[1] A similar proposal was made by the College of São Lourenço in Porto, and later Grégorio Afonso provided one moio of wheat in his testament of 23 March 1572.

They were collected by João Lopes, who offered them shelter, while urging them to remain in Ponta Delgada in order to found a college on the island.

[1][2] At this time, Francisco Rodovalho donated eight alqueires of land alongside the college, João Moreira a few houses (which were destroyed for the construction), and the Quinta da Fajã was purchased for the college by João Lopes, Gaspar do Rego de Sousa and Francisco do Rego de Sá, in order provide an economic base to support the institution.

[4] The establishment of the Confraria de Nossa Senhora da Vida (Brotherhood of Our Lady of Life) by the officials of the city in 1625, allowed the gold-leafing of the retable in the church and the purchase of an image from Lisbon.

[1] It was in the library of the college that some of the important documents in the history of the Azores were found, including the original manuscript for Saudades da Terra by Gaspar Frutuoso.

[5] One of Nicolau Maria Raposo's first actions was to destroy the old cistern to make a water tank with bench, as his family occupied the property converting the Jesuit retreat into personal household.

The buildings of the college served successively as a storage space, a stonemason's shop, and finally to warehouse materials used in civil construction projects for the regional authority.

In 1974, the municipal government petitioned the DGEMN to reconstruct the clock-tower, and demolish a pre-existing annex used by a shipowner (who had constructed his offices here since it offered a clear view of the sea, allowing him to prepare his ships for loading/unloading).

[7] In October 1995 a project to completely consolidate the church, sacristy, ante-sacristy and small area of the historical college, was begun by A2P-Consult, under the supervision of the Laboratório Regional de Engenharia(Engineering Regional Laboratory), and on 21 September 2001 the Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo de Ponta Delgada(Ponta Delgada Public Library and Archive) occupies one of the buildings.

Since 2004, this space has held the permanent collection of religious art belonging to the Carlos Machado Museum, including the painting A Coroação da Virgem by Vasco Pereira Lusitano (1535–1609).

The church is situated in the Largo Marquês do Pombal (commonly referred to as the Largo do Colégio), on the northside of Rua Dr. Aristedes Moreira da Mota, east of Antero Quental Garden (Portuguese: Jardim Antero de Quental), less than 0.5 kilometres north of the historical centre of Ponta Delgada, in the parish of São Sebastião.

On the frieze and cornice on top of this body are three thermal windows (a rounded, central and two lateral, narrow, semi-bezelled frames) divided by pilasters adorned with interlocking elements.

The choir, which connects to the bell-tower, is supported by two decorated columns with balusters, while the sub-choir is covered by panels of azulejo with painted themes that include Indians, boats and animals.

The tops of the nave are truncated by two side altars with rounded arches, surmounted by two frames in low relief hiding spaces for shrines, and two tribunes protected by a lattice (coated with a profuse amount of decoration carved in acanthus).

Accessible from on the left side of the church, it is a very uncharacteristic design, built on two floors in a simple frame (a lower sill and upper balcony).

The convent, which is not accessible, actually includes several buildings and annexes occupied by the offices of the Regional Government of the Azores, and the Library and Archive of Ponta Delgada.