Armário Jesuítico e Cartório dos Jesuítas
Item
Country
PT
Name of institution (English)
The National Archive of Torre do Tombo
Name of institution (official language of the state)
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/AJCJ
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Jesuit Cabinet and Registry of the Jesuits
Title (official language of the state)
Armário Jesuítico e Cartório dos Jesuítas
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Arquivo da Casa da Coroa / Arquivo Nacional Torre do Tombo
Date note
15th century/18th century
Language(s)
ita
lat
por
spa
Extent
34 books and 108 bundles
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Satisfactory
Scope and content
This collection is composed of two parts: the Armário Jesuítico (the Jesuit Cabinet) and the Cartório dos Jesuítas (the Registry of the Jesuits). The Armário Jesuítico is constituted by codices and bundles with various documentation related to the Society of Jesus in Portugal, including records on Jesuit missions in overseas territories, the Colégio das Artes (Arts and Humanities Jesuit College) of Coimbra, controversies between the Society of Jesus and the Portuguese Inquisition, but also opinions given by Jesuits when consulted by the Inquisition in religious matters. Some of these opinions concern cases involving New Christians accused of Judaism (for instance, PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ014/00195;
PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ017/00128;
PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ017/00134). The collection also comprises a rich collection of Padre António Vieira's writings (some of them on the New Christian question) and records related to his trial. Books 18 and 20 and bundle 29 (PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ018; PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ020; PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ029) contain reflections on the Inquisition's action against New Christians and the "Jewish heresy" in Portugal, as well as other documentation related to New Christian negotiations for the general pardon and other protections.
The Cartório dos Jesuítas gathers documents from the College of Santo Antão and the Church of São Roque in Lisbon; records from or related to other Jesuit colleges in Portugal (in particular in Braga, Bragança, Porto, Coimbra, Gouveia, Santarém, Setúbal, Portalegre, Elvas, Évora, Faro, Portimão) and overseas territories (Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde, Angola, Maranhão, Bahia); and documentation regarding the Jesuit missions in Asia and Brazil. The collection gathers a few quite interesting documents on the Western Sephardic Diaspora, as it is the case of a group of letters exchanged between Jesuit priest Giovanni Battista Carbone and Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, a Portuguese Jewish physician in London, on scientific matters, as astronomical observations, mathematic instruments, and scientific works (PT/TT/AJCJ/CJ078. See Vieira 2004).
PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ017/00128;
PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ017/00134). The collection also comprises a rich collection of Padre António Vieira's writings (some of them on the New Christian question) and records related to his trial. Books 18 and 20 and bundle 29 (PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ018; PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ020; PT/TT/AJCJ/AJ029) contain reflections on the Inquisition's action against New Christians and the "Jewish heresy" in Portugal, as well as other documentation related to New Christian negotiations for the general pardon and other protections.
The Cartório dos Jesuítas gathers documents from the College of Santo Antão and the Church of São Roque in Lisbon; records from or related to other Jesuit colleges in Portugal (in particular in Braga, Bragança, Porto, Coimbra, Gouveia, Santarém, Setúbal, Portalegre, Elvas, Évora, Faro, Portimão) and overseas territories (Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde, Angola, Maranhão, Bahia); and documentation regarding the Jesuit missions in Asia and Brazil. The collection gathers a few quite interesting documents on the Western Sephardic Diaspora, as it is the case of a group of letters exchanged between Jesuit priest Giovanni Battista Carbone and Isaac de Sequeira Samuda, a Portuguese Jewish physician in London, on scientific matters, as astronomical observations, mathematic instruments, and scientific works (PT/TT/AJCJ/CJ078. See Vieira 2004).
Archival history
"Armário Jesuítico" was the designation given to the cabinet in the Arquivo da Casa da Coroa (Royal Archives) where documentation related to offences committed by Jesuits, records from colleges and their inventories had been stored since 1759. In that year, the Jesuits were banished from Portugal, and the Crown gave orders that their documents be kept in the royal archive. The documents regarding the controversy between the Society of Jesus and the Portuguese Inquisition were packed in two boxes and organised into numbered bundles. In 1768, records were arranged chronologically, but the old numbering was kept. The result is the inventories of boxes 1 and 2 that include the original reference number on the left and the new reference, according to the chronological arrangement, on the right.
