Conselho Geral do Santo Ofício
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 210 037 100
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
mail@dglab.gov.pt
Reference number
PT/TT/TSO-CG
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
General Council of the Holy Office
Title (official language of the state)
Conselho Geral do Santo Ofício
Language of title
por
Creator / accumulator
Tribunal do Santo Ofício
Date(s)
1569/1821
Language(s)
lat
por
spa
Extent
40,308 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
Conselho Geral do Santo Ofício is a subfonds of the Tribunal do Santo Ofício fonds, and it gathers the documentation produced by the Conselho Geral (General Council) of the Holy Office. This collection is mainly composed of consultations and opinions to compose the Portuguese Inquisition's "Regimentos" (bye-laws), controversies over inquisitorial proceedings, complaints about New Christians, instructions for the actions of the inquisitors and other officers, decisions in the last instance, commutations of sentences, as well as works on the establishment, activity and defence of the Holy Office.
The subfonds are organised into two sections: one regarding ministers and officers and another containing particular papers of Chief Inquisitor D. Francisco de Castro, 39 series, and scattered records not gathered into a series or section.
As the "Jewish heresy" (the observation of Jewish rituals and beliefs by Catholics) was the main target of the Holy Office Tribunal over centuries, this collection is a rich source of information on New Christians (Jews converted to Christianity and their descendants) and the Western Sephardic Diaspora. Some series are of particular interest for this subject, such as lists of "autos da fé" (acts of faith) (PT/TT/TSO-CG/002); consultations, opinions and briefs on the confiscation of property from New Christians (PT/TT/TSO-CG/010/0237); the "finta" (tax) imposed on the New Christians of Santarém (PT/TT/TSO-CG/018); or consultations and opinions on the "gravames" (charges) against New Christians (PT/TT/TSO-CG/020). This subfonds also contains documentation concerning the Inquisition Court of Goa, such as constitutions of the bishopric of Goa and regiment of the Ecclesiastical Auditorium (PT/TT/TSO-CG/011), and orders from the General Council to the Inquisition of Goa (PT/TT/TSO-CG/026).
The collection's online catalogue provides detailed information on many of its items. The archive search engine (https://digitarq.arquivos.pt/asearch) enables research through several data fields: reference code, title, dates, scope and content, among others.
The subfonds are organised into two sections: one regarding ministers and officers and another containing particular papers of Chief Inquisitor D. Francisco de Castro, 39 series, and scattered records not gathered into a series or section.
As the "Jewish heresy" (the observation of Jewish rituals and beliefs by Catholics) was the main target of the Holy Office Tribunal over centuries, this collection is a rich source of information on New Christians (Jews converted to Christianity and their descendants) and the Western Sephardic Diaspora. Some series are of particular interest for this subject, such as lists of "autos da fé" (acts of faith) (PT/TT/TSO-CG/002); consultations, opinions and briefs on the confiscation of property from New Christians (PT/TT/TSO-CG/010/0237); the "finta" (tax) imposed on the New Christians of Santarém (PT/TT/TSO-CG/018); or consultations and opinions on the "gravames" (charges) against New Christians (PT/TT/TSO-CG/020). This subfonds also contains documentation concerning the Inquisition Court of Goa, such as constitutions of the bishopric of Goa and regiment of the Ecclesiastical Auditorium (PT/TT/TSO-CG/011), and orders from the General Council to the Inquisition of Goa (PT/TT/TSO-CG/026).
The collection's online catalogue provides detailed information on many of its items. The archive search engine (https://digitarq.arquivos.pt/asearch) enables research through several data fields: reference code, title, dates, scope and content, among others.
Archival history
After the extinction of the Inquisition in Portugal (1821), the archive of the Conselho Geral (General Council) of the Holy Office was deposited in the section of manuscripts of the Biblioteca Pública de Lisboa (Public Library of Lisbon), where it remained until 1823. In the following year, the Desembargo do Paço (Royal High Court) requested the vacancy of the Censorship warehouse located in the Biblioteca Pública de Lisboa to reinstall the censorship. King Pedro IV ordered the minister Marquis of Palmela to send the Desembargo do Paço’s consultation on the Censorship warehouse to the Viscount of Santarém, the chief guard of the Royal Archive of Torre do Tombo. Following the opinion of the Viscount, the Marquis of Palmela notified that the documents of the Conselho Geral and the Inquisition of Lisbon should be stored in the Torre do Tombo and its facilities expanded. However, it was decided on September 16, 1824, that the printed books of the Conselho Geral archive would continue to be part of the public library collection, as well as the copies of a few manuscripts transferred to the Torre do Tombo. At last, after some resistance from Joaquim Ferreira Gordo, the chief librarian of the Public Library, the Conselho Geral archive started to be incorporated into the Torre do Tombo in July 1825.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Holy Office Tribunal was officially established by the papal bull Cum ad nihil magis on May 23, 1536. Then, the royal court was settled in Évora. When the king moved to Lisbon in 1537, the Holy Office Tribunal followed after him. The Inquisition of Lisbon was the only Inquisition court until 1541. Then, the Coimbra, Évora, Porto, Lamego and Tomar courts were created. The latter three courts had short lives and were extinguished in 1547 after the general pardon given by Pope Paul III to the New Christians and the following reorganisation of the Holy Office Tribunal.
