the majority ofchurches was therefore named 'our lady of' or, in portuguese, nossa senhora da plus, the name of a location or attribute specific to mary's life.

the igreja de nossa senhora da lapa dos mercadores (church of our lady of the merchants of lapa), on rua do ouvidor 35 was consecrated in 1753 - and named in tribute to the merchants of lapa, a nearby area.

prior to that, an oratory, usually a private building for prayer, was built by the local merchants to serve their spiritual needs.