[2] The Building of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia faces Praça da Piedade, a narrow public plaza that extends west from the larger public squares of the St. Ann Cathedral and the Bandstand at Praça da Matriz.

The establishment of a Santa Casa in Feira de Santana occurred in conjunction with a visit by Emperor Dom Pedro II.

Dom Pedro II did not stay at the mansion during his tour of 1859, but donated 500 contos de reais (2:000$000) to build a hospital associated with the Santa Casa da Misericórdia.

[4][2] Prominent citizens of Feira de Santana were unable to build a large hospital despite the donation of Dom Pedro II and significant fund raising.

It was closely linked to the Catholic Church, with the parish priest being a member of its board and the hospital bed consisting of nuns and other women of lay religious orders.

The building was adapted as a permanent childcare facility in 1984 and is locally referred to as the Palácio do Menor ("Palace of the Minors").

A report in the newspaper A Tarde on January 21, 1986 stated that "the glass in the doors and windows has already been broken, and termites are devouring the roof.