In 1714, Padre Antônio Manuel founded the first asylum for leprosy patients in his own house, in Nunes Machado road, Recife, in the Soledade district. This was inaugurated in 1789, and formed the basis of the Hospital dos Lázaros in the Santo Amaro district in Recife, which was maintained by the Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Olinda until 1860.

This Hospital closed in 1941, and the patients were transferred to Mirueira Colony.

(Araujo, H C S. 'Contribuição á epidemiologia e prophylaxia da lepra no norte do Brasil'. Mem. Inst. Osw. Cruz, 1933:27 (3) 293)