It is located on Rua da Misericórdia, parish of Louriçal, Municipality of Pombal, District of Leiria, in the province of Beira Litoral, in the region of Central Portugal
The construction of the Louriçal convent is linked to the famous robbery of the church of Santa Engrácia in Lisbon, Maria de Brito, later known as Maria do Lado.
On the eve of the robbery of Santa Engrácia, Maria de Brito had an ecstatic revelation, she saw the passion and death of Christ who confided to her that He would be crucified again in Portugal by the Jews.
In the revelation, Maria de Brito told her confessor, Friar Bernardino das Chagas, which she interpreted as a premonitory sign of the events that took place in Lisbon.
The revelation that Maria de Brito encouraged him to live in community and invite some people with exemplary lives to consecrate themselves to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
On April 12, 1630, with five other members of the Third Franciscan Order, they began the Lausperene in perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
A new vision announces that this small group will become a convent of thirty-six nuns, on April 13, 1631 the group becomes the Recolhimento das Religios Escravas do Santíssimo Sacramento, which will be based in the house of Maria do Lado's family.
Maria de Brito died on April 28, 1632 and was given the name Maria do Lado on her deathbed.
The choice of this name is a reference to the lateral wound that Christ received on the Cross at the request of his father, António do Rego, who had been a member of the Third Franciscan Order since 1631 and Maria do Lado's body will be buried in the parish church of Louriçal.
The construction of the Recolhimento church began on April 28, 1640, with the Archbishop of Coimbra, D. João Mendes de Távora, the Count of Ericeira and D. Fernando de Meneses present.
The inauguration of the church of recollection will take place at the beginning of 1646 and on August 30, 1651, the mortal remains of Maria do Lado will be transferred to this temple.
In 1688, the Count of Ericeira, D. Fernando de Meneses, asked D. Pedro II for the Recolhimento to be officially transformed into a Convent.
Royal authorization was issued on August 16, 1688 and the Recolhimento church was finally transformed into a Convent in 1709.
The construction of the Convent of Louriçal is due to D. João V following a promise that he made as a prince when he was ill with bladder cancer and the confessor, Father Francisco da Cruz (brother of Mother Maria do Lado) took the cross that had been his sister's for his highness to kiss and hung it at his bedside making vows to God and his servant promising that if he recovered from that illness he would found a convent.
The Louriçal Convent was built and the nuns continued to use the Franciscan Recolhimento church until King D. João V became aware and ordered the construction of a new church.
The establishment of the Republic in 1910 led to the nuns being expelled from the convent by the military so that a GNR post could be installed there, which operated there until 1925.
In 1927 the property was auctioned and purchased by Predial Económica Limitada de Coimbra with money from Mother Nazaré and the other sisters still alive.
In 1932, on the third centenary of the death of Mother Maria do Lado, a novice known as Mother Teresa was admitted.
In 1940 she was elected Abbess of the community and worked to modify the conditions that managed to achieve the license of perpetual vows in 1956, achieving Canonical Recognition of the community.
On the eve of the robbery of Santa Engrácia, Maria de Brito had an ecstatic revelation, she saw the passion and death of Christ who confided to her that He would be crucified again in Portugal by the Jews.
In the revelation, Maria de Brito told her confessor, Friar Bernardino das Chagas, which she interpreted as a premonitory sign of the events that took place in Lisbon.
The revelation that Maria de Brito encouraged him to live in community and invite some people with exemplary lives to consecrate themselves to the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
On April 12, 1630, with five other members of the Third Franciscan Order, they began the Lausperene in perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
A new vision announces that this small group will become a convent of thirty-six nuns, on April 13, 1631 the group becomes the Recolhimento das Religios Escravas do Santíssimo Sacramento, which will be based in the house of Maria do Lado's family.
Maria de Brito died on April 28, 1632 and was given the name Maria do Lado on her deathbed.
The choice of this name is a reference to the lateral wound that Christ received on the Cross at the request of his father, António do Rego, who had been a member of the Third Franciscan Order since 1631 and Maria do Lado's body will be buried in the parish church of Louriçal.
The construction of the Recolhimento church began on April 28, 1640, with the Archbishop of Coimbra, D. João Mendes de Távora, the Count of Ericeira and D. Fernando de Meneses present.
The inauguration of the church of recollection will take place at the beginning of 1646 and on August 30, 1651, the mortal remains of Maria do Lado will be transferred to this temple.
In 1688, the Count of Ericeira, D. Fernando de Meneses, asked D. Pedro II for the Recolhimento to be officially transformed into a Convent.
Royal authorization was issued on August 16, 1688 and the Recolhimento church was finally transformed into a Convent in 1709.
The construction of the Convent of Louriçal is due to D. João V following a promise that he made as a prince when he was ill with bladder cancer and the confessor, Father Francisco da Cruz (brother of Mother Maria do Lado) took the cross that had been his sister's for his highness to kiss and hung it at his bedside making vows to God and his servant promising that if he recovered from that illness he would found a convent.
The Louriçal Convent was built and the nuns continued to use the Franciscan Recolhimento church until King D. João V became aware and ordered the construction of a new church.
The establishment of the Republic in 1910 led to the nuns being expelled from the convent by the military so that a GNR post could be installed there, which operated there until 1925.
In 1927 the property was auctioned and purchased by Predial Económica Limitada de Coimbra with money from Mother Nazaré and the other sisters still alive.
In 1932, on the third centenary of the death of Mother Maria do Lado, a novice known as Mother Teresa was admitted.
In 1940 she was elected Abbess of the community and worked to modify the conditions that managed to achieve the license of perpetual vows in 1956, achieving Canonical Recognition of the community.
