José António Camões
Encyclopedia
Father José António Camões (Fajãzinha
, December 10, 1777 — Ponta Delgada
, January 18, 1827), a Florense (from the island of Flores, Azores
), a Catholic priest, poet
, historian
, and author of various works of satire, including his heroic satire O Testamento de D. Burro, Pai dos Asnos.
, and a Corvino
woman, and raised in the public system. He was baptized in the parochial church of Fajãzinha
, on December 13, 1777, at about 2 or 3 years of age, and given only the name José, without a family surname. Ironically, he was raised for a while on the island of Corvo, by his maternal grandparents, but accompanied frair São Domingos, as a student, to the São Boaventura Convent after the friar visited Corvo
.
After a difficult period in the convent, he abandoned his studies, to work for a farmer in Fajãnzinha (supposedly a family relative). Explused from his first job, he went to work for another farmer, where he accompanied the farmer's son, Manuel Fernandes de Barcelos (1774–1854) in his studies. By 1797, he was a professor of Latin in the parish of Santa Cruz
. He later left for Terceira, where began his studies at the Convent of São Francisco; it was at this time that he adopted the surname, Camões (the choice of name was inspired by his admiration for the famous Portuguese poet
. After a long process, beginning in 1799, he was promoted by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Angra
and given access to higher ecclesiastical rights (something that, by being abandoned, he could not achieve). He was ordained on October 20, 1804 in Angra, by special appointment of the Captain-General (dated 18 December 1804), and became a professor of Latin Grammar to the island of Flores (April 3, 1805). With the permission of the parish, he was re-baptized on July 16, 1805 in Fajãzinha; one of his first acts as parish priest. He is very successful in his role as professor, attracting many students from Corvo and Faial. In 1807, he was nominated vicar of the remote community of Ponta Delgada das Flores (a community that is more easily reached by boat then overland) and ceases his activities as professor (although some would follow him to the isolated community to continue their studies). While in Ponta Delgada, he was vice-vicar and then vicar, eventually attaining the role of ecclesiastical confessor for the islands of Flores and Corvo (1810): a role which some found unpopular because of his illegitimate birth. In 1812 he became clerical examiner, and in 1813, the receiver-general of the church in Corvo.
His manuscript circulated in the communities of Flores, but eventually reached the bishopric of Terceira, which was without a bishop at the time (the 24th Bishop of Angra, D. José Pegado de Azevedo, had died on June 19, 1812 and his successor, friar D. Alexandre da Sagrada Família, although arriving in the Azores in 1813, would not take on his duties until 1816). The diocesanal cleric received a copy of the work, charged José António, and eventually stripped him of his roles as confessor and vicar of Ponta Delgada on May 19, 1813. Camões also received a summons (June 20, 1814) to appear in Angra, which he complied on October 11, 1814, to justify his actions to the church prosecutor. He was accused of damaging the reputation of the church, but absolved, on February 20, 1815, after a humiliating trial. Although absolved, he was required to respond to the inquisitors of the Santa Sé (since many of his works were against church dogma). His role as vicar of Ponta Delgada (already opposed by many influential residents), confessor and receiver for the islands were never reinstated. He solicited the intervention of the Captain-General, in order to be readmitted into his role as professor of Latin in Santa Cruz das Flores (a request that was also opposed by the bishopric in Angra, the residents of the municipality of Santa Cruz, and many on the island, until about 1822 or possibly 1827). He was reinstated in 1815.
In disgrace, with few friends or students, he lived off handouts from church services or colleagues, but generally little food: he died in Ponta Delgada on January 18, 1827 (he was 49 years old).
José António Camões´ works, Testamento de D. Burro, Pai dos Asnos and Sete Pecados Mortais were posthumously printed in 1865 (in Boston) and 1883 (in Lisbon). His other works, particularly his sonnets were printed in the Jorgense (no.40) on June 1, 1873. Francisco Ferreira Drummond included in his Anais da Ilha Terceira (1859 and 1864) one sonnet and one poem. Camões is also referred to in Relatório das Cousas mais Notáveis que Havião nas Ilhas Flores e Corvo a report to the Captain-General in 1822 (published in 1993).
Fajãzinha
There is also in Cape Verde, see Fajãzinha, Cape VerdeFajãzinha is a civil parish in the municipality of Lajes das Flores located 15 km from the town of Lajes das Flores, on the western coast of Flores. It is one of the least populated on the island. In 2001 its population was 105 inhabitants...
, December 10, 1777 — Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada (Santa Cruz das Flores)
Ponta Delgada is a rural civil parish in the Azorean municipality of Santa Cruz das Flores, on the island of Flores. The population in 2001 was 453 inhabitants, occuping an area 18.72 km², along the northern coast from the regional capital...
, January 18, 1827), a Florense (from the island of Flores, Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
), a Catholic priest, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and author of various works of satire, including his heroic satire O Testamento de D. Burro, Pai dos Asnos.
Biography
He was thought to be the son of friar Manuel de São Domingos, a Franciscan monk in the Convent of São Boaventura (Santa Cruz das FloresSanta Cruz das Flores (parish)
Santa Cruz das Flores is a civil parish in the municipality of the same name, corresponding to an area of 39,55 km² and population of 1810 inhabitants . It is the largest population center in the Western Group of Portuguese Azores, concentrating all governmental and judicial services of the...
, and a Corvino
Corvo Island
Corvo Island , literally the Island of the Crow, is the smallest and the northernmost island of the Azores archipelago and the northernmost in Macaronesia, with a population of approximately 468 inhabitants constituting the smallest single municipality in Azores and in Portugal.-History:A small...
woman, and raised in the public system. He was baptized in the parochial church of Fajãzinha
Fajãzinha
There is also in Cape Verde, see Fajãzinha, Cape VerdeFajãzinha is a civil parish in the municipality of Lajes das Flores located 15 km from the town of Lajes das Flores, on the western coast of Flores. It is one of the least populated on the island. In 2001 its population was 105 inhabitants...
