The chapel of Luzia Joaquina Bruce, in the Lapa Cemetery, is also an interesting construction, due to the fact that it was ordered by her, a Brazilian woman, who dedicated it to a man to whom she was not legally married – the wealthy João António de Lima (1825 - 1891). It consists in a chapel entirely made from Alentejo marble (south of Portugal), the first in the Lapa Cemetery which uses only this type of stone, demonstrating extreme wealth.
Flanking the portal of this chapel, there are Neogothic niches with the allegorical figures of Faith and Nostalgia, this last one with wreath of flowers. An Angel of Redemption is on top of the chapel, but doesn't replace the cross, this angel bears a flower and points to Heaven.
On the sides, there are representations of the patrons of those to whom the tomb was intended: St. John the Baptist, on the side dedicated to João António de Lima and Santa Luzia, on the side destined for Luzia Joaquina Bruce (we can see that they have the same names as the Saints).
The bust of the person buried would normally be placed on the tombs. However, the bust of Luzia Joaquina Bruce does not exist, as this lady would die in Lisbon, where she ended up being buried. Luzia Joaquina Bruce had to have a great love and dedication to João António de Lima, judging by the chapel she had built for him, for placing the statue of her dead lover crowning the building of the Hospital da Lapa (which he paid for) and also for the extreme care she always devoted to the chapel's conservation.
It is therefore curious how a sepulchral work born of love and dedication of a woman to her partner, ends up resulting in an incomplete job, due to her absence in this monument dedicated to their love.
Note that the chapel of Luzia Joaquina Bruce had a great impact at the end of the 19th century, having been copied in other cemeteries in the Porto region.