The Church
The church was Commissioned by the Bishop D. António Pereira da Silva and planned by Friar Manuel da Conceição, a member of the Carmelite Order from Lisbon, the construction began in 1713 and was concluded in 1719.
In front of the church is an open square with a cobbled surface. The cobbles, a mixture of a dark and light colours have been laid to form patterns including in this case the coat of arms of the Order of the Carmelites, the founders of the church.
The Order Of The Carmelites
"The rule of life given to the Carmelites by St. Albert Avogadro between the years 1206 - 1214, was finally approved as the true and proper Rule of Carmel by Innocent IV in 1247 and later underwent mitigations which were not in the original text.
The Carmelite Rule states that it is fundamental for a Carmelite to "live a life in allegiance to Jesus Christ - how, pure in heart and stout in conscience, must be unswerving in the service of the Master" (no.2). To live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ, the Carmelites bind themselves especially to:
develop the contemplative dimension of their life, in an open dialogue with God
live as brothers, full of charity
meditate day and night on the Word of the Lord
pray together or alone several times a day
celebrate the Eucharist every day
do manual work, as Paul the Apostle did
purify themselves of every trace of evil
live in poverty, placing in common what little they may have
love the Church and all people
conform their will to that of God, seeking the will of God in faith, in dialogue and through discernment."
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The Coat of Arms
The coat of arms have a core design, but some provinces of the order use modified versions of the design. The elements used in this case are as follows.
"The makeup of the Carmelite crest appeared for the first time towards the end of the 15th century, in 1499, on the cover of a book about the life of St. Albert, Carmelite. The design there is that of a "vexillum", (an ensign, a standard, a flag). This changed as time went on until it became the coat of arms, as we now know it. There never has been an official explanation of the crest but there are various interpretations. In what follows we will present the most plausible interpretation in accordance with the most recent documents of the Order.
A mountain
A mountain painted in brown, with rounded sides, its tip reaching to the sky. It refers to Mount Carmel, the Carmelites’ place of origin. Mount Carmel is situated in Haifa in Israel. In the 9th century BC the prophet Elijah lived there. In the same place, towards the end of the 12th century some hermits, inspired by the memory of Elijah, gathered their, with a desire "to live a life in allegiance of Jesus Christ". (Carmelite Rule no.2).
Three stars
Three stars each with six points, one coloured silver at the centre of the mountain, and the other two coloured gold placed symmetrically in the heavens, coloured white, on either side of the mountain. The lower star represents Carmelites still on the way to the top of Mount Carmel, while the other two stars higher up, represent Carmelites who have ended their journey "by reaching the top of the holy Mountain". (Carmelite Missal, 1980, Opening Prayer on the Solemnity of the Bl. Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel).
A crown
The crown of gold represents the Kingdom of God. He is the Sovereign Lord of Carmel. Carmelites, indeed, endeavour to serve God faithfully with a pure heart and a stout conscience (cf. Carmelite Rule no. 2). They see their vocation as a calling "to implant and strengthen the Kingdom of Christ in souls and to spread it to the four corners of the earth" (Carmelite Constitutions no. 5). In offering this service to God, Carmelites take their inspiration from Elijah the Prophet and Mary the Virgin. (cf. Carmelite Constitutions no. 25)
A Cross
In various Provinces of the Order, as far back as the 17th century, a cross was added at the top of the mountain: examples of these would be the Province of Castile in Spain (and the Discalced Carmelites since the 17th century). "
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In this case there are some words under the banner giving the name of the order...
"V. O. T. de N. S. do CARMO" which is short for "Ordem Terceira de Na Sra do Monte do Carmo.