The Confraternities of the Mercy (Misericórdias), established to carry out the 14 Works of Mercy, constituted, in the field of their activity, important promoters of different patrimonial manifestations with their own characteristics. In this context, the architecture promoted by the Misericórdias to support their activity stands out. These buildings were always studied within the framework of religious architecture, given the historical and current influence of the church within the headquarters buildings of these confraternities. Based upon the research for our doctoral theses, analyzing almost two hundred buildings and several archival collections of the Misericórdias, we propose a new interpretative paradigm for these buildings, defining their complexity and identity as built ensembles – the House of Mercy (Casa da Misericórdia), and framing it within the scope of assistance architecture. By redefining conceptually the object of study and refocusing the questions of analysis, we can contribute to the valorization of this architectural heritage and contribute to the consolidation of the history and heritage of health as a field of study.

This thematic dossier presents six articles on the history of assistance and healthcare in Portugal in the Middle, Modern and Contemporary Ages. It is included in the activities of the project Hospitalis – Hospital Architecture in Portugal in the Dawn of Modernity: Identification, Characterization and Contextualization (PTDC/ART-HIS/30808/2017), funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology and directed by Joana Balsa de Pinho.