Publication Date
2009
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During the Portuguese Age of Discovery, the Azores were dependent on the Order of Christ both spiritually and temporally. The Grand-Master served as administrator of the temporal government of the Order of Tomar, bearing the onus of building, conserving, and providing for some parts of the island churches. The chancels and the sacristies (with the respective vestments and ornaments, including the bells) were the responsibility of the administrator of the Order, while the remaining areas of the building (which included the bell tower, the baptismal font, the transept, the confessionals, the internal and external flagstones of the building) were assigned to the seculars. The governor of the Order was also responsible for appointing the island priests and for their respective economic support, which relied on the collection of the tithe. This duty remained incumbent on the governor of the Order of Christ. After 1495, the Dinasty of Avis became responsible for all the temporal sectors of the Azorean church. On the spiritual plane, the Prior of Tomar was charged with overseeing the religious precepts, appointing friars from the Order to see to the spiritual accompaniment of the settlers, and chosing the visitators to assure that the canonical rules were being followed.
In 1514, with the establishment of the Diocese of Funchal, the spiritual tutelage of the Azorean islands was transferred to the Madeiran bishop. This phase would last twenty years. The development of the Azorean archipelago and the policy of religious management headed by Dom João III, allowed the Portuguese crown to establish the Diocese of Angra, locating its See in the new city of Angra. Thus, a distinct diocese is established, separate from the tutelage of the Bishop of Funchal. The Bull Aequum reputamus, dated November 3rd, 1534, designated the King of Portugal patron of the diocese, with multiple duties, namely: presenting to the Pope the names of the bishops and presenting to the bishop the dignities of all the canons in the chapter, as well as the priests of the nine islands. Therefore, after 1534, the Portuguese crown conjoined the duties of temporal jurisdiction (as adminstrator of the Order of Christ) with the benefits of patron. Despite the joining of the spiritual and temporal spheres, the Portuguese kings, understandably, would be more efficient in fullfilling their duties in the spiritual arena and less zealous of their duties of temporal jurisdiction. This circumstance would remain in operation until the era of Liberalism, resulting in the deterioration of the patrimony of many of the churches and chapels in the Azorean islands and causing multiple complaints by the parish clergy, who were dependent economically on the income of a royal treasury that favored other areas for investment.
Besides the parochial structure, the oldest sources mention the importance of Franciscan spirituality, which is noted to be present since the early settlement period. The Franciscans moved into Santa Maria in 1446. Throughout the Sixteenth Century, the Order of Saint Francis built seven convents on the most populated islands: three in São Miguel, two in Terceira, one in Santa Maria, and one in Faial. The development of the Franciscan convents in the archipelago led to the elevation of the Azorean Custody to the status of province in 1640. After this event, a new Franciscan drive is noted, with the foundation of additional convents now in the periphery: in São Miguel, in the village of Nordeste (1643) and of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, in Fenais da Ajuda (1681); in São Jorge, the Convent of São Diogo in Topo (1650); in Flores, the Convent of São Boaventura in Santa Cruz (1642); in Faial, the Convent of Santo António in Horta (1710); and in Pico, the Convent of São Pedro de Alcântara in São Roque (1720).
This dynamism led to the division of the province into two Custodies in 1717: the Custody of São Miguel, with tutelage over the two islands in the oriental group; and the Custody of Terceira, which included the islands in the central and occidental groups. Thus, in the first half of the Eighteenth Century, the count of Franciscan convents, scattered throughout all the islands of the Azores except Corvo, had risen to eighteen. Regarding the other religious orders, it should be mentioned that the Calced Carmelites moved into Horta in 1649 and that the Jesuits founded colleges in Angra (1570); in Ponta Delgada (1591), and in Horta (1648). The presence of religious orders of women in the Azores is marked by the second Franciscan order, the Poor Clares. They were distributed throughout fifteen convents: six located in Terceira, six in São Miguel, two in Faial, and one in São Jorge. In the 1600´s, the Conceptionists founded two convents: one in Angra (1608) and the other in Ponta Delgada (1671).
The vigor of the regular religous presence was matched by lay spiritual dynamism. The majority of Azorean monasteries, convents, retreats, churches, and chapels were founded by patrons with various objectives. Their purposes ranged from directing some of their descendants to a celibate and cloistered lifestyle to building family burial spaces. On the other hand, in the Azores, a formal religiosity survived, reinforced by the catholic reform process and paired with a spirituality fashioned of popular devotion. This aspect is visible in the cult of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, which has continued vigorously to this day in the nine Azorean islands. The centrality of the christological cult (attested to by the devotion to Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres in São Miguel and to Bom Jesus in Pico) and of the Marian devotion (demonstrated by the Lenten pilgrimages in the island of São Miguel) complement a diversity of religious behaviors that, although dating back to the Sixteenth Century, to this day still define the devotional practices of the Azoreans.
