The “Entail of the Month” initiative this January presents the Chapel of Geraldo Viegas, Abbot of Dardavaz, established in the 14th century in the Church of São Salvador de Tonda (Tondela).

In the absence of the original founding document, the information that reaches us about this chapel is gathered from several sources, from Chancelleries to the New Reading and the 17th century chapel registry. According to these records, the Chapel of Geraldo Viegas was linked to Quinta dos Outeiros – the name by which the successive manors were commonly called -, and other properties in Dardavaz, with one of the oldest entails being in Besteiros (Tondela).

Preserving itself in the same lineage throughout centuries, this entail transcended the material existence of the actual chapel, built in the 14th century, which has since disappeared. With the end of entailment (estates) in 1863, the debts of the last administrator, José Maria da Silveira Figueiredo Pais Júnior, led to the sale of the property and the old manor house, by public auction according to a process from 1889. Already into the following century, we have knowledge of the demolition of the manor house, which took place between 1940-1950 and with the chapel knocked down four decades later. Although perishing in the landscape, the documentary memory of this chapel has therefore survived.

To find out more about this entail in detail, visit the page with all the information about this Entail of the Month. You may also find out about other example of entailment by clicking here.

You can also contribute to this initiative by making suggestions for future entails of the month and any details you may be able to provide. To this end, please contact the project at: vinculum@fcsh.unl.pt.

The VINCULUM project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by Maria de Lurdes Rosa, Professor of NOVA FCSH and researcher at the Institute of Medieval Studies, awarded the first ERC Consolidator Grant to a Portuguese researcher in the field of History.