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Non fiction

A chancelería arquiepiscopal de Braga (1071-1244)

By María Cristina Almeida e Cunha

About this book

This work was short listed for the Premio de Investigación Medieval de Galicia 2004, the award for research in Medieval subjects. It presents the research of the operations of the chancellorship of the archbishop of Braga, of how their scribblers were trained and their document typologies, etc. This book could be used as a model for the study of other bishoprics and archbishoprics in the Iberian Peninsula.

Book fragment

The chapter addressed two types of topics: the first one had to do with the administration of wealth of the chapter and the second, though not in importance as it was their main function, was to take care of holy matters, i.e., the worship in the cathedral including the distribution of masses amongst different priests, prayer of canonical hours (sung or just read aloud), processions, etc. The chapter was also in charge of teaching and training the priests and the candidates to priest who, even at a very tender age, used to attend the cathedral’s school. Obviously, for each of these aspects, one or more authorities were engaged as was the usual practice in the regular hierarchy of cathedrals at that time.

The authorities in charge of the administration of wealth were the deans and archdeacons. Let us now turn to their origins in Braga and their functions.