The history of the Golden Chapel in Recife

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Capela Dourada - A Joia Esquecida de Recife

1. The beginnings of Franciscanism in Pernambuco

Jorge de Albuquerque Coelho (1578–1597) was the governor of the Pernambuco colony. In 1585, he was given the task of leading a mission headed by Friar Melchior de Santa Catharina.

The Franciscan brought six other religious with him to begin catechisation and found convents. The Capuchin missionaries established the first convent to be built on Brazilian soil.

During this period, the village founded by Duarte Coelho Pereira in 1537 — ‘Olinda dos Marins’ — already reflected the prosperity of sugar cane cultivation.

Maria Rosa, the widow of Pedro Leitão, donated a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows to the Franciscan friars. Construction of the convent of São Francisco began on this site in October 1585.

2. The founding of the convent in Recife.

On 28 October 1606, the friars gathered in Olinda and decided to build a convent in Arrecife dos Navios (a village south of the town) to serve sailors and fishermen, reports Friar Santa Maria de Jaboatão.

The convent in Recife was the seventh Franciscan foundation in America and the fourth dedicated to Saint Anthony. It was built on land donated by Marcos André at the tip of the ‘Island of Antonio Vaz’. Friar Jaboatão described the site as “cheerful, colourful, entertaining and pleasant”.

Construction work consolidated Recife’s role as a trading post for the elite of Olinda.

3. The Dutch occupation and its consequences

Prior to the Dutch occupation (1630–1654), Pernambuco was the primary colonial centre for the production of sugar.

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

During the Dutch occupation, Recife was renamed Mauritsstad and became the capital of the Nassau domain. Olinda was burned down in 1631, and several convents were deactivated or desecrated. Following the Dutch expulsion in 1654 and subsequent administrative disputes, Olinda returned to being the capital in 1657, though it was now economically weakened.

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

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

Following the expulsion of the Flemish and Jewish communities, the commercial networks were taken over by Reinóis, primarily from northern Portugal. By the beginning of the 18th century, it is estimated that there were 1,200 dwellings and 15,000 inhabitants.

People from outside the social elite became wealthy through peddling, wholesale trade, slave trafficking and financing sugar crops.

These merchants sought prestige, positions of power and control over port activities. However, their ambitions were thwarted by the ‘nobility of the land’ in Olinda, who monopolised the town council.

5. Religious brotherhoods and social legitimacy

In search of social legitimacy, the merchants of Recife formed guilds and wealthy lay orders, which 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 and the Third Orders of Carmel and Francis, which were mainly composed of businessmen.

The Oratory congregation also established itself as a wealthy institution.

6. The canonical creation of the Venerable Third Order of Recife.

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

The creation of the Order was delayed by opposition from the Third Order of Olinda, but Friar Jácome da Purificação’s intervention 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 and appointed Friar Jerônimo da Ressurreição as commissioner.

Between 12 June and 31 December 1695, 138 brothers and 38 sisters were admitted as novices.

7. Construction and financing of the Third Order chapel.

The deed of donation for the land on which the Terceiros chapel was built was drawn up in 1696.

The foundation stone was blessed on 13 May 1696, with Friar Jácome, Bishop Francisco Lima, and Governor Caetano de Mello e Castro in attendance.

Antônio Fernandes de Mattos was entrusted with the work, which was completed quickly (1696–1697) and inaugurated on 15 September 1697.

The funding largely comes from the resources of the ‘mascates’: jewellery from the Mesa, as well as alms and donations from brothers such as Joaquim de Almeida and Luís Cardoso. Mattos himself also offers services.

8. Founder Profiles

1. Luis Cardoso

Luís Cardoso is little documented in genealogical treatises. He was a brown-skinned man who started life as a slave, registered in 1664. He bought his freedom by working as a shop assistant and went on to become a wealthy sugar exporter.

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

His mixed-race status and the stigma surrounding manual labour probably prevented him from being elected to prominent positions. However, his wealth meant that he was able to circumvent some of the admission rules.

2. Joaquim de Almeida

Joaquim de Almeida was born in Vila Nova de Gaia and arrived in Recife in the 1670s, rising from servant to wholesale merchant.

He was exempted from ‘mechanical defects’ by the King in 1689. He held local public office and served as Captain of Ordinances, Judge and Magistrate. He financed the ‘Recife Party’ and was the first Councillor in the establishment of the Chamber in February 1710.

He was the first of his brothers to join the Third Order of Recife, serving as minister for several terms and leading the merchant party’s resistance during political uprisings.

3. António Fernandes de Mattos

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

He designed and constructed significant public works, including the Mint, bridges, the harbour breakwater and the Barra Fortress, and he was a generous benefactor to churches and convents in Recife.

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

His will greatly benefited the Third Order, who began collecting tithes and financing masses for his soul decades later.

9. Decoration, artists and later additions.

Between 1697 and 1700, work began to transform the chapel into a colonial heritage gem. Local artists and contractors, including Luís Machado, António M. Santiago and José Pinhão de Matos, created the wood carvings, ornaments and panels.

Purchases of cedar, gold leaf and panels, as well as the work of carvers, took place between 1699 and 1700. Decorative work continued until at least 1724, with notable contributions including tiles by António Pereira in 1704 and paintings of Franciscan martyrs between 1707 and 1710.

Various trades were involved in the construction work, and some of the craftsmen became members of the Order.

10. The ‘Golden Chapel’ and its significance

The chapel, known as the ‘Golden Chapel’ thanks to the profusion of gold used in the woodcarvings, was built before the settlement was granted town status in February 1710.

It is an expression of the economic and symbolic power of Recife’s merchant community. It represents the political strategy of Joaquim de Almeida and the magnanimous grandeur of António Fernandes de Mattos, two “mascates” (merchants) who were rising in colonial society.

Conclusion

The Golden Chapel of the Third Order of Recife is a tangible and symbolic testament to the rise of the business community in colonial Recife. Its construction, financing and decoration reflect the social mobility of local merchants, as well as their involvement in the restoration of the Catholic faith and the political disputes between Recife and Olinda.