Wing of the Holy House of Mercy of Braga in the cemetery of Monte D'Arcos

In the 19th century, Misericórdia de Braga (Holy House of Mercy) had two cemeteries, one next to the Hospital de S. Marcos (St. Marcus Hospital) and the other located in a private section of the current municipal cemetery.

Burial spaces belonging to the Misericórdia de Braga, previous of the 19th century:

The Misericórdia de Braga (Holy House of Mercy) had two places for burials: the Igreja de S. Marcos (Church of St. Marcus) and the church next to Sé Catedral (Sé Cathedral). In addition to these two places, the Misericórdia carried out burials for foundlings kids and the poor  in the Sé Catedral cloister, except those who died at the Hospital de S. Marcos (St. Marcus Church).  These were buried on land under the administration of the Hospital's chaplain or in the cloister of the Hospital. 

The cemetery in the cloister of Santo Amaro was administered by the Misericórdia de Braga. In this local, it were received the poor deceased, particularly pilgrims and people displaced from their land.

- Private section of Misericórdia de Braga

Currently, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Braga (Holy House of Mercy) has a private section in the Cemitério Municipal de Monte D'Arcos (Municipal Cemetery of Monte D'Arcos), which is located on the intermediate level of the aforementioned cemetery.

The access to the upper floor of the Santa Casa wing is made via stairs, in which you can see railings with a module in the shape of Santo André cross. Made of cast iron, these railings are made up of intertwined arches and topped by cresset at the four corners.

- Artistic heritage present in the section of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Braga

Since most of the catacombs were made available more than once, the number of old tombstones that we can still find in the Misericórdia wing of Braga is very small.

After the burial of José Maria de Sousa on December 12, 1906, catacomb no. 12 became perpetual. This marble tombstone was made by the Teixeira workshop, from Braga, with a bust of the deceased accompanied by an olive branch and a palm tree in the centre.

In catacomb number 23 are deposited the remains of Rosa Maria Teixeira, wife of the Knight of the Order of Christ, Joaquim da Fonseca. It is assumed that initially this tombstone, with the mark "Amatucci", did not have any inscription, since the symbols prevail. Around there is a sprig of ivy and nightshade that symbolize death as a deep sleep. In the centre, the figure of a woman leaning over an urn can also be seen, and this iconography is often used in necrological news and in invitations to funerals.

Catacomb no. 24 belongs to Manuel José da Cruz Machado. It is presumed that this tombstone, in lioz stone, was transferred from the Cemetery of Desprezos, as it does not completely fit into the vault of the catacomb. In the centre, there is a marble crown of perpetual stones flanked by two tables on which the inscription is found. Since the crown is of a different stone, it is likely that it was placed there later, but it is still from the 19th century.

Catacomb no. 38 belongs to António Maria de Araújo Esmeriz, who died on August 4, 1904. Made in slate, this tombstone allows us to have a perception of what the oldest tombstones in this cemetery would be like.