Bibliography:
AAVV, História dos Açores. Do descobrimento ao século XX, direcção científica de Artur Teodoro de Matos, Avelino de Freitas de Meneses e José Guilherme Reis Leite, Angra do Heroísmo, Instituto Açoriano de Cultura, 2008, três volumes. COSTA, Susana Goulart, Açores: Nove Ilhas, Uma História / Azores: Nine Islands, One History, Berkeley, University of California, 2008.
Translated by: Maria João Pimentel
In 1514, with the establishment of the Diocese of Funchal, the spiritual tutelage of the Azorean islands was transferred to the Madeiran bishop. This phase would last twenty years. The development of the Azorean archipelago and the policy of religious management headed by Dom João III, allowed the Portuguese crown to establish the Diocese of Angra, locating its See in the new city of Angra. Thus, a distinct diocese is established, separate from the tutelage of the Bishop of Funchal. The Bull Aequum reputamus, dated November 3rd, 1534, designated the King of Portugal patron of the diocese, with multiple duties, namely: presenting to the Pope the names of the bishops and presenting to the bishop the dignities of all the canons in the chapter, as well as the priests of the nine islands. Therefore, after 1534, the Portuguese crown conjoined the duties of temporal jurisdiction (as adminstrator of the Order of Christ) with the benefits of patron. Despite the joining of the spiritual and temporal spheres, the Portuguese kings, understandably, would be more efficient in fullfilling their duties in the spiritual arena and less zealous of their duties of temporal jurisdiction. This circumstance would remain in operation until the era of Liberalism, resulting in the deterioration of the patrimony of many of the churches and chapels in the Azorean islands and causing multiple complaints by the parish clergy, who were dependent economically on the income of a royal treasury that favored other areas for investment.
Besides the parochial structure, the oldest sources mention the importance of Franciscan spirituality, which is noted to be present since the early settlement period. The Franciscans moved into Santa Maria in 1446. Throughout the Sixteenth Century, the Order of Saint Francis built seven convents on the most populated islands: three in São Miguel, two in Terceira, one in Santa Maria, and one in Faial. The development of the Franciscan convents in the archipelago led to the elevation of the Azorean Custody to the status of province in 1640. After this event, a new Franciscan drive is noted, with the foundation of additional convents now in the periphery: in São Miguel, in the village of Nordeste (1643) and of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, in Fenais da Ajuda (1681); in São Jorge, the Convent of São Diogo in Topo (1650); in Flores, the Convent of São Boaventura in Santa Cruz (1642); in Faial, the Convent of Santo António in Horta (1710); and in Pico, the Convent of São Pedro de Alcântara in São Roque (1720).
This dynamism led to the division of the province into two Custodies in 1717: the Custody of São Miguel, with tutelage over the two islands in the oriental group; and the Custody of Terceira, which included the islands in the central and occidental groups. Thus, in the first half of the Eighteenth Century, the count of Franciscan convents, scattered throughout all the islands of the Azores except Corvo, had risen to eighteen. Regarding the other religious orders, it should be mentioned that the Calced Carmelites moved into Horta in 1649 and that the Jesuits founded colleges in Angra (1570); in Ponta Delgada (1591), and in Horta (1648). The presence of religious orders of women in the Azores is marked by the second Franciscan order, the Poor Clares. They were distributed throughout fifteen convents: six located in Terceira, six in São Miguel, two in Faial, and one in São Jorge. In the 1600´s, the Conceptionists founded two convents: one in Angra (1608) and the other in Ponta Delgada (1671).
The vigor of the regular religous presence was matched by lay spiritual dynamism. The majority of Azorean monasteries, convents, retreats, churches, and chapels were founded by patrons with various objectives. Their purposes ranged from directing some of their descendants to a celibate and cloistered lifestyle to building family burial spaces. On the other hand, in the Azores, a formal religiosity survived, reinforced by the catholic reform process and paired with a spirituality fashioned of popular devotion. This aspect is visible in the cult of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, which has continued vigorously to this day in the nine Azorean islands. The centrality of the christological cult (attested to by the devotion to Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres in São Miguel and to Bom Jesus in Pico) and of the Marian devotion (demonstrated by the Lenten pilgrimages in the island of São Miguel) complement a diversity of religious behaviors that, although dating back to the Sixteenth Century, to this day still define the devotional practices of the Azoreans.
Bibliography:
AAVV, História dos Açores. Do descobrimento ao século XX, direcção científica de Artur Teodoro de Matos, Avelino de Freitas de Meneses e José Guilherme Reis Leite, Angra do Heroísmo, Instituto Açoriano de Cultura, 2008, três volumes. COSTA, Susana Goulart, Açores: Nove Ilhas, Uma História / Azores: Nine Islands, One History, Berkeley, University of California, 2008.
Translated by: Maria João Pimentel