Convent of São Boaventura


The Convent of São Boaventura, Convent of Saint Bonaventure, popularly referred to it as the Church of São Francisco, is located in the civil parish of Santa Cruz, in the municipality of the same name in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores.

History

This building, to the invocation of Saint Bonaventure, a Franciscan convent was built under the initiative of Inácio Coelho, then vicar of Santa Cruz through funds he made available on 26 June 1641. Legend suggests that the church and convent were erected in order to fulfill a vow following the triumph of Portuguese forces over Spain during the Restoration War.
During this period, friar Diogo das Chagas referred to the convent:
With the extinction of the religious orders on 17 May 1832, the church was transferred to the Third Order, and the convent acquired by a private landowner in 1834. This building remained in private hands until it was acquired António Vicente Peixoto Pimental who donated it to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Santa Cruz, who installed in the building their hospital and asylum.
The building was classified as a Property of Public Interest by the IPPAR, under resolution 98/80, 16 September 1980. Beginning in the 20th century, the spaces were remodelled with the arrival of French who occupied part of the former-convent. In the late 20th century the Museum of Flores was installed in the building, in the former convent and cloister, while the ancillary structures were used by the French forces, until the local health center was established. Under resolution 18/2011/A, by act of the Regional Legislative Assembly of the Azores, several projects were established, that included: a future intervention and general renovation of the convent's paints, to be consulted by the property-owners, local parish administration and municipality of Santa Cruz; and the protection of the building owing to salt. Public works at the convent, included repairs to the corners, frames and roof; during the course of the repairs it was determined that the level of degradation, suggesting an urgent preservation of the building. Following this restoration the building was trimmed in yellow ochre paint, resulting in a local polemic, owing to the change in the buildings appearance.