According to a decree from June 22, 1844, the records from bundles 29 and 30 and five books (no. 32 to 36) of the Armário Jesuítico were transferred from the Desembargo do Paço (the High Court) to the Royal Archive of the Torre do Tombo. On December 27, 1881, the Direcção-Geral do Tribunal de Contas (Directorate-General of the Court of Auditors) sent the Cartório dos Jesuítas (Registry of the Jesuits) to the Torre do Tombo.
The Armário Jesuítico e Cartório dos Jesuítas collection was subject to archival processing in 2009. The factitious codices which constitute the Armário Jesuítico were described at the level of storage units, as well as all records comprised in each book. The same was made for the Cartório dos Jesuítas' bundles. The work was developed by Joana Braga and Maria José Ganchinho, archivists of the Torre do Tombo, in 2009.
According to a decree from June 22, 1844, the records from bundles 29 and 30 and five books (no. 32 to 36) of the Armário Jesuítico were transferred from the Desembargo do Paço (the High Court) to the Royal Archive of the Torre do Tombo. On December 27, 1881, the Direcção-Geral do Tribunal de Contas (Directorate-General of the Court of Auditors) sent the Cartório dos Jesuítas (Registry of the Jesuits) to the Torre do Tombo.
The Armário Jesuítico e Cartório dos Jesuítas collection was subject to archival processing in 2009. The factitious codices which constitute the Armário Jesuítico were described at the level of storage units, as well as all records comprised in each book. The same was made for the Cartório dos Jesuítas' bundles. The work was developed by Joana Braga and Maria José Ganchinho, archivists of the Torre do Tombo, in 2009.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo is one of Portugal's oldest institutions. Its origins go back at least to the 14th century. The royal documents used to follow the itinerant medieval court, with only the most important documents being held at different monasteries. Once the court established itself in Lisbon, so did the royal archives. The first documental reference to a set location is from 1378. The archive was kept in one of the towers of São Jorge Castle, hence its name Torre do Tombo (Tower of the Archive). The "guarda-mor" (high-guardian) was responsible for its safekeeping.
Until 1755, the Torre do Tombo functioned as the Crown's archive, serving the king's administration and granting certificates to institutions and individuals. The oldest record reporting its organisation and content is from 1526: a letter from Tomé Lopes to King João III that mentions 149 books of Chancellery records and 47 of the so-called Leitura Nova (a compilation of copies of old documents ordered by King Manuel I).
In the 16th century, with the growing centralisation and the greater strength and complexity of the State, Torre do Tombo became a real State archive. Monarchs took notice of the archive, as they understood the importance of the relation between information and power. Some documents from other areas of the central administration were incorporated into the archive. Torre do Tombo became a reference, even serving as an example to Philip II of Spain when regulating the Archive of Simancas.
The first indexes of the archive were created during the 17th and 18th centuries, as the interest in these documents increased and their reorganisation was ongoing. A 1702 index, most likely created by João Duarte Lisboa, responsible for the archive’s reformation, reveals that, in 1656, the archive was arranged in 15 “armários” (cabinets). Twenty years later, the archive had five more “armários”.
In 1755, the tower of the castle was destroyed in the Great Earthquake. The documents were then temporarily saved in a woodshed and, two years later, partly transferred to the monastery of São Bento da Saúde in Lisbon. The papers were then reorganised, and several copies were made. The new organisation did not follow the old methods; instead, it followed the logic of the enlightened 18th century, favouring a methodical and chronological order. The confusion between sections, series, collections, and fonds is noticeable, and the archive's organic structure was unclear, which certainly illustrated how the Crown's institutions were arranged and functioned. Many documents were lost in this new reorganisation and, even with the information given by the indexes, the original structure is still somewhat unclear.
The 18th century also brought a new way of looking at history and a new value to these documents. That explains the incorporation of the Society of Jesus' records in 1768, following the expulsion of the Jesuits from Portugal. It was one of the first examples of the incorporation in the Crown's archives of documents produced by other institutions. After the Liberal Revolution, these incorporations became customary, collecting records of old courts and religious corporations. In 1823, the royal archive changed its name to Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (National Archive of Torre do Tombo), making it clear that it was not only an archive of the Crown but of the whole nation. However, there was no active will or ability to enable its access and to explore its documents, as the focus was only on their compilation.
