Compromisso da Irmandade das Almas do Purgatório da Vila de Palmela, 1604-1605 MANUSCRITO.- PALMELA, Vila de.- Compromisso da Irmandade das Almas do Purgatório da Vila de Palmela.- Século XVII (1604-1605).- 14 f.; 22 cm.- E. Manuscript on parchment, carefully red calibrated, with illuminated title page and 11 decorated chapter initials. Presents the following internal organization: 1 - Watercoloured title, inscribed in an oval inserted in a renassaince cartouche, with vegetalist motifs exhibiting at the top, the Saint James Cross on traditional scallop: Compremisso [sic] | da Irmandade das | Almas do Purgato | rio. | Da Villa de | Palmella. 1604 (p. 1); 2 - Examination visa of the Corregeor and ombudsman of the Comarca José Pedro Bayma de Barros, dated Septúbal, March 28, 1774 (p. 2); 3 - Title developed, followed by Preface (p. 3, 4 and 5, p. 6 blank); 4 - Chapter I: Spiritual alms... (p. 7); 5 - Chapter II: From Monday masses... (p. 8); 6 - Chapter III: From the masses of the month... (p. 9 and 10); 7 - Chapter IIII: Of the Suffrage... (p. 11 and 12); 8 - Chapter V: From the robes... (p. 13 and 14); 9 - Chapter VI: From the time you will be required to confess... (p. 15 and 16); 10 - Chapter VII: How to welcome the Brothers... (p. 17 and 18); 10 - Chapter VIII: From the day the election will be made... (p. 19 to 23); 11 - Chapter IX: How to welcome the Confreres... (p. 24); 12 - Chapter X: Provision (transcribe the royal provision of Philip III as governor and perpetual administrator of the master's and cavalry of the Order of Saint James); includes the closing term (Manoel de Paiva Cardozo did so in Lixª. on January 21, 1605) and a visa by visitors to the Order of Palmella on March 28, 1605; in the end, in three very faded lines, another visa at a visit, by the visitator of the Order Ferraz (p. 25 and 26). The devotion of the souls of Purgatory is very old and integrates into the worship of the deceased, transversal to all cultures and societies. But it was above all from the Counter-Reformation and the Council of Trent that the Catholic Church boosted its practice, with the brotherhoods of souls being, which from then on proliferated among us, their associative and solidarity expression, while the alminhas represent the corresponding most popular artistic aspect. Text entirely red calibrated, sometimes a little faded, ornamented with 11 watercolour and gouache decorated initials (?). All pages, from the second leaf, are square wrapped in five red parallel lines. The preface and eight chapters are toped with elegant red caligraphy vignettes (all different). The document was recently the subject of deep and full professional restoration, and it was possible to retain part of the green silk binding cover, as well as the two (original?) metal clasps.