Around 1440, from the writings of friar Agostinho de Santa Maria, the construction of a small chapel to Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception) was built by a hermit named Joanne Anes, on this site.

On 28 July 1515, King Manuel elevated the settlement of Água de Pau to the status of town, that consisted of half a league of land, de-annexing the territory from Vila Franca.

Father Gaspar Frutuoso noted that by 1522, the year of the cataclysmic earthquake and landslide in Vila Franca, there already existed a small chapel in the sheltered area, to the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Conceição: the coastal area escaped the cataclysm in Vila Franca.
During these events, Jorge de Mota, a knight in the service of the Aviz, who lived in an estate with houses, orchards and chapel (dedicated to São João Baptista) recounted an episode when his daughter, a devout person, and her travelling companion, Isabel Afonso (a native of Braga or Ponte de Lima) had come to São Miguel with her husband Rodrigo Afonso and niece.
They had planned to travel overnight to the hermitage of Santa Clara in Ponta Delgada, with Jorge de Mota's daughter's half-sisters (between four and nine).
Along the road, sighting the chapel in the Vale de Cabaços (Caloura), they decided to remain there.
Later, discovering where his daughters were, Jorge da Mota did what he could to convince the girls to return to his estate, but they reluctantly remained in the hermitage for the next six months, owing to the events of the earthquake and landslide in Vila Franca.
Since the site only offered a small hermitage with sacristy, the town council of Vila Franca and settlers of Água de Pau constructed (with their meagre funds) a small house where the two lady's began to preach, taking up residence before Easter and adopting the names Maria de Jesus and Maria dos Anjos.
Maria de Jesus wrote to her father, Jorge de Mota, asking that four of his daughters be allowed to remain, while the town council requested alms to support the women.
After a month, two daughters of João de Arruda da Costa, from Vila Franca do Campo, also took up shelter on the site, followed by other devout women.

The island's third Captain-donatário, Rui Gonçalves da Câmara, then began to take care of the house, obtaining a papal bull and permission to erect a monastery, of which he and his wife, D. Filipa Coutinho, became patrons.
Rui Gonçalves later moved, along with his family, to the area in order to be close to the religious sanctuary, contracting several public works.

On 16 July 1533, Pope Clement VIII determined the creation of a monastery, to Santo André in Vila Franca do Campo, housing 40 nuns, many of whom came from the same Vale de Cabaços.

It was these same nuns and staff that eventually abandoned the shelter on 23 April 1540 to found the monastery of Nossa Senhora da Esperança in Ponta Delgada, taking with them the image of Senhor Santo Cristo.
This image had been offered by Pope Paul III to two of the sisters from Vale de Cabaços who had travelled to Rome to solicit the erection of the Ponta Delgada monastery.

The current chapel was constructed in the 17th century, and linked to the date inscribed on a panel representing Father Diogo da Madre de Deus, on the left side of the nave (1630).
Yet, until 1632, the site remained deserted and only briefly occupied by a hermit.
It was in August that several hermits appeared from Furnas, moving into the Vale de Cabaços.
On the 20 November, under provision of D. João Pimenta de Abreu, then Bishop of Angra and the Azores, the hermits of Nossa Senhora da Consolação from the valley of Furnas, were authorized to construct homes alongside the hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (where they had already been housed temporarily).
The hermits had abandoned their shelters in Furnas following a series of earthquakes and fires that occurred on 2 September 1630, and migrated out of the area.

By 1633, housing to the rear of the sacristy had been constructed, using wood and recycled elements from Furnas; they built a corridor and five cells that accommoda
Around 1440, from the writings of friar Agostinho de Santa Maria, the construction of a small chapel to Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception) was built by a hermit named Joanne Anes, on this site.
On 28 July 1515, King Manuel elevated the settlement of Água de Pau to the status of town, that consisted of half a league of land, de-annexing the territory from Vila Franca.
Father Gaspar Frutuoso noted that by 1522, the year of the cataclysmic earthquake and landslide in Vila Franca, there already existed a small chapel in the sheltered area, to the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Conceição: the coastal area escaped the cataclysm in Vila Franca. During these events, Jorge de Mota, a knight in the service of the Aviz, who lived in an estate with houses, orchards and chapel (dedicated to São João Baptista) recounted an episode when his daughter, a devout person, and her travelling companion, Isabel Afonso (a native of Braga or Ponte de Lima) had come to São Miguel with her husband Rodrigo Afonso and niece. They had planned to travel overnight to the hermitage of Santa Clara in Ponta Delgada, with Jorge de Mota's daughter's half-sisters (between four and nine). Along the road, sighting the chapel in the Vale de Cabaços (Caloura), they decided to remain there. Later, discovering where his daughters were, Jorge da Mota did what he could to convince the girls to return to his estate, but they reluctantly remained in the hermitage for the next six months, owing to the events of the earthquake and landslide in Vila Franca. Since the site only offered a small hermitage with sacristy, the town council of Vila Franca and settlers of Água de Pau constructed (with their meagre funds) a small house where the two lady's began to preach, taking up residence before Easter and adopting the names Maria de Jesus and Maria dos Anjos. Maria de Jesus wrote to her father, Jorge de Mota, asking that four of his daughters be allowed to remain, while the town council requested alms to support the women. After a month, two daughters of João de Arruda da Costa, from Vila Franca do Campo, also took up shelter on the site, followed by other devout women.
The island's third Captain-donatário, Rui Gonçalves da Câmara, then began to take care of the house, obtaining a papal bull and permission to erect a monastery, of which he and his wife, D. Filipa Coutinho, became patrons. Rui Gonçalves later moved, along with his family, to the area in order to be close to the religious sanctuary, contracting several public works.
On 16 July 1533, Pope Clement VIII determined the creation of a monastery, to Santo André in Vila Franca do Campo, housing 40 nuns, many of whom came from the same Vale de Cabaços.
It was these same nuns and staff that eventually abandoned the shelter on 23 April 1540 to found the monastery of Nossa Senhora da Esperança in Ponta Delgada, taking with them the image of Senhor Santo Cristo. This image had been offered by Pope Paul III to two of the sisters from Vale de Cabaços who had travelled to Rome to solicit the erection of the Ponta Delgada monastery.
The current chapel was constructed in the 17th century, and linked to the date inscribed on a panel representing Father Diogo da Madre de Deus, on the left side of the nave (1630). Yet, until 1632, the site remained deserted and only briefly occupied by a hermit. It was in August that several hermits appeared from Furnas, moving into the Vale de Cabaços. On the 20 November, under provision of D. João Pimenta de Abreu, then Bishop of Angra and the Azores, the hermits of Nossa Senhora da Consolação from the valley of Furnas, were authorized to construct homes alongside the hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (where they had already been housed temporarily). The hermits had abandoned their shelters in Furnas following a series of earthquakes and fires that occurred on 2 September 1630, and migrated out of the area.
By 1633, housing to the rear of the sacristy had been constructed, using wood and recycled elements from Furnas; they built a corridor and five cells that accommoda
Convent of Caloura