Convent of Esperança (Angra do Heroísmo)


The Convent of Esperança was a former Christian religious building, situated in the Historical Centre of Angra do Heroísmo, in the civil parish of Sé, on the island of Terceira, in the archipelago of the Azores.

History

The building was one of the oldest, of the nine convents that existed on the island. Belonging to the Order of Poor Clares, it was very similar to Convent of São Gonçalo, and founded in the second half of the 16th century.
It was frequently visited by King António, Prior of Crato when he was residing in Angra.
During the Liberal Wars, on a visit by Peter IV in March 1832, he met a young 23-year-old initiate, when she was in the belltower. From the relationship with Ana Augusta Peregrino Faleiro Toste they had one child, baptised Pedro, who lived to 4 or 5 years, and was buried in the courtyard of the Sé Cathedral. On this occasion, the constitutional party provided a solemn burial, playing the funeral march of the Volunteer Battalion of Queen Maria II.
The building almost became forgotten, until the restoration following the 1980 Azores earthquake, when the architectural elements were rediscovered.