Portugal, Viana do Castelo, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This is a collection of church records from parishes in the Diocese of Viana do Castelo for the years 1537 to 1911. It includes baptisms, marriages, and deaths or burials. 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.

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 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Microfilms of these records may be available for viewing at a family history center.

Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading these records see the following guides:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide
 * Learning Center Resources:

Collection Content
Baptism 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 and 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 or burial records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death or 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

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select District
 * 2) Select Municipality
 * 3) Select Civil Parish
 * 4) Select Parish
 * 5) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.)

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Portugal.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community
 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation: "Portugal, Viana do Castelo, Catholic Church Records, 1537-1911." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Arquivo Distrital Viana do Castelo (Viana do Castelo District Archives, Viana do Castelo).