Mestre João Vicente

: 1380-1463 : fundador, prelado, reformador : em busca do estado apostólico no Portugal de Quatrocentos

Abstract

In Portugal as well as in all Europe on the 14th and 15th centuries, the Church lived a «turning point» moment, between an obvious decay and the conscience of a needed, but difficult reform. Many tried diferente approaches, without suceeding in the goal of enabling a global movement. Still, they had the merit of sowing seeds that could be harvested centuries after, with the Council of Trent’s implementation. Among those projects, we find the Foundation of the Secular Canons of Saint John Evangelist, know as «Loios», as the biggest expression of this desire for reformation in Portugal. In their eclesial renovation program through the example of the secular clerics, inspired by their founder, they managed to open new routes and bring modern spirituality ideas, even if their goal was set in the past, in the primitive church and the appostolic state of the community of Jerusalem. In this context, emerges the personality of their founder, João Vicente. In lack of personal writtings or deeper studies about him and his actions that could bring some clues about his thoughts in the matter, we were forced to gather what has been told about him, as well as documents and correspondence where he is mentioned in order to try to comprehend his ecclesiological and charismatical view, his options, his world vision and his spirituality. This essay is then a small contribute for a broader study on this unique congregation in the portuguese church of the 15th century, as well as for the formulation of the concept of appostolic state as viewed from their founder perspective.

Date of Award	9 Oct 2017
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa