Convento de São Domingos
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
Porto District Archive
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
por
Contact information: postal address
Rua das Taipas 90, 4050-598 Porto
Contact information: phone number
00351 220 046 200
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
info@adporto.dglab.gov.pt
Reference number
PT/ADPRT/MON/CVSDPRT
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Monastery of São Domingos
Title (official language of the state)
Convento de São Domingos
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Convento de São Domingos
Date(s)
1220/1850
Language(s)
lat
Extent
4 linear metres (54 books)
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Satisfactory
Scope and content
The Convento de São Domingos fonds comprises documentation of several kinds produced or related to the monastery. It includes property and income records, inventories and documents on the institution of chapels. The fonds also contains a collection of Medieval parchments. One of these documents records the "emprazamento" (emphyteusis contract) of a house in the judiaria (Jewish quarter) of Olival, in Porto, made by the monastery to Isaac Bicon on May 24, 1407 (PT/ADPRT/MON/CVSDPRT/001/0037).
Archival history
After the extinction in the 1830s, the Convento de São Domingos' registry was transferred to the national treasury. In July of 1934, the fonds, like other male monasteries' registries, was relocated from the Direcção de Finanças do Porto (Porto Financial Directorate) to the Arquivo Distrital, which had been founded a few years before, on June 27, 1931.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Convento de São Domingos is the oldest monastery of Porto. It was founded in 1238, after D. Pedro Salvadores, the bishop of Porto, donated a church, houses, and lands to the monastery's construction. In 1239, King Sancho II declared himself its founder and patron to mitigate conflicts between the bishop and the cabido (Cathedral Chapter).
In 1357, a violent fire destroyed the monastery. Its reconstruction only began in 1375. In 1676, the Convento de São Domingos also started to host the Third Order of the Holy Trinity. Ten years later, the Trinitarians built a chapter near the Dominicans' church, which began to be used as the main temple after another fire in 1778. During the Liberal Wars, the monastery was again damaged by fire in 1832. Two years later, the dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal led to the nationalisation of the monastery and its estates. The north wing of the Convento became the headquarters of the Caixa Filial do Banco de Portugal (a Bank of Portugal's branch), which acquired the whole building in 1865. Meanwhile, the church had been demolished, and the monastery's backyard had been donated to construct the Mercado de Ferreira Borges (Ferreira Borges Market). After the transference of the Bank of Portugal's branch to Praça da Liberdade in 1934, the building was occupied by an insurance company, the Companhia de Seguros Douro, the predecessor of the Aliança Seguradora. In 1989, the insurance company left the building. The Convento de São Domingos remained closed until 2001 when the Fundação da Juventude do Porto acquired and restored it.
In 1357, a violent fire destroyed the monastery. Its reconstruction only began in 1375. In 1676, the Convento de São Domingos also started to host the Third Order of the Holy Trinity. Ten years later, the Trinitarians built a chapter near the Dominicans' church, which began to be used as the main temple after another fire in 1778. During the Liberal Wars, the monastery was again damaged by fire in 1832. Two years later, the dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal led to the nationalisation of the monastery and its estates. The north wing of the Convento became the headquarters of the Caixa Filial do Banco de Portugal (a Bank of Portugal's branch), which acquired the whole building in 1865. Meanwhile, the church had been demolished, and the monastery's backyard had been donated to construct the Mercado de Ferreira Borges (Ferreira Borges Market). After the transference of the Bank of Portugal's branch to Praça da Liberdade in 1934, the building was occupied by an insurance company, the Companhia de Seguros Douro, the predecessor of the Aliança Seguradora. In 1989, the insurance company left the building. The Convento de São Domingos remained closed until 2001 when the Fundação da Juventude do Porto acquired and restored it.
Access points: locations
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is organised into seven series: Títulos (Titles); Registos de receita e despesa (Income and expenditure records); Prazos (Emphyteusis contracts); Registos de fazenda (Treasury records); Tombos (Inventories); Roteiros (Catalogues); and Instituições de capelas (Chapel's establishments). It also includes a bundle with miscellaneous documents. Records are arranged chronologically.
Access, restrictions
The access to the documents depends on their conservation condition.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Arquivo Distrital do Porto | Collections (official language of the state) |