The beginning of the 20th century and the establishment of the Republic in 1911 did not bring many new developments, as well as the dictatorship (1926-1974). In the 1950s, an effort was made by the director, João Martins da Silva Marques, to reorganise the documentation, leading to the creation of the Núcleo Antigo (Old Core) collection. Throughout the 20th century, many collections and documents were added to the archive, coming from different public and private institutions.
In 1990, the archives moved to a new building made specifically for that purpose, where they are still located today. In more recent years, part of the fonds and collections were rearranged to match the original organisation. For instance, the Núcleo Antigo was disassembled, creating new fonds and collections, and incorporating other documents into already existing ones.
Until 1755, the Torre do Tombo functioned as the Crown's archive, serving the king's administration and granting certificates to institutions and individuals. The oldest record reporting its organisation and content is from 1526: a letter from Tomé Lopes to King João III that mentions 149 books of Chancellery records and 47 of the so-called Leitura Nova (a compilation of copies of old documents ordered by King Manuel I).
In the 16th century, with the growing centralisation and the greater strength and complexity of the State, Torre do Tombo became a real State archive. Monarchs took notice of the archive, as they understood the importance of the relation between information and power. Some documents from other areas of the central administration were incorporated into the archive. Torre do Tombo became a reference, even serving as an example to Philip II of Spain when regulating the Archive of Simancas.
The first indexes of the archive were created during the 17th and 18th centuries, as the interest in these documents increased and their reorganisation was ongoing. A 1702 index, most likely created by João Duarte Lisboa, responsible for the archive’s reformation, reveals that, in 1656, the archive was arranged in 15 “armários” (cabinets). Twenty years later, the archive had five more “armários”.
In 1755, the tower of the castle was destroyed in the Great Earthquake. The documents were then temporarily saved in a woodshed and, two years later, partly transferred to the monastery of São Bento da Saúde in Lisbon. The papers were then reorganised, and several copies were made. The new organisation did not follow the old methods; instead, it followed the logic of the enlightened 18th century, favouring a methodical and chronological order. The confusion between sections, series, collections, and fonds is noticeable, and the archive's organic structure was unclear, which certainly illustrated how the Crown's institutions were arranged and functioned. Many documents were lost in this new reorganisation and, even with the information given by the indexes, the original structure is still somewhat unclear.
The 18th century also brought a new way of looking at history and a new value to these documents. That explains the incorporation of the Society of Jesus' records in 1768, following the expulsion of the Jesuits from Portugal. It was one of the first examples of the incorporation in the Crown's archives of documents produced by other institutions. After the Liberal Revolution, these incorporations became customary, collecting records of old courts and religious corporations. In 1823, the royal archive changed its name to Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (National Archive of Torre do Tombo), making it clear that it was not only an archive of the Crown but of the whole nation. However, there was no active will or ability to enable its access and to explore its documents, as the focus was only on their compilation.
The beginning of the 20th century and the establishment of the Republic in 1911 did not bring many new developments, as well as the dictatorship (1926-1974). In the 1950s, an effort was made by the director, João Martins da Silva Marques, to reorganise the documentation, leading to the creation of the Núcleo Antigo (Old Core) collection. Throughout the 20th century, many collections and documents were added to the archive, coming from different public and private institutions.
In 1990, the archives moved to a new building made specifically for that purpose, where they are still located today. In more recent years, part of the fonds and collections were rearranged to match the original organisation. For instance, the Núcleo Antigo was disassembled, creating new fonds and collections, and incorporating other documents into already existing ones.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Records are numbered sequentially. Some bundles are organised by subject. Books 2 and 31 are missing.
Access, restrictions
Access is conditioned to the physical condition of the records and the existence of alternative formats (microfilmed or digital copies).
Finding aids
"Notícia e inventário de tudo o que se guarda no Armário Jesuítico do Real Arquivo da Torre do Tombo" (Record and inventory of all documents stored in the Jesuit Cabinet of the Royal Archive of the Torre do Tombo) and "Inventário do Cartório dos Jesuítas" (Inventory of the Registry of the Jesuits). Handwritten document (L 304).
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2021
Bibliography
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo | Collections (official language of the state) |