded by Duarte Coelho Pereira in 1537, known as ‘Olinda dos Marins’, was already a testament to the prosperity brought about by sugar-cane cultivation.

Maria Rosa, the widow of Pedro Leitão, donated a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows to the friars; on that site the convent of St Francis was built, with construction beginning in October 1585.

2. The founding of the convent in Recife

Friar Santa Maria de Jaboatão reports that, on 28 October 1606, the friars gathered in Olinda decided to build a convent at “Arrecife dos Navios” (a settlement to the south of the town), to provide for sailors and fishermen.

The seventh of the Franciscan foundations in the Americas and the fourth dedicated to Saint Anthony, the convent in Recife was built on land donated by Marcos André, at the tip of the “Island of Antônio Vaz”. According to Friar Jaboatão, the site was “cheerful, picturesque, delightful and pleasant”.

The construction cemented Recife’s status as a trading hub for the Olinda elite.

3. The Dutch occupation and its consequences

Before the Dutch occupation (1630–1654), Pernambuco was the main colonial centre for sugar production.

According to Friar Vicente do Salvador, there were around a hundred sugar mills in Pernambuco in 1606.

The Dutch occupation transformed Recife into Mauritsstad, the capital of the Nassau domain; Olinda was burned down in 1631 and several convents were closed down or desecrated. Following the expulsion of the Dutch (1654) and the subsequent administrative disputes, Olinda regained its status as capital (1657), but was in a weakened economic state.

4. Recife’s economic growth and the emergence of the ‘mascates’

Recife inherited its urban infrastructure and dominant position as a commercial centre from the Dutch.

Following the expulsion of the Flamengos and the Jewish community, commercial networks were taken over by people from the Kingdom of Portugal, particularly from the north of the country. At the beginning of the 18th century, the population was estimated at around 1,200 households and 15,000 inhabitants.

Out-of-towners of low social standing, through their peddling, grew rich from wholesale trade, the slave trade and the financing of sugar crops.

These merchants sought prestige, positions of power and control over port activities — ambitions thwarted by the ‘local nobility’ of Olinda, who held a monopoly on the town council.

5. Religious brotherhoods and social legitimacy

In their quest for social legitimacy, merchants in Recife formed wealthy guilds and lay orders that also served as sources of credit.

By the end of the 17th century, the main brotherhoods in Recife were the Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament of the Matriz do Corpo Santo, the Third Order of Carmel, and the Third Order of St Francis, comprising mainly ‘businessmen’.

The Oratory congregation also established itself as an institution closely linked to the local community.

6. Canonical establishment of the Venerable Third Order of Recife

The Venerable Third Order of Penance of the Seraphic Father of Saint Francis of Recife was canonically founded on 12 June 1695.

Opposition from the Third Order in Olinda delayed its establishment, but the intervention of the custodian, Friar Jácome da Purificação, with the Congregation in Bahia and the Overseas Council in Lisbon made it possible for the Order to be established in Recife.

On 26 November 1695, the Chapter in Bahia confirmed the establishment of the order and appointed Friar Jerônimo da Ressurreição as commissioner.

Between 12 June and 31 December 1695, 138 brothers and 38 sisters took the habit.

7. Construction of the Terceiros Chapel and funding

In 1696, the deed of donation of the land for the Chapel of the Third Order was drawn up.

The blessing of the foundation stone took place on 13 May 1696, in the presence of Friar Jácome, Bishop Francisco Lima and Governor Caetano de Mello e Castro.

The work was entrusted to Antônio Fernandes de Mattos and was completed swiftly (1696–1697), with the building being inaugurated on 15 September 1697.

The funding comes largely from the ‘mascates’: the Mesa’s assets, alms and donations from brothers such as Joaquim de Almeida and Luís Cardoso, as well as services provided by Mattos himself.

8. Founders’ profiles

1. Luis Cardoso

Little is recorded about him in genealogical records, but Luís Cardoso was a man of mixed race who began life as a slave (registered in 1664), bought his freedom whilst working as a shop assistant, and went on to become a wealthy sugar exporter.

He died in 1724, leaving more than thirty contos de réis to the Third Order.

His mixed-race background and the stigma attached to manual labour likely prevented him from being elected to prominent positions, although his wealth allowed for some flexibility in the eligibility criteria.

2. Joaquim de Almeida

Born in Vila Nova de Gaia, Joaquim de Almeida arrived in Recife in the 1670s and rose from servant to a prominent merchant.

Pardoned by the king in 1689 for “mechanical offences”, he held local public office, served as captain of the militia, judge and magistrate, financed the “Recife faction” and was the first councillor when the council was established (February 1710).

He was the first member to join the Third Order in Recife and served as minister for several terms, leading the resistance of the Mercantilist Party during the political uprisings.

3. Antônio Fernandes de Mattos

Born in 1640 in Minho, Mattos arrived as a master mason and went on to become a builder, a public works contractor, a tax collector, a fortress captain, a financier and a merchant.

He designed and built major public works (the Royal Mint, bridges, the harbour breakwater, and the Barra Fortress) and was a great benefactor of churches and convents in Recife.

He was admitted to the Franciscan Order in 1695, received the habit of the Order of Christ, and served as minister until his death on 24 August 1701.

His will greatly benefited the Third Order, which went on to collect tithes and fund masses for the repose of his soul for decades.

9. Decoration, artists and later additions

Between 1697 and 1700, work began that transformed the chapel into one of the jewels of the colonial heritage: the woodcarvings, decorations and panels were created by local artists and commissioned craftsmen such as Luís Machado, Antônio M. Santiago and José Pinhão de Matos.

Purchases of cedar wood, gold leaf, panelling and woodcarvers took place between 1699 and 1700; decorative work continued until at least 1724, notably including tiles by Antônio Pereira (1704) and paintings of Franciscan martyrs (1707–1710).

Various trades were involved in the building work; some of the craftsmen became members of the Order.

10. The ‘Golden Chapel’ and its significance

The chapel, known as the “Golden Chapel” due to the abundant gold applied to the woodcarvings, was built before the settlement was granted town status (February 1710).

It is an expression of the economic and symbolic power of Recife’s merchant community: it symbolises the political strategy (Joaquim de Almeida) and magnanimous grandeur (Antônio Fernandes de Mattos) of the ‘mascates’ who were rising in colonial society.

Conclusion

The Golden Chapel of the Third Order in Recife stands as both a physical and symbolic testament to the rise of the ‘businessmen’ in colonial Recife — its construction, funding and decoration reflect the social mobility achieved by local merchants and their links to the revival of the Catholic faith and the political rivalries between Recife and Olinda.