JOHN OF GOD Son of Silves

JOURNALISTS AND POLITICIANS MAKE THE NEWS, BUT ONE 19TH CENTURY FIGURE BECAME KNOWN, AND REVERED, FOR DEVOTING HIS LATER CAREER TO CREATING A SYSTEM THAT WOULD HELP DEVELOP LITERACY SKILLS IN PORTUGAL WHERE ONLY ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE COULD READ OR WRITE

Words: CAROLYN KAIN

IT SOUNDS pretentious to name a new born baby John of God aka João de Deus, but when Gertrude Martins Ramos gave birth to a boy on 8 March 1830, she and her husband did not hesitate. The couple had been blessed. It was the feast of São João de Deus and in Portugal it was common practice if your child was born on a saint’s day to name her/ him accordingly.

Brought up by his humble family in the municipal district of Silves, João de Deus was to become as eminent as the saint he was named after. At the end of his life he was buried in the Jerónimos Monastery alongside monarchs, famous writers and Portugal’s most renowned explorer, Vasco da Gama. When the National Pantheon was completed in 1966 his body was moved in a grand ceremony to lie beside other distinguished figures. Recognition indeed!

Further acknowledging his achievements, a museum in Lisbon was dedicated to him and his life’s work. His home in São Bartolomeu de Messines was opened to the public and a park in Faro, Jardim da Alameda João de Deus, was inaugurated in his name. This charming space has recently been refurbished and reopened to the public.

So why so much accolade for a man that most estrangeiros have probably never heard of?

Despite his name, João de Deus was not a particularly

The Original S O Jo O De Deus

Born in Montemoro-o-Novo, Portugal, 8 March 1495, he was known as the soldier saint who in his later life cared for the sick and poor in Granada, Spain. Many miracles are attributed to him, including the ability to walk through flames. Canonised 1690 and made the patron saint of hospitals. The Hospitaller Order of St John of God is present in more than 50 countries providing health and social services in the name of the Catholic Church.

THE PORTUGUESE ALPHABET EXACTLY AS IT APPEARS IN CARTILHA MATERNAL.

There were only 23 letters in the classical alphabet – K, Y and W were later included, used only in ‘imported’ words like ketchup and karyoke, yacht and yodel, western and webcam.

godly person. Nonetheless, he applied to enter the Seminary in Coimbra, the only way that less affluent students could pursue an education.

Proving his academic worth, he went on to University where he gained recognition in the national press for writing beautiful lyrical poetry. Later as a journalist, a newspaper editor and a politician representing the Círculo de Silves, he made a surprising U-turn.

A change of ways

By now a married man with four young children, he began to devote himself to finding techniques that would help them to learn to read. Conscious that only 20 per cent of Portugal’s population was able to read and write, it became his life’s work to find ways of improving literacy levels.

The first book he produced, Cartilha Maternal, Mother’s Booklet, was revolutionary, laying out the letters of the alphabet using different colours and typefaces to define pronunciation and patterns inside words. Suitable for use at home or in schools it became a standard text for more than 50 years.

When it was introduced, there was little understanding of child development. Harsh teaching methods and punishments were the norm.

Enlightened by the German educator Friedrich Frobel, João de Deus wrote passionately about the need for children to grow up in a non-threatening and stimulating environment. Despite some resistance, his ideas on literacy and numeracy began to be adopted by teachers in Portugal. This was three decades before Maria Montessori opened the first Casa de Bambini (1906) in Italy, and Switzerland’s great educator, Rudolf Steiner, published his Education of the Child.

By the end of the 19th century, João de Deus was well-known as a pedagogue and poet and had become one of the most popular figures in the country. In 1895 he was recognised by King Dom Carlos, receiving the Grand Cross of the Order of Santiago da Espada. He was invited to spearhead the implementation of his methods into the Portuguese school system.

Recognising that children learn best through experience he encouraged a hands-on approach using different materials such as wooden building blocks. With the assistance of one of his adult sons, the initiative gained momentum and has continued until the present day.

It was in 1911 that the first purpose-built O Jardim Escola João de Deus was opened in Coimbra. Aptly named ‘jardim’ – garden – the children were likened to seeds that need constant nurturing in order to grow and blossom.

It is fitting that the refurbished ‘Jardim’ in Faro contains numerous flowers, shrubs and trees, a play area, a pre-school nursery and a children’s mini golf course. The environment is one that João de Deus would approve of, especially the secrets in the secret garden and the peacocks. Hanging around as individuals, in pairs and musters, at this time of year there are wonderful courtship dances with the males flashing their iridescent tails and in summer numerous young birds appear in the park. It is a place worth visiting at any time of year.