Portugal, Viana do Castelo, 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, Viana do Castelo, Catholic Church Records collection is available online only to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Microfilms of these records are available for viewing at a Family History Center. Please see Using the Family History Library Catalog to find a microfilm and see Ordering Microfilm or Microfiche.

Title in the Language of the Records
Registros Paroquiais da Igreja Católica da Diocese de Viana do Castelo, Portugal

Record Description
This is a collection of church records from parishes in the Diocese of Viana do Castelo for the years 1537-1909 it includes baptisms, marriages, and burial/deaths. These parish records are housed at the Braga District Archives at the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal. Some of the older registers may have some physical damage due to natural causes; 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 original parish records were kept in the parish archive under the custody of the priest and a duplicate register was regularly sent to the diocesan archive where the records were centralized and kept at a higher state of preservation. The text of the records is in Portuguese. Earlier records were handwritten in narrative style, but newer records were handwritten in formatted registers.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browselink from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Baptismal records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date, time and place of birth
 * Parents' names
 * Names of paternal grandparents
 * Names of maternal grandparents
 * Godparents' names, their civil status, occupation and residence

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


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

Death/burial records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death/burial
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Legitimacy of deceased
 * Civil status of deceased
 * Name of spouse, if married
 * Sometimes, parent’s name if deceased is a minor
 * Sometimes, a note regarding a testament (will)
 * Burial information

How to Use the Records
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒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.

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 wiki articles:

Portuguese Genealogical Word List

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

 * Dioceses of Portugal
 * Anuario Católico – Lista das paróquias

Related Wiki Articles

 * Portugal
 * Portugal Catholic Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Portugal, Viana do Castelo, Catholic Church Records, 1537-1911

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citations for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.