In the Vincentian path, we should never forget the legacy left by the founders of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP). In 1833, in Paris (France), those pioneers – Ozanam, Bailly, Clavé, Devaux, Le Taillandier, Lallier and Lamach – received the God-given inspiration to found this marvelous work, which has been bringing forth countless fruits of charity, conversion and evangelization throughout the world, up to the present day.

Likewise, in different countries, we must always rescue the history, seeking to identify the origins of the SSVP. In the case of Brazil and Portugal, one person stands out: Francisco de Lemos de Faria Pereira Coutinho, better known as Count of Aljezur. Let’s know a little of the history of this important companion, responsible for the founding of the Society in Brazil and Portugal, a man chosen by God to spread the Vincentian charism in Lusitanian and Brazilian lands.

Francisco Coutinho was born on September 12, 1820, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). At that time the country was not yet an independent nation (which would not happen until September 7, 1822) and, therefore, Francisco Coutinho was a Portuguese citizen, born in the then colony of Brazil. On June 3, 1845, in Portugal, at the age of 25, he married Maria Rita de Noronha (who was born in the city of Tavira, Portugal, on January 21, 1826). The couple had no children.

On September 15, 1858, by decree, the King of Portugal, Pedro V, granted the title of Viscountess of Aljezur to Mrs. Maria Rita, and on the same date, extended the title to Francisco Coutinho, designated “Viscount of Aljezur”. In Brazil, Emperor Pedro II confirmed the title of Viscount to Coutinho, by means of a decree of December 23, 1858. Later, on April 10, 1878, Francisco Coutinho saw his title of viscount promoted to the rank of count, in both countries. As we can see, he had the same noble titles in both Portugal and Brazil.

In granting titles, kings and emperors choose random names, usually villas, cities or geographical features (such as lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys and mountain ranges). Thus, the word “Aljezur” in Portugal has two origins: it is a small village, in the Algarve region, currently with 6,000 inhabitants; and it is also the name of a river (or riverbank) that rises in the Serra de Monchique and flows into the Atlantic Ocean, in the beautiful Praia da Amoreira. Pedro V chose “Viscountess of Aljezur” (for Dona Maria) and “Viscount of Aljezur” (for Francisco Coutinho) out of mere generosity, without any specific reason. “Aljezur” is a word of Arabic origin and means “islands” (al jazair). “Al yazira” is the singular (“the island”). From the same root came the word Algeria.

Francisco Coutinho was an official of the Crown and served the Brazilian Empire, performing various functions, assignments and missions. For instance, he zerved the 7th Cavalry Corps of the then Province of Rio de Janeiro, headquartered in Vila de Iguaçu, the region we know today as the municipality of Nova Iguaçu. He was also a nobleman of Dona Maria Leopoldina (Empress of Brazil, the first wife of Pedro I), responsible accountant of Dona Amelia Augusta Eugenia Napoleona de Beauharnais (Empress of Brazil, second wife of Pedro I), and direct advisor of Emperor Pedro II, even accompanying him to exile in Portugal, after the proclamation of the Republic (November 15, 1889). Coutinho was an inseparable companion of Pedro II, remaining loyal to him until the death of the monarch in 1891. He then returned to Brazil and went to live in Petrópolis, where he had already settled during the reign of his imperial majesty, Pedro II.

In the Vincentian context, Francisco Coutinho was one of the founders (and 1st vice-president) of the “St. Louis King of France” Conference, of the Church of St. Louis of the French, in Lisbon, Portugal, founded on October 31, 1859, with Father Joaquim José Sena de Freitas (CM), Father Emilio Eugenio Miel (CM), the Count of Samodães and others. He also cooperated with the French member Mr. Thiberge in the foundation of the “St. Peter” Conference, the second one in Portuguese lands, in Funchal, Madeira, in 1875. Francisco was vice-president of the Superior Council of Portugal, carrying out a work of great relevance.

In Brazil, together with other confreres (Pedro Fortes Marcondes Jobim, secretary, and Antônio Seário Moreira de Sá, treasurer), he founded, on August 4, 1872, the “St. Joseph” Conference, being the Viscount of Aljezur elected the first president of a Vincentian Conference in Brazilian lands. It is important to emphasize that, at the time of the foundation of the “St. Joseph” Conference, the fellow member Francisco de Lemos de Faria Pereira Coutinho held the title of “viscount” (since the title of count was only granted to him in 1878, as already mentioned).

After the death of Dona Maria Rita, Francisco Coutinho married Ana Carolina de Saldanha da Gama, born on August 1, 1834 in Rio de Janeiro. The couple left no descendants. Francisco Coutinho also possessed innumerable decorations, such as the Swedish Order of the Polar Star, Order of Christ (in Brazil) and Order of St. Gregory (in Italy). A curiosity: on August 12, 1903, the Aljezur Station was inaugurated in Nova Iguaçu (RJ), part of the Auxiliary Line of the Central Railroad of Brazil, in homage to the Count who owned land in that town. Unfortunately, since 1996, the Aljezur Station has been abandoned, since the deactivation of this railway line.

The Count of Aljezur, a brilliant man of two continents (America and Europe) and two sister nations (Brazil and Portugal), died on April 2, 1909 in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro State (Brazil), at the age of 99. He spent his entire life in the exercise of Christian charity. Let us pray to God for the soul of this memorable fellow member who founded the SSVP in Portugal and Brazil. We can only project the future if we know the past and if we know how to value our ancestors, conquerors of history, who opened the doors to the existence of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul throughout the world. May the memory, life and biography of Brother Francisco Coutinho be widely spread within the SSVP and the Vincentian Family!

Author: Renato Lima de Oliveira,
16th President General of the SSVP (2016/2022).

Portrait of the Count of Aljezur, by Alejandro Cicarelli, 1848, preserved in the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.