Mosteiro de São Salvador de Vairão
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
The National Archive of Torre do Tombo
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
por
Contact information: postal address
Alameda da Universidade, 1649-010 Lisbon
Contact information: phone number
00351 210037100
Contact information: web address
http://antt.dglab.gov.pt/contactos/
https://digitarq.arquivos.pt/
Contact information: email
mail@dglab.gov.pt
Reference number
PT/TT/MSV
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Monastery of São Salvador of Vairão
Title (official language of the state)
Mosteiro de São Salvador de Vairão
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Mosteiro de São Salvador de Vairão
Date(s)
921/1845
Language(s)
lat
por
Extent
20 bundles
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
The Mosteiro do Salvador de Vairão fonds comprises records related to or produced by this monastery in Vairão, Vila do Conde, Northern Portugal. It includes royal documents, records regarding dowries and professions, property and financial records, etc.
Bundle 7 (PT/TT/MSV/003/0007), part of the series "Documentos vários" (miscellaneous documents), contains a document (doc. 29) that mentions Isaque Negro, son of Judas Negro from Lisbon, who owned a debt to Martim Fernandes da Cunha. Cunha and Gonçalo Martins de Vilela, both knights of the Royal House, had received a horse and some money from Isaque Negro, under the obligation of paying 155 pounds. This letter of obligation dates from September 7, 1313. Later, Isaac presented the same letter before King D. Dinis, alleging that Cunha had not paid his debt. For this reason, on March 3, 1317, the king ordered Domingos Pais, his gatekeeper, to hold a public auction of Cunha's estate, which ended up being sold to Vasco Martins da Cunha and his wife, D. Senhorinha, on August 1, 1317.
We would like to thank Pedro Pinto for the information related to this document.
Bundle 7 (PT/TT/MSV/003/0007), part of the series "Documentos vários" (miscellaneous documents), contains a document (doc. 29) that mentions Isaque Negro, son of Judas Negro from Lisbon, who owned a debt to Martim Fernandes da Cunha. Cunha and Gonçalo Martins de Vilela, both knights of the Royal House, had received a horse and some money from Isaque Negro, under the obligation of paying 155 pounds. This letter of obligation dates from September 7, 1313. Later, Isaac presented the same letter before King D. Dinis, alleging that Cunha had not paid his debt. For this reason, on March 3, 1317, the king ordered Domingos Pais, his gatekeeper, to hold a public auction of Cunha's estate, which ended up being sold to Vasco Martins da Cunha and his wife, D. Senhorinha, on August 1, 1317.
We would like to thank Pedro Pinto for the information related to this document.
Archival history
It is unclear how and when the documents of this collection were transferred to the Torre do Tombo. However, they were already in the archive in 1899. A part of the records was integrated into the "Colecção Especial" (Special Collection). Over the 20th century, the documents of this collection were gradually incorporated into other collections in an effort to reproduce the original fonds. The documents were chronologically ordered and organised in bundles with 40 documents each. In the late 1990s, the arrangement of the ecclesiastic records by place name was replaced by an organisation by religious order. This project led to the publication of an inventory, entitled Ordens monástico-conventuais: inventário, coordinated by José Mattoso and Maria do Carmo Jasmins Dias Farinha.
Administrative / Biographical history
The first mention of the Monastery of São Salvador of Vairão dates back to 974, when two churches were donated to the monastery. At the time, it was inhabited by both monks and nuns. The monastery was probably abandoned after the attacks from Muslims around 997, and Normans in 1015-1016. In 1021, the monastery was running again. The institution had a considerable amount of land and patrimony.
Around the end of the 11th century, the monastery was one of the many monasteries that adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict. From 1126 onwards, it became a female monastery under the rule of abbess Elvira Todereis. However, some male clerics lived next to it and were present during the religious services. In 1141, the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, bestowed a “carta de couto” to the monastery, which granted it privileges and jurisdiction over an extensive area. In 1634, the monastery started to be headed by abbesses with a term of three years only, instead of the previous lifetime tenures. In 1695, as the monastery was overcrowded, a maximum number of nuns was determined.
In 1834, religious orders and male monasteries were extinct by virtue of a decree from the new Liberal regime. The female monasteries and convents were allowed to remain in function until the death of the last nun. Thus, the Monastery of São Salvador of Vairão was extinct in 1891, when its last nun died. In 1893, the building was donated to the Associação Auxiliar das Missões (Assistant Association of Missions). Two years later, it was granted to the nuns of the Sagrado Coração de Maria, who used it for educational purposes. However, it was extinct 15 years later, after the establishment of the Republic in Portugal.
Around the end of the 11th century, the monastery was one of the many monasteries that adopted the Rule of Saint Benedict. From 1126 onwards, it became a female monastery under the rule of abbess Elvira Todereis. However, some male clerics lived next to it and were present during the religious services. In 1141, the first king of Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, bestowed a “carta de couto” to the monastery, which granted it privileges and jurisdiction over an extensive area. In 1634, the monastery started to be headed by abbesses with a term of three years only, instead of the previous lifetime tenures. In 1695, as the monastery was overcrowded, a maximum number of nuns was determined.
In 1834, religious orders and male monasteries were extinct by virtue of a decree from the new Liberal regime. The female monasteries and convents were allowed to remain in function until the death of the last nun. Thus, the Monastery of São Salvador of Vairão was extinct in 1891, when its last nun died. In 1893, the building was donated to the Associação Auxiliar das Missões (Assistant Association of Missions). Two years later, it was granted to the nuns of the Sagrado Coração de Maria, who used it for educational purposes. However, it was extinct 15 years later, after the establishment of the Republic in Portugal.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is arranged into three series: Ordens régias (royal orders), Dotes e profissões (dowries and professions), and Documentos vários (various documents). The first two series are composed of one bundle each. The third series has eighteen bundles organised in chronological order.
Access, restrictions
No restrictions, except for records in poor condition or available in digital format.
Finding aids
Unpublished finding aids available in the archive:
"Inventário das Corporações Religiosas, desintegrado da antiga Colecção Especial , em 24 de Julho de 1978" (Inventory of the Religious Organisations, which were desintegrated from the former Special Collection on July 24, 1978). (L 208).
"Inventário dos documentos recolhidos do Mosteiro de São Salvador de Vairão, organizado em face das indicações insertas nas capilhas, feitas pelo conservador D. José Pessanha, em 1899, depois da sua entrada na Torre do Tombo" (Inventory of the documents collected from the Monastery of São Salvador of Vairão, organised by D. José Pessanha, according to indications in the covers, in 1899, after their entrance into the Torre do Tombo). (L 286), fols. 43-44.
"Relação de documentos pertencentes ao cartório do Mosteiro de Vairão, p. 19, transferidos da Direcção-Geral dos Próprios Nacionais para o Arquivo da Torre do Tombo" (Relation of the documents belonging to the registry of the Monastery of Vairão, page 19, transferred from the Direcção-Geral dos Próprios Nacionais to the Torre do Tombo). (L 287).
Published finding aids
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Inês de Sá and Teresa Oliveira, 2021
Linked resources
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