Your search

This abstract describes a bilingual historical document comprising two interrelated letters dated 16 December 1545, originating from Portuguese India and held in an archival collection with reference number 5. The principal letter is a formal epistle authored by Father António de Paiva, S.J., addressed to Fathers Paulo Dabera and João Criminal (Cher) of the College of Goa; it outlines strategic revisions to Jesuit missionary deployment, including the abandonment of plans to proceed to Malacca due to unfavourable assessments of its mineral resources, and the redirection of personnel to Ambueno for evangelisation among local pagan populations. The letter further instructs Fathers João Dabera and António Criminal (Cher) to travel without delay to Cape Comorin via Goa, where they are to consult Fathers Francisco Mansilhas and Francisco de Mangulao regarding apostolic work, while Father Nicolau Alanaloto remains at São Paulo teaching grammar. A second letter, signed ‘Amar a sigt’, conveys news of deceased and departing brethren—including members of the Demagillas community—aboard a vessel bound for Malacca, and commends Simon Botello as a trusted courier. Marginal annotations include ‘Aizava’ and a footnote detailing administrative oversight structures involving the *vedor da fazenda* and *feredor*, with reference to the College of São Thomé in Goa. The document provides primary evidence on Jesuit mission planning, intra-collegial communication, and colonial ecclesiastical administration in mid-sixteenth-century Portuguese Asia.

Inclui cópias de ofícios de D. Jerónimo, bispo de Macau, dirigidos a D. José Maria da Silva Torres, arcebispo de Palmira e comissário geral da Bula da Cruzada e ao bispo resignatário de Angola e comissário geral da Bula da Cruzada, e outros documentos.

Bula datada de 15 de Junho de 1874. Bula "Universis orbis" reunindo, provisoriamente, à diocese de Macau as Ilhas de Hennong-Chan, Hai-nan, e parte da de Timor. Juntos se acham oito Breves das graças e poderes que os Papas costumam conceder aos Bispos, impressos - fórmula da benção apostólica, Ritos e fórmula (Bulas, mç. 61, n.º 42, 42-A a 42-K). Os Breves apresentam carimbo do anel do pescador "Pius IX Pont. Max." No transunto o selo de chapa prende os cordões encarnados da cosedura dos fólios. Corte dourado. Inclui uma cinta da 2.ª via da Bula.

This abstract describes a historical transcription of a letter dated 7 December 1548, composed in Malacca by the layman Manuel Pinto and addressed to the Bishop of Goa. The document details Pinto’s travels between 1545 and 1548 across the eastern Indonesian archipelago, with extended residence in Macassar (South Sulawesi), the inland kingdom of Sōr centred on Sedemrre, and the Javanese-ruled city of Sian. It records encounters with indigenous rulers—including an *opiano* (Christian) king of Suppa, the powerful Sōr ‘Emperor’ of Sedemrre, a Jpiano (Javanese) sovereign of Sian, and his Xpano (Spanish) uncle—as well as observations on local governance, religious affiliation, and geopolitical tensions. Central themes include early Christian missionary activity led by Franciscan friars Vicente Vieira and Munoz, indigenous expressions of desire for ecclesiastical support and Portuguese or Spanish settlement, the strategic significance of Macassar’s resources (sandalwood, gold, eaglewood, lac) and maritime connectivity to the Moluccas and Ambon, and urgent warnings regarding Javanese military ambitions to convert local populations to Islam and threaten Portuguese-held Malacca. The letter serves as a primary source for sixteenth-century Iberian colonial outreach, interreligious dynamics, and Southeast Asian political geography.

This abstract describes a composite historical document comprising multiple interrelated letters and administrative records dating from 1545, originating primarily from Malacca, Zomba, Goa, and the College of Santa Fé—likely situated in Portuguese India or Southeast Asia. The material includes correspondence authored by Jesuit and Augustinian missionaries, notably Fathers João de Gábara, António, Nicolau Lanciloto (also cited as Planaloto), Francisco Sallamo, Francisco de Mancilla, and S. Affonso D’Aveiro, addressed to figures including Father Martinho de Santa Cruz (Rector of the College of Jesus in Coimbra) and Father Comel. Key locations referenced are Malacca, Macassar, Cojon (or Kojoen), Oujo (Ujo), the Cape of Comorim, Goa, Ambueno, and territories associated with the Apostle Saint Thomas. The documents detail missionary activities, catechumenate organisation (*Fianos*, *mocos*), bilingual liturgical practice, translation of Spanish doctrinal works into Indigenous languages, baptismal administration to Muslims (*mouros*) and adherents of Indigenous religions (*gentios*), political tensions surrounding Christian conversion in Cojon—including the martyrdom of Deshoy Fin Cipeg and reported celestial miracles—and logistical arrangements for personnel deployment, supply procurement, and ecclesiastical governance. The collection reflects urgent pastoral needs, inter-order coordination, colonial administrative structures, and early modern Catholic evangelisation strategies across South and Southeast Asia.

This abstract describes a 1545 historical document comprising a multi-page ecclesiastical letter authored by Friar Manuel Fernandes, a Franciscan missionary stationed in São Tomé, and addressed to Dom Paulo Gestavo, Bishop of Goa, then based at the 10th Legion of Saint Faith (São Fé) in Goa. Dated 8 May 1545, the letter details Fernandes’s spiritual resolve to travel to Macassar (modern-day Makassar, Sulawesi) to evangelise recently settled Spaniards under two local kings, outlining plans to translate core Catholic prayers—including the *Pater Noster*, *Ave Maria*, and a General Confession—into their vernacular for sacramental use pending arrival of linguistically competent confessors. It references contemporary geopolitical conditions in Jaffnapatam (northern Ceylon), where investiture of its designated ruler—the ‘Fijiano’—was deferred due to intervention by a vessel from the King of Pegu, and notes the presence of Father Francisco de Mansilhas and other Malabar missionaries among the ‘Fianos’ at Cape Comorin, having wintered previously in Mozambique. The text includes marginal annotations, archival page numbers (5, 7, 97), and a humble Franciscan self-designation; no official seal or legible signature is present. Intended for scholarly analysis of early modern Iberian missionary activity, colonial administration, and inter-Asian religious exchange, the document reflects period-specific terminology, theological framing, and administrative concerns within the Portuguese ecclesiastical sphere.

This abstract describes a historical transcription of the second letter sent from India by St Francis Xavier, S.J., dated Cochin, 27 January 1545, addressed to the Fathers and Brothers of the Society of Jesus in Rome. The document is a firsthand missionary account detailing evangelisation efforts across multiple regions of sixteenth-century Portuguese India, including Cochin, Goa, Malacca, and territories extending up to five hundred leagues distant. Key figures include St Francis Xavier himself; the Governor of the Indies (Great East); the King of India and his brother, the legitimate heir; a martyred prince whose death was accompanied by reported celestial and terrestrial portents; three regional rulers in a distant territory who converted with their subjects in 1544; and secular figures such as Manuel Pinto and Father Vicente Viegas. Central subject matter encompasses mass baptisms—reportedly exceeding ten thousand in one month and anticipated to surpass one hundred thousand annually—vernacular liturgical translation and instruction, idol destruction, responses to persecution and martyrdom, political negotiations linking conversion to sovereignty, and intercessory diplomacy involving Portuguese colonial authorities. Marginal annotations and archival notes reflect contemporary scribal practices and textual uncertainties. The letter serves as a primary source for studying early Jesuit mission strategy, cross-cultural religious encounter, colonial ecclesiastical administration, and the intersection of spiritual authority and imperial power in the Portuguese Estado da Índia.