The sagrado, o profano e o enfermo

The Holy House of Mercy of Juiz de Fora

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the emergence of the Holy House of Mercy of Juiz de Fora, which occurred in the second half of the 19th century. Holy House were lay associations of a religious character that emerged in Portugal at the end of the 14th century with the aim of helping the poor and destitute in an attempt to relieve human misery. To this end, we seek to understand the dynamics of operation in the recently founded Juiz de Fora, an economically promising municipality in the Zona da Mata Mineira. We opted for the use of newspapers circulating in that period, the local historiographical productions as well as the use of the Statute and Commitment of Holy House of Juiz de Fora.