Collegiate Churches
Original title: Colegiadas
Collegiate chapters of clergy attached to the main parish churches of Madeira to enhance worship, founded mostly in the later 16th century and all abolished before 1834.
In some parishes, besides the clergy assigned to parish duties, there was a chapter made up of a small number of clerics, who recited the divine office in common and performed other functions of worship. It was in the parish churches of the most important and most densely populated parishes that the collegiate chapters were established. Like the chapters of the cathedrals, they lent greater splendour to worship, and their members were valuable helpers in all the religious services of the parishes.
This diocese had collegiate chapters in the parishes of Santa Maria Maior, São Pedro, Câmara de Lobos, Ribeira Brava, Ponta do Sol, Calheta, Porto Santo, Santa Cruz and Machico.
In the churches of the last two, the choir stalls used for reciting the divine offices are still preserved today beside the high altar. The chapters were founded in the second half of the 16th century, except for those of Ribeira Brava, Machico and Santa Cruz, which are older; the last two had six beneficiaries. They were generally made up of the parish priest, the assistant priest (coadjutor), three or four beneficiaries, a preacher and a treasurer, although some had a smaller staff. Each had its own regulations (regimento), which governed how the duties entrusted to it were to be performed.
All the collegiate chapters of Madeira were abolished before 1834.
In this article
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Years mentioned · 02Place
Places mentioned · 09
- Calheta
Parish with a collegiate chapter.
Calheta is a town, parish and municipality on Madeira's south-west coast and one of the island's oldest settlements. The Elucidário covers its name, early settlers such as Pedro Berenguer, its church and many chapels, including one of a former Franciscan convent, and the 1834 riot.
- Câmara de Lobos
Parish with a collegiate chapter.
Parish west of Funchal. The Elucidário traces its name to Zarco's discovery voyage and describes its churches, chapels and collegiate chapter, early settlers, fishing community and renowned vineyards. It also records the parish's localities, boundaries, levadas and population.
- Machico
Parish with an older collegiate chapter of six beneficiaries whose choir stalls survive.
The parish of Machico was the landing place of the discoverers Zargo and Tristão Vaz and the seat of the captaincy of Machico; the parish was founded c. 1450. The Elucidário covers its clergy and stipends, chapels, historical events, mineral springs, localities, population and notable natives.
- Ponta do Sol
Parish with a collegiate chapter.
South-coast parish and municipality, settled from about 1440 by Rodrigo Enes 'o Coxo'. Its parish church of Nossa Senhora da Luz holds a triptych. The Elucidário also records its quay of 1848, paid for by the council, and the royal visit of 1858.
- Porto Santo
Its parish had a collegiate chapter.
An island of the archipelago, settled alongside Madeira and forming one of the three captaincies. It has always constituted a single parish, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade, whose church was repeatedly sacked. The Elucidário records the Moorish pirate raid of 1617, its own Misericórdia and a rainwater channel built on this drought-prone island.
- Ribeira Brava
Parish with one of the older collegiate chapters.
Ribeira Brava is one of Madeira's oldest parishes, named after its violent stream, with a town, port and quay. The Elucidário covers its collegiate church and its paintings, its Franciscan convent and chapels, and its São Pedro festival with a boat and sword dance. It also records riots against the metric system and deaths when troops fired on the people during the 1884 election.
- Santa Cruz
Parish with an older collegiate chapter of six beneficiaries whose choir stalls survive.
Santa Cruz is a parish and one of Madeira's oldest settlements, named after a cross Zarco had raised there at the discovery. The Elucidário covers its early ecclesiastical history, collegiate church, chapels, noble settlers and localities.
- Santa Maria Maior
Funchal. Parish with a collegiate chapter.
A partly urban parish in the eastern part of Funchal, the oldest of the archipelago, also known as Nossa Senhora do Calhau or Socorro. Its church is the former St James church, and it is noted for embroiderers producing the finest work. It became a julgado of the Funchal comarca in 1927.
- São Pedro
Funchal. Parish with a collegiate chapter.
São Pedro is the most populous of Funchal's four urban parishes and the place where Zargo made the first settlement. The parish was created in 1566, suppressed in 1579 and restored in 1587. The Elucidário covers its clergy stipends, church building, chapels, notable institutions and boundaries.