Abstract
The present study analyses and explores the actions of Cristóvão de Gouveia (1542-1622) regarding the artistic manifestations of the Society of Jesus in Portugal and Brazil, during the second half of the sixteenth century and the first decades of the seventeenth century. This work is based on the review of previously published manuscript and printed sources, but adds new information and interpretations, which allow for a more comprehensive view of Gouveia’s life and work. The documents used, held in the Archivum Romanum Societatis Iesu (ARSI), in the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (ANTT) and in the Évora Public Library (BPE), among other archives and libraries, provide crucial data on the decisive role played by Cristóvão de Gouveia in the promotion of festivities and celebrations of the Society of Jesus, and in the strategies adopted for the construction of some Jesuitic houses. Among the latter, are the Recreational Manors (Quintas de Recreio) in Portugal and Brazil, built and restored by him. It is therefore this little-known field of the Society’s architectural history that we aim to clarify.
Keywords:
Society of Jesus; Cristóvão de Gouveia; Portugal-Brazil