Benefactions: Chronicle of the Gift. With Paper as Witness

In the immeasurable universe of the benefactions of the Mercy of Lisbon, the gifts of countless benefactors fit in, actions that fill the biography of the secular institution, from its foundation to the present day. In the lines of this narrative of persistent inheritances, legacies, and donations, the author invites the discovery of how benevolence and assistance intertwine, cause and consequence of the same generosity, like two sides of the same coin, never apart in the chronology of the years. A history of the past that is not complete without a dive into the present, allowed by a panoramic view of the legacy left by Delmira Maçãs, one of the most prominent benefactors of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa in this contemporary 21st century. Through the selected compilation of documentation and photographs that make up the vast collection of the benefactor, the story of her life and her legacy is presented. These 'papers', so dear to the protagonist, are now made available to the readers' gaze, as pieces of the puzzle of a gesture of unparalleled generosity. This is the sixth issue of the collection “Solidarity Notebooks SCML”, an editorial series that showcases the work developed by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa in its different areas of intervention.

Author: Ana Gomes
Collection: Solidarity Notebooks

Year of publication: 2012
Publisher: SCML
ISBN: 9789728761936