6 November Memorial
St. Nuno Alvares was always a religious man. As a soldier and knight of the noble class, he carried the sacred images of the crucified Christ, the Virgin Mary, and of the two patron saints of the knight, St. George and St. James.
Having fulfilled his obligations as parent, re-established the peace with Castile, and concluded the African expeditions which he took part in as supreme head of the Portuguese army, the Constable began his work on a promise he had made to the Virgin: the building of a votive church. He chose the highest spot in Lisbon and placed the first stone in 1389. The construction lasted for 30 years. When completed, it was most sumptuous with beautiful gothic architecture and rich decoration. Nuno wanted a Marian order to take possession of the church and chose the Carmelites.
The Constable was very familiar with the Order. A former military companion, Juan Gonçalves, had professed in the monastery of Moura; also he had a great friendship with Alfonso de Alfama, Vicar General in Portugal.
In 1423, the Carmelites celebrated their first Provincial Chapter in Portugal, an occasion for Nuno to publicly request admission into the Order as a layman. He took the name Fray Nuno de Santa Maria and renounced his titles and declined to enter the clerical state despite his family lineage, wisdom, and cultural preparation. For Nuno, to serve the servants of God, to be the lowest in the community, was an evangelical option that he fully embraced. He refused to maintain any honors in the cloister.
The king, down to the lowest of his vassals, were shocked by the news that the Grand Constable intended to become a lay brother in a religious order. Nuno had no doubts however and chose the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady as the date to be invested in the habit.
Numerous stories are told about Nuno’s life with the Carmelites. When he met his old friend and former vassal, Fr. Juan Gonçalves, then prior of the house in Lisbon, Nuno would kiss the prior’s hand and ask permission to go out with the classical formulation “Benedicite Pater” to which the prior would respond “At your orders, my Constable. God bless you.” Both took a humble stance toward the other.
He lived the rest of his life in such humility until he died in April of 1431 (Some sources give his death date as November 1, 1431). His fame for holiness rapidly spread throughout the whole country; for the Portuguese he was always the Holy Constable.