The different territories of continental Portugal were under the authority of the courts of Lisbon (Central region), Coimbra (Northern region) and Évora (Southern region). The Inquisition of Lisbon also had jurisdiction over the Atlantic islands, Brazil and the Portuguese territories in West Africa. After its creation in 1560, the Inquisition of Goa took jurisdiction over the Portuguese territories in Asia and Eastern Africa.
The first Regiment of the Inquisition was only published in 1552. These by-laws were reviewed and collected in new regiments in 1613, 1640 and 1774. During the reign of King José, the Holy Office Tribunal became a royal court. It had already lost its primary target, the New Christians or conversos, after the decree which abolished the distinction between New and Old Christians in 1773. In addition, the censorship authority was transferred from the Holy Office to another secular tribunal, the Mesa da Consciência e Ordens. The Inquisition entered decadence, and following the Liberal Revolution, the Cortes Gerais Constituintes (Parliament) extinguished the Holy Office Tribunal in 1821.
The different territories of continental Portugal were under the authority of the courts of Lisbon (Central region), Coimbra (Northern region) and Évora (Southern region). The Inquisition of Lisbon also had jurisdiction over the Atlantic islands, Brazil and the Portuguese territories in West Africa. After its creation in 1560, the Inquisition of Goa took jurisdiction over the Portuguese territories in Asia and Eastern Africa.
The first Regiment of the Inquisition was only published in 1552. These by-laws were reviewed and collected in new regiments in 1613, 1640 and 1774. During the reign of King José, the Holy Office Tribunal became a royal court. It had already lost its primary target, the New Christians or conversos, after the decree which abolished the distinction between New and Old Christians in 1773. In addition, the censorship authority was transferred from the Holy Office to another secular tribunal, the Mesa da Consciência e Ordens. The Inquisition entered decadence, and following the Liberal Revolution, the Cortes Gerais Constituintes (Parliament) extinguished the Holy Office Tribunal in 1821.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The Conselho Geral is a subfonds arranged into two sections: Ministros e oficiais (ministers and officers) and Documentos Particulares do Inquisidor-Geral D. Francisco de Castro (Particular documents of the Chief Inquisitor D. Francisco de Castro), 39 series, and some bundles that are not organised into sections or series and are described as single or compound documents.
Access, restrictions
Some documents are in poor conservation conditions, but the collection is almost entirely scanned and available online:
Finding aids
Printed finding aids:
Handwritten finding aids:
Conselho Geral do Santo Ofício: catálogo onomástico de habilitações a familiares do Santo Ofício (Name index of qualifications for "familiares" of the Holy Office). [182? - ]. Names from A to L (L 450 - 471 A); Names from Luís to Manuel José (C. 1078 - 1 a 25).
Conselho Geral do Santo Ofício: catálogo de habilitações incompletas a familiares do Santo Ofício (Name index of incomplete qualifications for "familiares" of the Holy Office). [182? - ]. (C. 974 a 989).
Conselho Geral do Santo Ofício: catálogo de habilitações de mulheres (Name index of qualifications of women). [182?- ]. (C. 990).
Silva, Bernardo António da Mota, João Joaquim de Andrade, José Bonifácio Borges de Castro [et al.]. 1824. "Diligencias de habilitações de todas as pessoas que desde a criação do extincto Tribunal do Santo Offício se habilitarão para o serviço do mesmo Tribunal, cujos nomes se seguem pela ordem alfabetica, com a indicação numerica das diligencias e dos massos em que se achão". (Name index of qualifications of inquisitorial officers). Names from A to Z (L. 449, 499 A e B).
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Carla Vieira, 2023
Bibliography
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo | Collections (official language of the state) |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Tribunal do Santo Ofício | Scope and content |