Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo de Lisboa
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
Contact information: email
mail@dglab.gov.pt
Reference number
PT/TT/MSN
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Monastery of Santos-o-Novo of Lisbon
Title (official language of the state)
Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo de Lisboa
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo
Date(s)
1207/1749
Language(s)
lat
por
Extent
2 books, 7 booklets and 2166 documents
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Satisfactory
Scope and content
The Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo de Lisboa fonds comprises records related to or produced by the convent since the 13th century, including papal bulls and briefs, royal letters, privileges and donations, licences and sentences, by-laws, "forais" (city charters), financial and property records, documents related to the nuns' daily life, etc. The fonds is organised into four series: Tombos das propriedades do Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo (Inventory of the Monastery's properties); Registo de emprazamentos, aforamentos e arrendamentos do Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo (Records of emphyteusis contracts and rentals of the Monastery); Registo de venda e troca de propriedades do Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo (Records of sales and exchanges of properties of the Monastery); and Documentos diversos (Miscellaneous documents).
The Documentos diversos series contains the oldest records of the fonds, including several documents from the Middle Ages. Some of these records include information related to Jews living in localities where the convent owned properties, as the following examples reveal:
PT/TT/MSN/4/910: Acquisition of properties in Moncoval, Torres Vedras' outskirts, by the monastery of Santos-o-Novo in 1346. These properties had been seized from João Mancebo, from Torres Vedras, after Davi Farfam, a Jew to whom he had contracted a debt of 19.5 pounds, complained before the King that he had not received the payment of said debt. Therefore, the monastery paid Farfam the value corresponding to the debt's amount after the acquisition. We would like to thank Isabel de Luna, curator of the Museu Municipal Leonel Trindade in Torres Vedras, for the information on this document.
PT/TT/MSN/4/779: Delivery of a farm ("Quinta das Covas") in Loures by Judas Castelão, a Jew from Lisbon, and his wife D. Dona to the monastery. Other two Jews witnessed this instrument: Judas, son of Isaque Nayro(?), and Jacob, son of Josepe Romão. June 3, 1326. In the same year, the couple sold another farm adjacent to the Quinta das Covas to João Martins, a servant of the monastery (PT/TT/MSN/4/788).
PT/TT/MSN/4/550: Farão Chaveiral, on behalf of Dona de Alenquer, a Jewish woman, took possession of assets belonging to a "comendadeira" (nun with "comendas" (benefits) and estates) of the Monastery in Alfornel. June 14, 1336.
PT/TT/MSN/4/1326: "Aforamento" (emphyteusis contract) of three vineyards (one of them had belonged to a Jewish man) in Alhos Vedros of the monastery to Pêro Esteves Guedelha, on behalf of Estêvão Durães. The attorney's surname Guedelha suggests possible Jewish origins. November 1, 1366.
PT/TT/MSN/4/1083: Sentence against a Jew named Judas Barnabé to leave a farm in Sintra ("Casal de Trajouce") that he had "emprazado" (rented by an emphyteusis contract) to the Monastery of Santos-o-Velho. September 24, 1454.
Digital copies of these documents (with the exception of PT/TT/MSN/4/910) are available online on the Torre do Tombo web database.
The Documentos diversos series contains the oldest records of the fonds, including several documents from the Middle Ages. Some of these records include information related to Jews living in localities where the convent owned properties, as the following examples reveal:
PT/TT/MSN/4/910: Acquisition of properties in Moncoval, Torres Vedras' outskirts, by the monastery of Santos-o-Novo in 1346. These properties had been seized from João Mancebo, from Torres Vedras, after Davi Farfam, a Jew to whom he had contracted a debt of 19.5 pounds, complained before the King that he had not received the payment of said debt. Therefore, the monastery paid Farfam the value corresponding to the debt's amount after the acquisition. We would like to thank Isabel de Luna, curator of the Museu Municipal Leonel Trindade in Torres Vedras, for the information on this document.
PT/TT/MSN/4/779: Delivery of a farm ("Quinta das Covas") in Loures by Judas Castelão, a Jew from Lisbon, and his wife D. Dona to the monastery. Other two Jews witnessed this instrument: Judas, son of Isaque Nayro(?), and Jacob, son of Josepe Romão. June 3, 1326. In the same year, the couple sold another farm adjacent to the Quinta das Covas to João Martins, a servant of the monastery (PT/TT/MSN/4/788).
