Cabido da Sé de Coimbra

Country

PT

Name of institution (English)

The National Archive of Torre do Tombo

Name of institution (official language of the state)

Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo

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/CSC

Type of reference number

Archival reference number

Title (English)

Cathedral Chapter of Coimbra

Title (official language of the state)

Cabido da Sé de Coimbra

Language of title

por

Creator / accumulator

Cabido da Sé de Coimbra

Date note

10th century/17th century

Language(s)

por

Extent

6 books and 132 bundles

Type of material

Textual Material

Physical condition

Good

Scope and content

This fonds includes various documents from the Cathedral Chapter of Coimbra, including papal documents, royal papers, property records, donations, sentences, exchanges, emphyteusis contracts, sales, purchases, privileges, rents, obligations, demarcations, visits, wills, among other document types. The records mention diverse places throughout Portugal, including Coimbra, Sintra, Évora, Santarém, Covilhã, Guimarães, Viseu, etc.
It contains several records mentioning Jews, such as:
PT/TT/CSC/1DP09, doc. 16; PT/TT/CSC/1DP10, doc. 4;
PT/TT/CSC/2M022, doc. 956: Medieval records with references to Jewish moneylenders;
PT/TT/CSC/00103, doc. 87: a document from 1137 referring to a plot of land acquired from a Jewish landlord named Macheon in Coimbra. Another copy of this document can be found in the Mosteiro de Santa Cruz fonds in the National Archive of Torre do Tombo;
PT/TT/CSC/2M003, doc. 117: an emphyteusis contract, dating from 1382, between the Cathedral Chapter and D. Levi and his wife D. Cinfa concerning a floor in the "judiaria" (Jewish quarter) of Coimbra;
PT/TT/CSC/2M051, doc. 2008, fol. 4: a record of a Jewish converso who received minor orders in 1419.
The fonds also includes the Livro Preto da Sé de Coimbra (PT/TT/CSC/L06, formerly Colecção Costa Basto, n.º 36), the cartulary of the Cathedral of Coimbra, containing records from 773 to 1217. The Livro Preto includes references to the early presence of Jews living in the area of the diocese of Coimbra. For instance, a deed of sale (doc. 492) of a plot of land on June 15, 1099, refers to the locality of Enxofães, at present in the municipality of Cantanhede, as being a village of Jews ("villa de Suffenes, qui est de illos hebreos"). In a document (no. 576) from June 16, 1145, in which the Council of Coimbra, with the support of King Afonso Henriques, updated the customary law regarding the city of Coimbra, Jews are mentioned as being involved in tanning and shoe-making activities.

Archival history

In September 1863, most of the collection of the Cathedral Chapter of Coimbra was transferred to the National Archive of Torre do Tombo, while another part of the collection was incorporated into the Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra (Archive of the University of Coimbra), between 1917 and 1921. In an uncertain date between 1860 and 1864, an official of the National Archive, José Manuel da Costa Basto, transferred various codices to the Torre do Tombo, including a few from the archives of the Cathedral of Coimbra that were stored in the Governos Civis (Civil Governments) of Porto, Coimbra and Viana. Among these codices from the archive of the Cathedral of Coimbra, there were three books (then numbered 27, 28 and 36) that were incorporated in the Colecção Costa Basto. Currently, these books are part of the Cabido da Sé de Coimbra fonds: books 4, 5 and 6. Some of the records from the Cathedral Chapter of Coimbra were included in the so-called "Colecção Especial" (Special Collection), a collection that gathered documents from several ecclesiastic institutions. Between 1938 and 1990, the documents of this collection were gradually reorganised with the aim of recreating the original fonds. The documents were chronologically ordered and gathered into bundles of 40 documents each, which were numbered sequentially. At the end of the 1990s, the organisation by locality was discarded, and the records were aggregated according to their original religious institution, order or diocese.

