The first Bishop born in the Azores (and only repeated in the 20th century by António de Sousa Braga), known as a poet, he was the paternal uncle of Almeida Garrett, and stayed with his parents when he visited Terceira.

[1] Apparently self-sufficient, Alexandre José da Silva was an exceptional intellectual, recognized for his excellent studies in theology, canonical and civil law, geography and mathematics.

Yet, even as he was confirmed as the Bishop of Malacca, he did not depart for his post, and remained in Lisbon until he was nominated as Governor and Administrator for the Bishopric of São Paulo de Luanda, with jurisdiction over Angola and region of the Congo.

[1] When he was preparing to receive the transference of the bishopric of the Diocese of Luanda, a conflict with the Captain-General of Angola, José de Almeida e Vasconcelos, 1st Baron of Mossâmedes, put him in opposition to the Portuguese government.

While in exile, he was recognized as a poet and intellectual, and was elected social correspondent of the Academia Real das Ciências de Lisboa (Lisbon Royal Academy of Sciences) in 1791.

In the following year, during the Peninsular War, friar Alexandre escaped to the Azores, settling in Angra on the island of Terceira, with his brother António Bernardo da Silva Garrett and his family.

Returning the following year to Angra, he discovered the diocesan caretaker in open revolt with the apostolic nuncio, Lorenzo Caleppi, then Archbishop of Nisibi, who wanted to nominate a head vicar.

Since they arrived directly, without passing through the Corte in Rio de Janeiro, the bishop maintained his residence situation and the Canon (priest) assumed temporary and spiritual power, as if the position was vacated.

With the vacancy of the position of Captain-General, the Bishop held the interim title for the Captaincy-General of the Azore, until the arrival of the successor, Francisco António de Araújo, who was installed in a solemn ceremony on 14 May 1817 at which he assisted.

D. Alexandre da Sagrada Família died on 22 April 1818, at almost 81 years of age, and was buried in the Convent/Church of Santo António dos Capuchos, where he had regularly walked to venerate the image of Our Lady of Release.

Of his known works, one of his acolytes anonymously published Devoção das Dores da Virgem Mãe de Deus (Devotion of Sorrows of the Virgin Mother of God) in 1782, re-edited in 1817.