Cathedral chapter

By the bull (papal bull) Pro excellenti praeeminentia of 12 June 1514, Leo X created the diocese of Funchal and, together with it, the cathedral chapter of the Cathedral (Sé Catedral). By the express wording of that papal document, the chapter consisted of the dignities of Dean, Archdeacon, Precentor and Chief Treasurer, together with twelve prebendary canons. Only later was the dignity of Schoolmaster (mestre-escola, dignitary of the chapter) created, and four half-prebend canonries were also created afterwards, so that the Funchal chapter came to number twenty-one councillors (capitulares). Later still, the office of doctoral or theological canon was created, filled from one of the twelve canonries already in existence. The Funchal chapter remained so constituted until a concordat concluded between the Holy See and the Portuguese government, some decades ago, reduced it to twelve members, including three dignities – a number undoubtedly sufficient for the full discharge of all the duties entrusted to this capitular body.

The bull in question expressly refers to Nuno Cão (see that entry), naming him as the priest who was to be invested with the office of dean. It also orders that, among the fifteen beneficiaries of the collegiate church existing in the parish (freguesia) that later took the name of Sé, the three most senior should be appointed to the other three dignities, and the remaining twelve should fill the places of the twelve canonries then created.

The office of dean was, and still is today, the highest dignity of the cathedral chapter. Under a law of our country that remained in force until the proclamation of the Republic, it could be filled only by a cleric holding a degree in law or theology. Nuno Cão was the first to hold this office here, followed by Filipe Rebelo and then by Dr António da Costa. The last priests to occupy the deanery (office of dean of the cathedral chapter) at Funchal Cathedral (the Sé) (Sé do Funchal) were, in order, António Joaquim Gonçalves de Andrade, Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos and João Joaquim Pinto (see those entries). The office originally carried a salary of 7,000 réis (old Portuguese money of account; 1$000 = 1,000 réis, 1:000$000 = one conto = 1,000,000 réis) a year, later 15,000 réis, rising to 25,000 réis in 1527 and to 45,000 réis in 1563. Latterly it carried an annual stipend (côngrua) of 772,680 réis. The first two priests to serve as dean were responsible for parish duties; on the death of the second, the two posts of curate of the Cathedral were created, and the dean was thereby relieved of pastoral ministry.

As already stated, the dignities of the Funchal Chapter were, besides the dean, those of archdeacon, precentor and schoolmaster, latterly reduced to the first three. The dignities of archdeacon and precentor have not been filled for many years; the last archdeacon was Canon José Joaquim de Sá, who died around 1869.

To the twelve canonries of the Chapter’s original constitution, two half-prebend canonries were added in 1536 and another two in 1577.

Among the clergy who were members of the Funchal Chapter were Jerónimo Dias Leite, António Veloso de Lira, Pedro Correia Barbosa, João Francisco Lopes Rocha, Gregório Nanzianzeno de Medina e Vasconcelos, António Joaquim Gonçalves de Andrade, Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos, Alfredo César de Oliveira and António Aires Pacheco (see those entries).