Serving the Purgatory souls in the city and villages: confraternities of the souls and deceased of Coimbra and two rural communities of the diocese of Coimbra in the Modern Age

Abstract

Rooted in European tradition since the medieval period, brotherhoods were established by laypeople and devout members of the Catholic Church to foster professional, charitable, and devotional networks at the local level. This study surveys the confraternities dedicated to the souls and the deceased in both the district and the city of Coimbra. Particular focus is given to two rural communities—Cadima and Seixo de Gatões—offering a contribution to the broader understanding of such associations in rural contexts. The research sheds light on both the charitable functions of these brotherhoods—such as support at the time of death, assistance with burial, and the offering of suffrages for souls—and their devotional roles, which became integral to the daily life and collective identity of these communities. Furthermore, it also examines the forms of sociability promoted among members, the penalties imposed on transgressors, and the rituals that these associations sought to formalize and regulate through their statutes.