The Office of the Dead in Portuguese Medieval Uses

This article aims to establish the ancestry of the formularies of the Office of the Dead in the main Portuguese medieval liturgical uses (Braga, Coimbra, Évora and Santa Cruz in Coimbra) and track their changes up to the early modern period. This is mainly achieved by considering the historical circumstances of the restoration of the different dioceses after the reconquest, the background of their first prelates, the extant sources of each liturgical use and their distinctive characteristics with reference to previous scholarship. Following Knud Ottosen’s seminal study, methodology also relies on an extensive comparison of the series of responsories and verses of the Matins of the Dead and other textual and musical details in local and selected Iberian and French sources. Comprehensive lists of the manuscript and printed sources of the uses of Braga, Évora and Santa Cruz, their location and relevant bibliographical references are also provided at the end.