Mulheres do Convento de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Ajuda do Rio de Janeiro: freiras de véu branco, viúvas e divorciadas

Abstract

Through the prosopographic method and a critical methodology to our sources, our main objective will be to demonstrate that the conventual space served not only to house women with vocation, but also, for those who were experiencing family and financial instability and for these reasons requested a temporary or perpetual vacancy at the Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Ajuda Convent of Rio de Janeiro, founded in 1750. Thus, in view of the thirteen requests that will appear in this article, they may reveal that the Aid Convent aimed to receive women from different situations. and social segments, which led us to launch a hypothesis that this instance is effective, was intended to collect women not only within the stipulated profile for a convent, but also women out of profile, which could indicate that that space had a corrective nature which would in some way lead to the immediate solution of social problems. is of the period.