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  • Códice 49-IV-49 (Cod. 49-IV-49). (n.d.). Portugal. Biblioteca da Ajuda. http://43.156.68.124/docs/AJLTJFN5/viewer_AJLTJFN5.html

    This 16th–17th century Portuguese ecclesiastical manuscript, likely of Jesuit origin, comprises a series of translated missives and ecclesiastical reports documenting Catholic missionary activities across Portuguese colonial territories in India, China, Japan, and Brazil. Dated between 1514 and 1612, the text records efforts to establish Christian communities, administer sacraments, and combat idolatry, with specific references to Cochin, Chaul, S. Tomé, Pernambuco, Amáguçhe, Malacca, the Cape of Comorin, and Hirado in Japan. Key figures include Father Osório, Brother Gabrielão, Father Balthazar Gago de Bingo, Father M. Francisco, and lay converts such as Paulo of Japan and Alexandre. The documents detail baptisms, confessions, doctrinal instruction, and the suppression of indigenous religious practices, while noting resistance from local populations, including the Tuna and Tapuya peoples, and opposition from Spaniards and Moors. Reports highlight spiritual transformations, miracles attributed to missionaries, and the establishment of mission stations despite logistical and cultural challenges. The text also reflects internal Church administration, including the role of *Lascarins*, *Fecourbas*, and *curas spadry*, alongside descriptions of liturgical practices, sacramental renewal, and the emotional fervour of converts. As a primary source, it provides critical insight into early modern missionary strategies, cross-cultural encounters, and the interplay between colonial authority and religious conversion within the Portuguese Empire. Orthographic inconsistencies and partial illegibility reflect its archival nature, necessitating careful philological interpretation.

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  • Códice 49-VI-3. (n.d.). http://43.156.68.124/docs/XM5SJBF8/viewer_XM5SJBF8.html

    This historical document transcription, originating from the Jesuit Mission of Tumkin in Macao between 1711 and 1720, forms part of a series of ecclesiastical records compiled by João Alvares and later forwarded to the Procuratorship in Lisbon. The text details missionary activities across contested territories such as Tonkin (Tunkim), Funckim, and Dunkin during periods of intense persecution under royal decrees. It documents the spiritual labours, administrative challenges, and sacramental ministries of Jesuit missionaries including Francisco Nogueira Rodrigues, Father Ruiz, and Father Ignacio Martiny, among others. The narrative highlights efforts to sustain clandestine Christian communities amid political hostility, forced concealment, imprisonment, and martyrdom. Key figures such as Father Marinho Coelho, Father Jerónimo de Azevedo, and Alexandre de Rhodes are noted for their linguistic and pastoral contributions. The abstract includes statistical accounts of conversions, baptisms, and confessions, alongside reports of resistance from local authorities, particularly Mandarins, who enforced prohibitions against Christian practice through edicts, confiscations, and corporal punishment. Despite severe hardship—including famine, illness, and isolation—missionaries continued administering sacraments in secret, often relying on native catechists and covert networks. The document reflects colonial-era religious conflict, indigenous engagement with Catholicism, and institutional struggles within the Society of Jesus, preserved in Portuguese ecclesiastical archives for doctrinal and administrative review.

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  • Contracts and deeds of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nanking. (n.d.). http://43.156.68.124/docs/H6YKIYFA/viewer_H6YKIYFA.html

    This historical lease agreement, dated 1 January 1928 (first day of the first month in the seventeenth year of the Republic of China), documents the rental of an urban dwelling house by Chow Tunkwu from the Catholic Church. The document specifies an annual rent of three dollars and fifty cents in silver coinage, payable monthly, with a five-dollar deposit paid in advance. The landlord assumes responsibility for all repairs, including structural damage, roof leaks, and cleaning. Termination provisions require one month’s notice from the tenant and at least one day’s notice from the landlord in the event of re-letting. The agreement is formalised through signatures and seals, including those of the lessee, Chow Tunkwu, and a witness, Li Tseng (name partially damaged). The text is accompanied by multiple official and institutional stamps, including a 'Rent Tax' stamp (租稅), a contract designation (约), and a revenue stamp denoting one cent (壹分), indicating fiscal registration. A watermark and central seal bearing the Latin motto "LUX IN TENEBRIS LUCET" and the name "CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY", alongside the values "VERITAS" and "BONITAS", suggest institutional involvement by a Catholic educational or ecclesiastical body, potentially linked to a university. This primary source offers valuable insight into early Republican-era urban tenancy practices, property management, and the role of religious institutions in housing and legal administration in China during the late 1920s.

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  • História da Companhia na India 1 parte. NB Esta 1 parte era dividida em 10 livros; os primeiros 5 tratao do principio das missoes dos Jesuitas na Asia e principalmente dos trabalhos apostolicos de S. Francisco Xavier o Indice hum pouco adiante do principio. (fl. a) (Cod. 49-IV-51). (n.d.). Portugal. Biblioteca da Ajuda.
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  • Prolegomene sur Ly Kin (JAP-SIN, 1-22). (n.d.). Italy. Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu.
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Last update from database: 1/30/26, 4:01 PM (UTC)

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