Overview

The Hermitage of Our Lady of Hope, also known as Santo Lazaro, was first built on this spot in 1570 as a place of worship for lepers. It was not until 1882, after the leper colony was moved to the Island of D. Joao, that the current church was built. The Cross of Hope in the forecourt is all that remains of the original building. In 1947 the leper colony was moved to Coloane, and today the cured, as well as those still afflicted with leprosy, worship at the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, also on Coloane.