1958 marked the 500th anniversary of the birth of Queen Leonor of Portugal (1458-1525), patron and founder of the Misericórdias in Portugal. The newly created Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG) became a pioneer in the Queen's birthday celebrations by deciding to organise a “commemorative exhibition” at the Monastery of Madre de Deus in Lisbon. The FCG’s Central Department initiative was based on the premise that its “statutory purposes” included “administering charity and protection of the arts. Queen Leonor of Portugal was, in her time, a soul endowed with the purest love for her neighbours and a spirit devoted to the most beautiful artistic and cultural endeavours” (A Rainha D. Leonor: Exposição realizada pela Fundação…, 1958).

As José de Azeredo Perdigão reported in a letter to Pedro Teotónio Pereira on 18 April 1958, “months after we published the resolution to celebrate (…) the centenary of the birth of Queen Leonor, the Government published a decree appointing a commission in charge of organising the official commemorations” (Letter from Azeredo Perdigão to Teotónio Pereira, 11 Apr. 1958, Gulbenkian Archives, PRES 00108). The FCG was invited to participate in this National Commission, adding a new section to the initial plan of the exhibition on the Misericórdias (a charity organisation providing support to the needy).

The exhibition was organised after the refurbishment works of the Monastery of Madre de Deus, carried out specifically for the exhibition and funded by the FCG. The first section described the period in which Queen Leonor lived, highlighting figures, monuments and cultural and political events. This section presented a chronological summary of the Queen’s life, with items documenting her action in the area of ??assistance and the arts and Portuguese locations related to Queen Leonor.

The second section concerned the Queen’s support for the arts by advancing architectural works, commissioning Flemish and Portuguese paintings, incunabula (works printed before the 16th century) and plays by Gil Vicente, of whom she was a patron. This theme occupied the rooms on the second floor connecting to the room of Santo António and the high choir, which were also part of the exhibition route.

The history of the Misericórdias occupied the second floor of the cloister dating back to the reign of João V, referring to the institutions of care that preceded it (handwritten items). The assets of the Misericórdias were illustrated by their buildings, reproduced in photographs, and pieces of historical and artistic value from various parts of the country. Flags from different Misericórdias and depictions of Our Lady of Mercy (mercy is misericórdia in Portuguese), held a prominent position.

The exhibition ended in the chapel on the ground floor, near the entrance to the church, which is preceded by the shallow tomb of Queen Leonor, highlighted by a spotlight. In the chapel, a space remaining from the original monastery, there were some of the Queen’s personal items and a description of the transferral of her body to the present grave.

According to Maria José de Mendonça, the exhibition was directed at “a wide audience, rather than particularly to researchers and scholars” (Mendonça, Colóquio. Revista de Artes e Letras, No. 2, Mar. 1959, p. 20).

The way the exhibition was put together, directed by Conceição Silva, had great impact. Several elements helped create a scenographic context that also triggered an emotional impression: bringing these artworks together at Madre de Deus, distributed into sections but also breathing autonomously, allowed visitors to create a more intimate relationship; all the contextualising and iconographic elements were also made individual; the rhythms generated between exhibition stands and the different spaces of the monastery; the creation or enhancement of pauses (such as the cloister with the re-creation of the tombs of King João I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, the Santo António room and the church choir); the light effects, the music and the comfort provided by a well heated space.