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This abstract describes a bilingual (Chinese and Latin) imperial edict issued on 9 November 1785—the eighth day of the tenth lunar month in the fiftieth year of the Qianlong reign—alongside a contemporaneous ecclesiastical dispatch dated 22 January 1786 from Macau. The document records the Qing Emperor’s conditional release of twelve European missionaries, including Patiliano (Father Joannes a Salsis), who had entered China without official authorisation and were apprehended across multiple provinces including Huguang, Zhili, Guangdong, Gansu, Jiangxi, and Sichuan. It details the Emperor’s rationale for initial sentencing to perpetual imprisonment—citing clandestine movement and proselytisation as disruptive analogues to the legendary venomous serpent *Guiyu*—and his subsequent clemency, permitting the missionaries either residence in Beijing churches (*jiaotang*) or repatriation to Macau under imperial auspices. The dispatch, authored by Martinho de Melo, Apostolic Administrator *ad interim* of Macau, reports ceremonial reception in Beijing—including imperial audience, liturgical celebration at the Cathedral, and solemn processions—as well as the identities and nationalities of twelve missionaries en route to Macau, among them Bishop Francisco Gabriel Turin of Sichuan, Italian, Spanish, French, Macanese, and Colombian clergy. The text reflects Qing administrative procedures, jurisdictional roles of the Board of Rites (*Lifan Yuan*) and Ministry of Justice (*Xingbu*), and missionary interpretations of imperial favour, including the term *Condegiro* as colloquial reference to high-ranking mandarins. This material constitutes a primary source for studying Sino-European religious diplomacy, Qing legal administration, and Catholic missionary activity in late eighteenth-century China.
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This abstract describes a Qing dynasty imperial edict, promulgated on 23 April 1785 (15th day of the third lunar month in the fiftieth year of the Qianlong reign) and publicly posted in Macau on 10 December 1785, concerning the suppression of Christianity in China. Issued under the authority of Chi, Viceroy (*Sontoc*) of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Lua, Provincial Governor (*Foyem*) of Guangdong, the document records the Board of Punishments’ formal rulings—endorsed by Grand Councillor Kong Ho and approved by the Qianlong Emperor—against European missionaries and Chinese converts. It details the arrest, interrogation, and sentencing of numerous individuals, including Franciscan priests João de Safary, José de Bientina, Luís de Santo António, and João Baptista de Mandelo; bishops Francisco Magni and António Maria Laconi; and Chinese clergy such as Francisco Grima, António, Manuel Gonçalves, Caetano Siu, and Lieou Haitie. The edict specifies punishments ranging from life imprisonment and forced labour in Yli to banishment, corporal punishment, confiscation of property, and destruction of religious materials, while mandating the systematic identification and prosecution of converts, catechists (*xintu*), and ecclesiastical supervisors (*jiao-yuan*) across provinces including Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hunan, Gansu, Hubei, and Fujian. The text also documents the roles of lay intermediaries—including Sinlou, Pedro Hai, and Licou Hactie—in facilitating missionary movement and correspondence, and outlines administrative directives for provincial officials regarding enforcement, property seizure, and ideological re-education.
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This is a fragmentary administrative and legal document, likely from the Portuguese colonial period (16th–18th century), preserved in the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU_CU_Índia, Cx. 14, D). The text records land tenure, inheritance claims, and ecclesiastical appointments involving noble and religious figures in a colonial context, possibly Goa or another territory within the Portuguese Empire. It details property transfers, including holdings such as the estate of Dona Maria de Noronha and lands associated with the Tenhorometod Re Syndicato Eclojophia, referencing local jurisdictions, familial succession, and testamentary arrangements. Key individuals include Pero Maffina, Manuel Caldeira do Canto, Reverend Father François Marquez El Corueta, and various officials such as Corregedores, Vicars General, and members of the Almada and Albuquerque families. The document contains references to judicial procedures, powers of attorney, tithe rights, and disputes over guardianship and asset distribution. Despite significant orthographic irregularities, phonetic spellings, and sections of indecipherable content, it reflects the complex bureaucratic, legal, and ecclesiastical frameworks of Lusophone colonial administration. Seals, marginal annotations, and archival markings indicate formal authentication and provenance within official colonial record-keeping systems. This transcription serves as a primary source for scholarly research into colonial governance, property law, and familial networks in the Portuguese imperial sphere.
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This is a handwritten ecclesiastical letter dated 4th September 1702, addressed to D. Pedro II, King of Portugal, from Alexandre Cícero, Bishop of Nankim, and written in Portuguese colonial script. The document originates from Nankim (likely Nanquim or a variant spelling of a South or East Asian mission station) and forms part of the Portuguese overseas ecclesiastical archive. It discusses the ongoing Chinese Rites controversy, referencing deliberations in Rome and the consultation of missionaries from China regarding the compatibility of Confucian ancestral practices with Catholic doctrine. The author expresses relief that longstanding missionary efforts in China are being distinguished from the actions of disruptive vicars, and conveys hope for a favourable papal decision under the new Supreme Pontiff. The letter also acknowledges royal intervention in securing the provision of the author’s ecclesiastical stipend (*congrua*) through the Viceroy of India, for which gratitude is expressed. Marginalia include an illegible annotation possibly indicating "Humble Chaplain" and the initials "MAOZ". Official stamps from the National Library’s Ultramarine Section appear on the page, confirming archival provenance. The signature, "Alexandre Cícero, Bishop of Nankim", authenticates the document. This primary source offers critical insight into 18th-century Catholic missionary politics, Lusophone imperial patronage, and the intersection of colonial administration and religious authority in Asia.
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Primary Sources
Subject Headings
- Bishops of Macau (3)
- Chinese Rites (1)
- Education (1)
Resource type
- Manuscript (4)