Portugal, Viseu, Catholic Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
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. These records are written 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.

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 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images can be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you.

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 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

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.

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

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

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, Viseu, Catholic Church Records, 1523-1989." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Arquivo Distrital de Viseu, Viseu (Viseu District Archives, Viseu).