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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 18th-century ecclesiastical decree, issued by Charles Thomas Maillard de Tournon in his capacity as Apostolic Commissioner and Titular Patriarch of Antioch with the authority of a Legate *de latere*, comprises two principal documents dated 29 November 1704 and 27 January 1707, both promulgated in Nanking during the Chinese Rites controversy. The text constitutes an official papal directive addressed to bishops, apostolic vicars, missionaries, and priests—secular and regular, including members of the Society of Jesus—operating within the Chinese mission territories. It formally establishes doctrinal and liturgical regulations concerning the compatibility of Chinese rites, customs, and religious practices with Christian orthodoxy. Central to the document is the prohibition of ancestral sacrifices, veneration of Confucius, and the use of ancestral tablets, all deemed incompatible with the Christian monotheistic faith. It explicitly rejects the identification of Shangdi (Xanti) or Tianzhu (Tien Tiu) with the Christian God absent orthodox theological alignment. Missionaries are required to affirm adherence only to those Chinese practices reconcilable with Christian law. The decree upholds the Lovanian Rite as mandatory under penalty of automatic excommunication reserved to the Holy See, suspending prior privileges, including those granted to the Jesuits, except in articulo mortis. Rooted in the authority of Pope Clement XI and reaffirming earlier rulings such as that of Pope Alexander VII in 1656, this document serves as a critical primary source for understanding the Vatican’s stance on inculturation, religious syncretism, and ecclesiastical jurisdiction in early modern Sino-Western missionary encounters.
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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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This collection, catalogued as JAP. SIN. 141, comprises documents pertaining to the Chinese Rites Controversy spanning from 1720 to 1737. The documents offer a multifaceted view of the dispute, incorporating perspectives from various individuals and religious orders involved. The collection includes transcriptions of diaries concerning the Mezzabarba legation from Emperor Kam Hi, summaries of Roman decisions and concessions related to the rites (1645-1720), and testimonies regarding the innocence of the Jesuit order in China. Correspondence within the collection sheds light on the Jansenism in Cocincina and developments in missions across China and other Eastern territories. Furthermore, the series contains a historical overview of the mission in China from 1583 to 1737, highlighting the initial acceptance and subsequent extinction of Christianity before its re-establishment by Jesuit missionaries . It also delves into the examination of Chinese customs and the ensuing debates regarding the compatibility of certain rites with Christian doctrine. The documents reflect the differing viewpoints and resolutions concerning the rites, including papal decrees and the positions of various religious orders such as the Franciscans and Dominicans. They also touch upon the implications of these controversies on the Chinese mission and the challenges faced by missionaries in administering sacraments and navigating imperial mandates.
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