Em Beja Com os Olhos no Mundo: O papel dos meios de Informação no Episcopado de Frei Manuel do Cenáculo

Abstract

D. Manuel do Cenáculo Villas Boas joined the diocese in March 1777 with a reformist program that it had in the media of his time the support necessary for its implementation. Indeed, from his letters underscores the desire to make Beja a kind of cultural centre, as if he wants to put the city on the map, not only national but also European. With the presence of the prelate, Beja won a surprising cultural dynamism, with the various initiatives and projects he has undertaken. They are proof of this new dynamic the many national and foreign visitors passing through town during his episcopate, studies establishing for their pastors, church conferences, the creation of a library-museum that opened to the public, archaeological projects in developing ground, in particular, Sines and Troia. We have argued in previous work that Cenáculo was a man of projects, and that with his action in favour of science and culture became a real Prince of Letters of Alentejo, a patron of all who ventured on the roads of Fine Arts and Fine Letters and resorted to their sponsorship. With this paper we seek to take stock of scientific and cultural dynamism that the Alentejo town now has during his episcopate and to assess the importance of correspondence, books and other media had to put the projects on the ground of the Bishop.