Hospital of Mercy

Castelo Mendo

Popularly, this house is identified as the Hospital of Mercy, but there is no documentary evidence to confirm this. This house, built in the second half of the 16^th century, has a cartouche on the ground floor with phytomorphic (plant) motifs and an inscribed date of which only the “1” can be read. On the lintel of a window on the second floor, another cartouche reads: “SPES MEA DEUS”, that is, “My hope is God”. On the window frame, and already on the cornice, a cross aligned with the openings is supported by a corbel. A carved scallop is preserved in the corner of the house. This house, leaning against the wall, houses a stone cupboard, decorated with various plant-inspired motifs, and a seahorse, recently interpreted as a possible Aron Kodesh, a sacred cupboard where Jews kept the Torah.