From 1536, the monastery of Jesus was founded, in order to shelter the youth of wealthy governing families, resulting in the appearance of the toponymy "Rua das Freiras" and "Largo das Freiras". This was a reflection of the growth of the settlement, which continued to expand regularly; in 1515 there were 200 homes; the parish of "Nossa Senhora da Estrela" had 800 by 1576 (on this date there were 1018 homes and 3534 "souls" in the municipality; and 1237 homes by 1593, with indications that the population of the municipality rounded 5000 inhabitants by this time. The growth of the demographics of the municipality necessitated that the ecclesiastical administration create new parishes, resulting in the creation of the parishes of São Pedro (in Ribeira Seca) by 1577 by bishop D. Gaspar de Faria.