Portugal, Viseu, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The Portugal, Viseu, Catholic Church Records collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Paroquiais da Igreja Católica da Diocese de Viseu, Portugal.

Record Description
This collection of church records includes the years 1523 to 1989.

The records included in this collection are those of baptisms, marriages, and burial/deaths from parishes in the in the Diocese of Viseu, Portugal. These parish records have been preserved relatively well. Some of the older registers appear to have some physical damage; therefore, some data may be difficult to read or some even may be lost. However, in general, they are in good condition for extracting genealogical information. The text of the records is in Portuguese. Earlier records are handwritten in narrative style; newer records are handwritten in formatted registers.

Parish priests performed the ordinances for baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials, and the other holy sacraments in the jurisdiction of their assigned parish or parishes. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive under the custody of the priest. However, a duplicate of these registers was regularly sent to the diocesan archive where the records were centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation.

Catholic Church parish registers were created to record the church sacraments of baptism, marriage, death, burial, and other ordinances performed on parishioners by an authorized priest in his area of jurisdiction.

Catholic Church parish records are a reliable source for doing genealogical research in Viseu, Portugal, before 1911, when the civil registration was implemented. For records after 1911, it is suggested that you research both the civil registry and the church records to verify information.

Record Content
Baptism records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's birth date, time, and place
 * Parents' names, civil status, and origin
 * Godparents’ names and their civil status

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name and age
 * Groom's occupation, civil status, residence, and origin
 * Names of groom's parents, their civil status and residence
 * Bride's name and age
 * Bride's occupation, civil status, and origin
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses, their occupation, civil status, and residence

Death or burial records usually contain the following information:


 * Name, age, and gender of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Civil status, residence, and origin of deceased
 * Name of spouse, if married
 * Parents' names and their origin
 * Sometimes, a note regarding a testament (will)
 * Burial information

Search the Collection
To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "District" category ⇒Select the "Municipality" category ⇒Select the "Civil Parish" category ⇒Select the "Parish" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading the records, see the following resources:
 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 1
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 2
 * Portuguese Handwriting Lesson 3

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
Maps of Viseu

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal
 * Viseu
 * Portugal Catholic Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
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Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.