Pergaminhos
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
Elvas City Historic Archive
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
por
Contact information: postal address
Estrada da Calçadinha, 7350-466 Elvas
Contact information: phone number
00351 268009660
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
arquivo.historico@cm-elvas.pt
Reference number
PERG
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Parchments
Title (official language of the state)
Pergaminhos
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Câmara Municipal de Elvas
Date(s)
1341/1701
Language(s)
por
Extent
1 box (85 parchments)
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
The Pergaminhos collection is part of the Vária (various documents) series of the Câmara Municipal de Elvas (Municipality of Elvas) fonds. It comprises royal documents such as letters, sentences, provisions, and other records of diverse types, wills, bulls, sale deeds, etc. The collection also comprises petitions presented before the Cortes (the national assembly including representatives of the nobility, the clergy, and the commoners, to advise the king on legislation) by the Municipality of Elvas' delegates. Among them, there is one from the Cortes of Évora in 1490 that reports a dispute and of which a copy was made at the request of the "comuna" (commune) of Elvas (PERG 25). The document dates from July 15, 1490, and it is highly damaged, hindering its reading. However, it is one of the rare documentary traces of the "comuna" of Elvas.
Archival history
The Pergaminhos collection was listed and annotated for the first time by the military officer and historian Vitorino de Almada (1845-1899) and the ethnographer António Tomás Pires (1850-1913), both from Elvas. However, the first organisation of the collection dates back to the 1940s, when Domingos Lavadinho (1893-1953), the director of the Municipal Library and Museum of Elvas, composed the first study on the parchments: "Manuscritos e Outros Documentos da Biblioteca Municipal de Elvas" (1945). Later, Eurico Gama (1913-1977), who succeeded him in the direction of the Municipal Library and Museum, published two other studies on the collection: “Pergaminhos da Colegiada de Santa Maria de Alcáçova de Elvas” (1968) and “Catálogo dos Pergaminhos do Arquivo Municipal de Elvas” (1963).
We would like to thank Dr. Nuno Costa (Arquivo Histórico Municipal de Elvas) for this information on the collection's archival history.
We would like to thank Dr. Nuno Costa (Arquivo Histórico Municipal de Elvas) for this information on the collection's archival history.
Administrative / Biographical history
In 1166, King Afonso Henriques conquered Elvas to the Muslims. However, they retook it in 1226. In 1230, King Sancho II reconquered Elvas.
The first Paços do Concelho (council chambers) were located in the Largo do Salvador, where the Church of São Salvador was located in the 13th century. In 1361, Elvas headquartered the Cortes (the national assembly). In the 15th century, the Municipality of Elvas already owned a small archive. It is mentioned in a "capítulo" (petition) of the Cortes of 1441.
The first decades of the 16th century were a period of progression. In 1512, King Manuel granted a new "formal" (city charter) to Elvas, and, in the following year, he elevated it to city status. Also, in the 1510s, the King ordered the building of a new central square in Elvas, to where the new Paços do Concelho should be transferred. Although he had demanded the construction of the new Paços do Concelho in 1525, the works were only completed in 1538. The municipal archive was transferred to a small room adjacent to the Vereação (city council) meeting room. The documents were stored in shelves and drawers, but their preservation was neglected, and several items were lost. A flood in the archive in 1625 also caused the loss of many documents. Then, the records were removed from the archive room. In 1733, they were catalogued and relocated to the municipal archive, but the new facilities soon became too small for the large number of documents produced over time. Therefore, the efforts to relocate the municipal archive to a palace in the Rua dos Pessanhas had already begun by the end of the 19th century. However, the building was only purchased in 1935, and the transference occurred in the following year. In 2006, the archive was relocated to the Convent of São Francisco.
The first Paços do Concelho (council chambers) were located in the Largo do Salvador, where the Church of São Salvador was located in the 13th century. In 1361, Elvas headquartered the Cortes (the national assembly). In the 15th century, the Municipality of Elvas already owned a small archive. It is mentioned in a "capítulo" (petition) of the Cortes of 1441.
The first decades of the 16th century were a period of progression. In 1512, King Manuel granted a new "formal" (city charter) to Elvas, and, in the following year, he elevated it to city status. Also, in the 1510s, the King ordered the building of a new central square in Elvas, to where the new Paços do Concelho should be transferred. Although he had demanded the construction of the new Paços do Concelho in 1525, the works were only completed in 1538. The municipal archive was transferred to a small room adjacent to the Vereação (city council) meeting room. The documents were stored in shelves and drawers, but their preservation was neglected, and several items were lost. A flood in the archive in 1625 also caused the loss of many documents. Then, the records were removed from the archive room. In 1733, they were catalogued and relocated to the municipal archive, but the new facilities soon became too small for the large number of documents produced over time. Therefore, the efforts to relocate the municipal archive to a palace in the Rua dos Pessanhas had already begun by the end of the 19th century. However, the building was only purchased in 1935, and the transference occurred in the following year. In 2006, the archive was relocated to the Convent of São Francisco.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Finding aids
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
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| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Arquivo Histórico Municipal de Elvas | Collections (official language of the state) |