PT/TT/MSN/4/550: Farão Chaveiral, on behalf of Dona de Alenquer, a Jewish woman, took possession of assets belonging to a "comendadeira" (nun with "comendas" (benefits) and estates) of the Monastery in Alfornel. June 14, 1336.
PT/TT/MSN/4/1326: "Aforamento" (emphyteusis contract) of three vineyards (one of them had belonged to a Jewish man) in Alhos Vedros of the monastery to Pêro Esteves Guedelha, on behalf of Estêvão Durães. The attorney's surname Guedelha suggests possible Jewish origins. November 1, 1366.
PT/TT/MSN/4/1083: Sentence against a Jew named Judas Barnabé to leave a farm in Sintra ("Casal de Trajouce") that he had "emprazado" (rented by an emphyteusis contract) to the Monastery of Santos-o-Velho. September 24, 1454.
Digital copies of these documents (with the exception of PT/TT/MSN/4/910) are available online on the Torre do Tombo web database.
Archival history
In the 18th century, the Countess of Vimioso, a "comendadeira" of the Monastery of Santos-o-Novo, delivered to the Torre do Tombo some documents from the Monastery's registry that were difficult to read and asked the archive to certify them. These documents were then stored in the "Gaveta 21" (Drawer 21). The certified copies were sent to the Monastery in the 1790s.
On October 2, 1863, 1653 parchments, 7 booklets also in parchment and 413 documents in paper from the monastery entered in the Torre do Tombo. These items gave rise to the Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo fonds, whose current description, available on the archive's online database, is based on former catalogues and abstracts in the back of the documents.
On October 2, 1863, 1653 parchments, 7 booklets also in parchment and 413 documents in paper from the monastery entered in the Torre do Tombo. These items gave rise to the Mosteiro de Santos-o-Novo fonds, whose current description, available on the archive's online database, is based on former catalogues and abstracts in the back of the documents.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Monastery of Santos-o-Novo was built by order of King João II, after the Monastery of Santos-o-Velho, founded in the late 13th century, became too small for the growing number of "comendadeiras" (nuns with "comendas" (benefits) and estates) that ingressed in the convent. On September 5, 1490, the "comendadeiras" left the building of Santos-o-Velho and moved to another in the parish of Santa Engrácia, where the new monastery was erected.
In the second half of the 16th century, the Monastery developed its organisation. On November 24, 1579, Cardinal-King D. Henrique granted it new statutes. He determined that the Monastery should host 50 nuns permanently, who would be supported by income from the village of Canha and 3,000 thousand of revenue from the Orders of Santiago and Avis. In the early 17th century, a new monastery was constructed in the vicinity. The foundation stone was laid in 1609. However, the nuns only moved to the new building twenty years after, in 1629, and the works only finished in 1685.
The Great Earthquake of 1755 ruined the building and led to the reconstruction of the convent. However, a fire some years after, in 1773, damaged it again.
After the dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal in 1834, the "comendadeiras" were authorised to remain in the Monastery. The formal dissolution only occurred in 1895, after the death of the last nun.
In the second half of the 16th century, the Monastery developed its organisation. On November 24, 1579, Cardinal-King D. Henrique granted it new statutes. He determined that the Monastery should host 50 nuns permanently, who would be supported by income from the village of Canha and 3,000 thousand of revenue from the Orders of Santiago and Avis. In the early 17th century, a new monastery was constructed in the vicinity. The foundation stone was laid in 1609. However, the nuns only moved to the new building twenty years after, in 1629, and the works only finished in 1685.
The Great Earthquake of 1755 ruined the building and led to the reconstruction of the convent. However, a fire some years after, in 1773, damaged it again.
After the dissolution of the monasteries in Portugal in 1834, the "comendadeiras" were authorised to remain in the Monastery. The formal dissolution only occurred in 1895, after the death of the last nun.
Access points: locations
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is organised into four series. Storage units are sequentially numbered.
Access, restrictions
Access without restrictions, except for documents in poor physical condition or available in alternative formats (microfilm or digital copies).
Finding aids
Handwritten catalogues incorporated in the archive in 1863. Signatures: C 398 to C 413. Catalogue of the documents in box 5 (mç. 50-53). 1978. Signature: C 1073.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Linked resources
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