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This document is a copy of a letter dated 14 February 1746, originating from Rome and addressed to King João V of Portugal and the Algarves. The original correspondence, dated 16 January in the sixth year of the pontificate of an unnamed Pope, conveys formal ecclesiastical gratitude for the acquisition made by His Majesty (S. M.) benefiting the clergy. The Pope expresses appreciation for the monarch’s support of the Church, acknowledging his pious conduct and reaffirming ongoing spiritual intercessions on behalf of the Portuguese crown. Emphasising the Pope’s apostolic blessing bestowed upon King João V and his entire royal family, the letter underscores the close relationship between the Holy See and the Portuguese monarchy during the mid-18th century. Written in Latin with a postscript notation in Portuguese indicating the date and recipient, the document serves as a diplomatic and religious communication reflecting the ceremonial and devotional practices of the period. It highlights the role of the Catholic Church in affirming monarchical authority through spiritual endorsement and reveals the mechanisms of reciprocal recognition between secular rulers and papal authority in early modern Europe. This transcription provides scholars with primary source material pertinent to the study of Iberian- Vatican relations, religious patronage, and the intersection of monarchy and ecclesiastical power in the 18th century.
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This is a papal letter, dated 16 January 1746, issued by Pope Benedict XIV from Saint Mary Major during the sixth year of his pontificate, and addressed to John, King of Portugal and the Algarves. The document, transmitted via the Archbishop of Lodi, expresses the Pope’s formal gratitude to the Portuguese monarch for his support in restoring ecclesiastical order within the archdiocese following a prolonged vacancy marked by administrative disorder and entrenched abuses. The Pope commends the King’s decisive interventions, particularly through the Marquis of Castelnuovo, his Secretary, who executed royal directives with precision and dedication. Highlighting the progress achieved under divine grace, the letter underscores the monarch’s pious governance and active role in upholding the Church’s spiritual mission. The Pope affirms that such benefactions warrant enduring recognition both in secular annals and ecclesiastical records, placing the King among the most distinguished Christian rulers of history. Central to the letter is the theme of cooperation between secular authority and religious office in maintaining clerical discipline and effective pastoral care. The document concludes with the Pope’s assurance of continued prayers for the King and his Royal Family, accompanied by the Apostolic Blessing. This letter constitutes a significant record of Church-state relations in mid-eighteenth-century Catholic Europe, reflecting the diplomatic and spiritual priorities of the Holy See.
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This 18th-century manuscript, compiled in Macau between 1742 and 1745, comprises transcribed administrative and ecclesiastical records concerning the dispute over Ilha Verde (Green Island) between the Jesuit Company of Jesus, Macanese municipal authorities, and Chinese mandarins from 1622 to 1745. Based exclusively on original documents preserved in the Secretariat of the Jesuit Province of Japan at the College of Madre de Deus in Macau and the Procuratorate of the Province of India in Lisbon, the text details the historical claims, financial expenditures, and legal arguments surrounding the Jesuits’ occupation and development of Ilha Verde. It includes formal declarations, protest letters, financial accounts up to 1745, and references to earlier events beginning in 1622, when the Jesuit Visitor Alexandre Valignano initiated the use of the island for convalescence and agricultural purposes. The document outlines the Jesuits’ acquisition of burial rights from local Chinese landowners, their construction activities, and subsequent conflicts with Cantonese mandarins who ordered the demolition of buildings, citing concerns over fortification. It further records interventions by high-ranking Chinese officials such as Haitao Si and Haitao Lo, municipal responses from the Macau Senate, and correspondence involving Jesuit figures including Gabriel de Mattos, Nicolau Longobardo, and António Leite. The compilation also contains notarial certifications, legal justifications grounded in Chinese land customs, and assertions of Portuguese sovereignty in Macau, supported by historical treaties, tribute payments, and mutual commercial agreements. Financial summaries detail expenditures exceeding 17 million taéis on fortifications, housing, and maintenance of the island up to 1745. As a composite historical record, this manuscript provides critical primary evidence on colonial-administrative dynamics, Sino-Portuguese relations, and the role of religious orders in early modern maritime Asia.