Portuguese Franciscans in Asia: Spaces, Agents, Documents (1500-1834)

The aim of the project is to create and disseminate knowledge about the dynamics of mission in India by studying the presence of Portuguese Franciscans in Asia, understood in its broad religious and cultural dimension, from the 16th century, when the Portuguese presence in Asia began to consolidate, until 1834, when the religious orders were abolished. The aim is to articulate the heritage dimension of this presence, by recognising and mapping the spaces and structures associated with it, and the human dimension, by reconstructing the bio-bibliographical journeys of its agents, both Franciscans in their various branches and Poor Clares. It corresponds to the first phase of a larger study on the identification of Portuguese Franciscans in the world. The project, which began in April 2018, is institutionally hosted and developed by UCP-CEHR and benefits from the support of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, under the programme of support for research projects in the field of Portuguese Language and Culture. It is also sponsored by the Fundação Oriente.