Santas Casas and Assistencialism in the State of São Paulo

The origin of Santas Casas lies in the foundation of the Brotherhood of Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia in Lisbon, Portugal, approved in 1498 by Pope Alexander VI under the tutelage of Queen D. Leonor. Its mission was to care for and support the sick and needy.

The Institution's guidelines were based on the Lisbon Misericórdia Commitment and, over time, the association took over the management of several hospitals.  The institution grew up with the help of donations and the prestige it gained according to Portuguese economic development.

The Santas Casas da Misericórdia were the main instrument of charity of the Portuguese Monarchy and their creation accompanied the establishment of the first and new government powers and structures. With colonization, this model migrated to the Brazilian colony, the first being dated 1543 in the city of Santos.

The Santa Casa of Santos was inaugurated in November 1543 by Brás Cubas. The second hospital building was opened in 1665 and, on September 4, 1836, a new headquarters was opened, but the site was partially destroyed by a landslide in 1928.  The current headquarters was opened in 1945 in an event that counted on the presence of the then president Getúlio Vargas.

A Irmandade de Misericórdia de São Paulo foi fundada por volta de 1560, sendo a mais antiga instituição assistencial e hospitalar em funcionamento na cidade.  Já esteve alojada no Largo da Misericórdia, na Chácara dos Ingleses e na Rua da Glória e, desde 1884, o edifício construído na região central no distrito da Consolação tornou-se a sede da entidade.

The Brotherhood of Misericórdia was founded in 1803 and its headquarters started the same year. Upon completion and due to the lack of professionals, the association was extinguished in 1811 and restored in 1845.  In 1899, the hospital moved from a building to a space in the region of the current São Paulo Avenue. After the yellow fever crisis from 1899 to 1900, Sorocaba received funds for the construction of new pavilions.

The institution was founded by the action of the Brotherhood of Senhor Bom Jesus dos Passos, constituted on August 31, 1874. In 1900 the new building that still hosts the institution was inaugurated, started in 1896.  From 1905 to 1974 the hospital had the direction by the nuns of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Since 1988 it started operating with public funds.

In 1898 the Sociedade Beneficente of Tietê was founded, maintaining the Santa Casa, created on June 21 of the same year. Initially in a rented building, in 1914 the new headquarters of the hospital was inaugurated, an imposing neoclassical building on Tenente Gelás Street.  Over the years, new sectors and wards were added, such as the surgery section in 1923, besides the pediatrics and maternity.

The Brotherhood of Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Itapira was founded on December 24, 1899 in order to serve the local residents. In 1908 the first part of its building was delivered and, in 1915, new pavilions were added to its original structure.  A great reform was developed in 1961, when the old buildings were demolished, in order to increase the number of pavilions.

The Santa Casa of Assis was founded on December 7, 1919 and installed on December 8, 1920. In 1930, it was formed as a brotherhood with the support of Bishop Antônio José dos Santos and, in 1931, the institution passed to be directed by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vicent de Paul. Today it is one of the most complete hospital complexes in the region.

The 1870s were marked as an important phase in the economic development of Campinas.  This is due to the expansion of the coffee economy, which caused important investments for the improvement of the urban area and attracted new residents to the municipality, both migrants and immigrants.

With development, in the middle of the 19th century, health was one of the main concerns of the public power and the elite of Campinas.  To a possible solution, efforts came from the public and private spheres in order to making the urban space more pleasant, taking care of costs, execution and maintenance of the cleanliness of the city.

In the context of the epidemic outbreaks of the 19th century, several initiatives were developed, however, aimed at more affluent groups. In addition, people preferred home treatments for prejudice against hospitals, seen as "houses of death".  The philanthropic hospitals attended the needy populations, with the Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Campinas City standing out.

The Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Campinas City originated from the ideals of Canon Joaquim José Vieira (1836-1917) to establish a hospital that could support low-income groups, orphans, indigents and slaves in the city and region.  The Sisterhood was the result of the transformations that characterized the period and represented an important initiative for public health and assistance practice.

The hospital's construction began in 1871 and the inauguration and delivery to the Sisterhood of Santa Casa de Misericórdia by the City Council ocurred on August 6, 1876.  The building was donated by Maria Felicíssima de Abreu Soares, widow of Commander Joaquim José Soares de Carvalho and one of the main benefactors of the institution, also counting on the support of the Campinas community.

On October 1, 1876, Santa Casa of Campinas City was opened for the care of the sick people.  Dr. Cândido Barata Ribeiro (1843-1910) assumed the medical and surgical services, and the religious was under the responsibility of Father Francisco Quay Thevenon.  In addition, the administration of the charity hospital was handed over to the sisters of the São José de Chambery’s Congregation.

Santa Casa provided free medical, surgical and pharmaceutical assistance in general wards for people whose condition was proven by official certificates and for slaves through payment of their masters.  At the end of the 1880s, the hospital had a section for disabled people, a surgery ward for women and a hospital ward specialized in orphan or miserable children, in addition to the construction of an orphanage as an attachment to the hospital.

The Brotherhood also offered relatives the possibility of burying the bodies of the deceased in the hospital. The Orphans' Asylum started to work as a boarding school, housing orphaned girls due to the death of family members due to the disease.  Subsequently, in the epidemics of the years 1890, 1892, 1896 and 1897 (also with yellow fever), the hospital continued to be a reference in the care of patients.

The Santa Casa of Campinas marked the rationalization of resources through philanthropy and service to society. Even today, it has an essential role in assisting the sick in the city and region and a great emphasis on philanthropic staff.  Located in the Cambuí neighborhood, the Campinas Cultural Heritage Defense Council has listed the building since 1998.