Lourenço de Santa Maria e Melo

Fr. Lourenço de Santa Maria e Melo entered the Franciscan Seminary of Varatojo in 1727 and was ordained a Franciscan priest in Varatojo on 13 June 1730. On 9 June 1743, he was consecrated Archbishop of Goa and Primate of the East at the Patriarchal Palace in Lisbon. He left for Goa where he stayed until 1750, when he resigned due to ill health.

Back in Portugal, he was appointed archbishop-bishop of the Algarve in 1752, a position he held until 1783, when he died.^[1][2]

As archbishop-bishop of the Algarve, he had to deal with the problems caused by the 1755 earthquake in the region, which destroyed Faro's cathedral tower, several churches and houses.^[1][2]

He was the great-uncle of the 1st Viscount of Graciosa, 1st Count of Graciosa and 1st Marquis of Graciosa.