Attached to Old Town Hall is Iglesia de San Juan de Dios. The Catholic church was built in 1688. The bell tower was added in 1768. This is part of the former San Juan de Dios Hospital established in 1614. Their namesake is San Juan de Dios (Saint John of God). João Duarte Cidade was a soldier until converted to Christianity in 1537. Then he began an unrelenting mission to care for the poor and sick across Spain. He founded the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God. Today, the religious order operates more than 300 hospitals in 53 countries.
