Convent and Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The church is currently in a good state of preservation, while the convent is, for the most part, in ruins.
The city of Luanda experienced significant development during the 17th century, and it was during this period that the Carmo Convent and its church were built.
At the invitation of D. Luísa de Gusmão, then Regent of Portugal, the Carmelites arrived in Angola in 1659, initially settling in the Franciscan Convent of the Third Order of Saint Joseph.
The first superior was Friar Gregório de Santa Teresa, a native of Montemor-o-Velho and a member of the Carmelite convent in Lisbon.
In 1660, construction of the convent building began in the suburb of Ingombotas using materials donated by Governor João Fernandes Vieira—following instructions from Regent D. Luísa de Gusmão—and through alms contributed by the local population.

The bell tower was completed in 1689, while the sacristy was built in 1691 thanks to the patronage of Governor D. João de Lencastre, a fact confirmed by an inscription found on a stone plaque.
In the 18th century, the church walls were covered with decorative tiles.
The church was restored in 1828 and, between 1887 and 1897, during the renovation of Luanda Cathedral (Church of Our Lady of Remedies), the Church of Carmo served as the city's cathedral.

In 1906, the Carmelite Church became the seat of the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
The building had to be restored in 1931 when the upper choir of the church collapsed during the patron saint festivities.
In that accident, which caused no casualties, a painting dating from 1742 depicting the Transit of Saint Teresa was lost. It was considered one of the finest works of art in the complex.
In 1945, while Angola was still part of the Portuguese Colonial Empire, the church was classified as Portuguese National Heritage.
In 2009, the Carmo Convent of Luanda was a candidate in the competition to elect the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World.

Description

Both the church and the convent are plastered and painted pink. The church façade ends in a triangular pediment decorated with a coat of arms and topped by a cross at its highest point. The corners of the façade are built in stone masonry, and the single entrance portal features a triangular pediment. Above it is a niche containing the image of Our Lady, flanked by two small square windows. The single nave has a rectangular floor plan with a deep square-shaped chancel, all covered by false barrel vaults. In the chancel stands a large gilded carved-wood altarpiece decorated with the emblem of the Carmelite Order at the keystone of the arches and featuring an enthroned image of Our Lady.

The church draws attention for its painted ceiling decorated with floral motifs and panels depicting saints. Another important decorative feature is the collection of 18th-century blue-and-white Lisbon tiles that cover much of the interior walls and portray scenes from the lives of Saint Teresa and Saint John of the Cross, as well as allegories of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Next to the chancel is an armorial tombstone belonging to Friar António do Espírito Santo, Bishop of the Diocese of Luanda between 1672 and 1674 and a member of the Carmelite Order.
Friar Francisco de Santo Tomás was also buried in the same tomb.

On the right side of the convent church, the convent was built, of which only the two-storey cloister remains. The very simple façade contains several rectangular openings. Above the roof stands a bell gable with three semicircular arches, each housing a bell.