Administrative / Biographical history

The Cabido da Sé (Cathedral Chapter) de Coimbra was a corporation or community of ecclesiastics who advised the bishop on the governance of the diocese. Its foundation is traditionally dated from 1086, but it is possible that the Cathedral Chapter already existed before. Its establishment was driven by Bishop D. Paterno, who assumed the bishopric of Coimbra in 1080.
The bull "Apostolicae sedis" of March 23, 1102, granted the administration of the dioceses of Viseu and Lamego to the Cathedral of Coimbra. The Bishop of Coimbra remained the head of both dioceses until 1147.
Originally, the Cathedral Chapter of Coimbra was led by a "prepositus" or a prior, and canons lived in community following the rule of St. Augustin. Then, the Chapter was composed of about ten canons. During the 12th century, the canons tended to leave community life and their number increased. At the beginning of the 12th century, they were already 30.
The Chapter also refined its hierarchisation over the 12th and 13th centuries. It became headed by a dean. There were also other dignities, such as the chantre, the "mestre-escola" (schoolmaster), the chief treasurer, and four archdeacons. The "cónego magistral" (master canon) was a doctor in Theology, and a "cónego doutoral" (doctor canon) had, at least, a degree in Canon Law. Other four canons also had the encumbrance of teaching in the Seminary of Coimbra.
The incomes and estates of the diocese of Coimbra were divided into two "mesas" (boards): two-thirds to the "Mitra Episcopal" (Episcopal board) and one-third to the "Mesa Capitular" (Cathedral Chapter board). Therefore, the Chapter administered an extensive patrimony composed of donations from the Crown, the bishop and privates. A prebendary managed the Chapter’s estates and distributed their incomes among its members.
In 1455, Vicar General Afonso Vicente compiled the documents related to the responsibilities and rights of each class of ecclesiastics of the Cathedral of Coimbra and established the first statutes of the Chapter. Bishop D. João Soares set new regulations in 1571, which remained in force until the 18th century, with only a few updates. In 1741, the Chapter received new statutes by the initiative of Bishop D. Miguel da Anunciação.

Access points: locations

Coimbra (Portugal)

Access points: subject terms

Portuguese Medieval Jewry

Conversos

Jewish quarter

Land

Privileges

11th century

12th century

13th century

14th century

15th century

Access points: document types

Church records

Property records

System of arrangement

This fonds is divided into two incorporations. The first incorporation of documents (1D) includes 21 bundles of private documents from the 11th to 15th century, 2 bundles with royal documents and 3 others related to the Holy See and containing a collection of reels. The second incorporation (2M) comprises 104 bundles, organised thematically, according to its provenance.

Access, restrictions

Some documents are available online. The original copy of those documents is not available for consultation. To have access to some records, permission is needed and only during a restricted time.

Finding aids

Unpublished finding aids available in Torre do Tombo:

"Inventário (catálogo) dos Documentos reais do Cabido da Sé de Coimbra (1094 a 1435) 1.ª incorporação" (Catalogue of the Royal Documents of the Cabido da Sé de Coimbra (1094 to 1435), first incorporation). 1957-1958 (C 313 A/1).

"Inventário (catálogo) dos Documentos particulares do Cabido da Sé de Coimbra 1.ª incorporação" (Catalogue of the Particular Documents of the Cabido da Sé de Coimbra, first incorporation). 1957-1958 (C 313 A/2 - A/11).

"Inventário (catálogo) dos Documentos eclesiásticos do Cabido da Sé de Coimbra (1102 a 1365) 1.ª incorporação" (Catalogue of the Ecclesiastic Documents of the Cabido da Sé de Coimbra, first incorporation). 1960 (C 313 A/12).

"Inventário das Corporações Religiosas, desintegrado da antiga Colecção Especial, em 24 de Julho de 1978" (Inventory of the Religious Organisations extracted from the former Colecção Especial on July 24, 1978). (L 208).

"Inventário dos documentos de 87 maços do Cabido da Sé de Coimbra" (Inventory of the documents of 87 bundles of the Cabido da Sé de Coimbra) (L 293).

"Inventário dos documentos do Cabido da Sé de Coimbra que, em virtude do Decreto de 2 de Outubro de 1862 e da Portaria de 9 de Julho de 1863, foram transferidos do cartório do Cabido para o Arquivo da Torre do Tombo, em 2 de Setembro de 1863" (Inventory of documents of the Cabido da Sé de Coimbra that, following the decree of October 2, 1862, and the ordinance of July 9, 1863, were transferred from the registry of the Cathedral Chapter to the Archive of Torre to Tombo on September 2, 1863). Notes about the former and current organization; it includes a chart of missing records (L 292).

"Inventário provisório dos rolos 1 a 3 do Cabido da Sé de Coimbra, 2.ª incorporação" (Provisory inventory of the reels 1 to 3 of the Cabido da Sé de Coimbra, second incorporation). (C 313).

"Inventário provisório (catálogo) dos maços do Cabido da Sé de Coimbra, 2.ª incorporação" (Provisory inventory of the bundles of the Cabido da Sé de Coimbra, second incorporation). (C 313 1-25).