Historian José Mattoso died this Saturday at the age of 90, the current director of Torre do Tombo said, highlighting his role in modernizing the national and municipal archives.
In a telephone conversation with Lusa, Sylvestre Lacerda confirmed the death “this morning” of José Mattoso, the former director of Torre do Tombo, noting that the historian was concerned about “the value of the national memory”.
José Mattoso is one of the country’s main authorities in the study of the origins of Portugal and the Middle Ages in particular.
Born in the city of Leiria in 1933, José Mattoso soon joined the congregation of the Singeverga Monastery in Santo Tirso as a Benedictine monk, prompting him to research the history of religious orders in Portugal between the 6th and 15th centuries BC. aristocracy from the 10th to the 13th centuries.
Later, he decided to ask for release from religious vows and return to secular life. He married and began teaching medieval history at the Faculty of Literature at the University of Lisbon. He never lost faith in the Church and even admitted in interviews the possibility of one day returning to the monastic life, which never materialized.
He has an extensive published work which includes such titles as Identification of the Country (1985) and the collections History of Portugal and History of Private Life in Portugal.
Author: Vanessa Fidalgo This Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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