, on December 13, 1777, at about 2 or 3 years of age, and given only the name José, without a family surname. Ironically, he was raised for a while on the island of Corvo, by his maternal grandparents, but accompanied frair São Domingos, as a student, to the São Boaventura Convent after the friar visited Corvo
Corvo Island
Corvo Island , literally the Island of the Crow, is the smallest and the northernmost island of the Azores archipelago and the northernmost in Macaronesia, with a population of approximately 468 inhabitants constituting the smallest single municipality in Azores and in Portugal.-History:A small...
.
After a difficult period in the convent, he abandoned his studies, to work for a farmer in Fajãnzinha (supposedly a family relative). Explused from his first job, he went to work for another farmer, where he accompanied the farmer's son, Manuel Fernandes de Barcelos (1774–1854) in his studies. By 1797, he was a professor of Latin in the parish of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz das Flores (parish)
Santa Cruz das Flores is a civil parish in the municipality of the same name, corresponding to an area of 39,55 km² and population of 1810 inhabitants . It is the largest population center in the Western Group of Portuguese Azores, concentrating all governmental and judicial services of the...
. He later left for Terceira, where began his studies at the Convent of São Francisco; it was at this time that he adopted the surname, Camões (the choice of name was inspired by his admiration for the famous Portuguese poet
Luís de Camões
Luís Vaz de Camões is considered Portugal's and the Portuguese language's greatest poet. His mastery of verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Vondel, Homer, Virgil and Dante. He wrote a considerable amount of lyrical poetry and drama but is best remembered for his epic work Os Lusíadas...
. After a long process, beginning in 1799, he was promoted by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Angra
Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo , locally referred to as Angra, is a municipality and city on the island of Terceira, within the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. The municipal area has a population of 35,581 and an area of . Along with Praia da Vitória to the north, it is one of two municipal...
and given access to higher ecclesiastical rights (something that, by being abandoned, he could not achieve). He was ordained on October 20, 1804 in Angra, by special appointment of the Captain-General (dated 18 December 1804), and became a professor of Latin Grammar to the island of Flores (April 3, 1805). With the permission of the parish, he was re-baptized on July 16, 1805 in Fajãzinha; one of his first acts as parish priest. He is very successful in his role as professor, attracting many students from Corvo and Faial. In 1807, he was nominated vicar of the remote community of Ponta Delgada das Flores (a community that is more easily reached by boat then overland) and ceases his activities as professor (although some would follow him to the isolated community to continue their studies). While in Ponta Delgada, he was vice-vicar and then vicar, eventually attaining the role of ecclesiastical confessor for the islands of Flores and Corvo (1810): a role which some found unpopular because of his illegitimate birth. In 1812 he became clerical examiner, and in 1813, the receiver-general of the church in Corvo.
Controversial author
José António Camões' first published works developed as a response to his critics (in 1812 or 1813) who had criticized his illegitimacy; in a weighty diatribe (in prose and verse) titled Sete Pecados Mortais ("Seven Mortal Deadly Sins") he challenged his critics. He would write his seminal work Testamento de D. Burro, Pai dos Asnos (The Testament of Don Burro, Father of the Asses), an apparently autobiographical account of his life in prose. In it he described discrimination and maltreatment as a child and youth (by his maternal grandparents and familiars) for being of illegitimate birth, and those events that had plagued his life: he was careful to skewer many of Florense society, especially the local clergy.His manuscript circulated in the communities of Flores, but eventually reached the bishopric of Terceira, which was without a bishop at the time (the 24th Bishop of Angra, D. José Pegado de Azevedo, had died on June 19, 1812 and his successor, friar D. Alexandre da Sagrada Família, although arriving in the Azores in 1813, would not take on his duties until 1816). The diocesanal cleric received a copy of the work, charged José António, and eventually stripped him of his roles as confessor and vicar of Ponta Delgada on May 19, 1813. Camões also received a summons (June 20, 1814) to appear in Angra, which he complied on October 11, 1814, to justify his actions to the church prosecutor. He was accused of damaging the reputation of the church, but absolved, on February 20, 1815, after a humiliating trial. Although absolved, he was required to respond to the inquisitors of the Santa Sé (since many of his works were against church dogma). His role as vicar of Ponta Delgada (already opposed by many influential residents), confessor and receiver for the islands were never reinstated. He solicited the intervention of the Captain-General, in order to be readmitted into his role as professor of Latin in Santa Cruz das Flores (a request that was also opposed by the bishopric in Angra, the residents of the municipality of Santa Cruz, and many on the island, until about 1822 or possibly 1827). He was reinstated in 1815.
In disgrace, with few friends or students, he lived off handouts from church services or colleagues, but generally little food: he died in Ponta Delgada on January 18, 1827 (he was 49 years old).
José António Camões´ works, Testamento de D. Burro, Pai dos Asnos and Sete Pecados Mortais were posthumously printed in 1865 (in Boston) and 1883 (in Lisbon). His other works, particularly his sonnets were printed in the Jorgense (no.40) on June 1, 1873. Francisco Ferreira Drummond included in his Anais da Ilha Terceira (1859 and 1864) one sonnet and one poem. Camões is also referred to in Relatório das Cousas mais Notáveis que Havião nas Ilhas Flores e Corvo a report to the Captain-General in 1822 (published in 1993).
Published works
- Elegia escrita ao Secretário do Capitão General (1859)
- Soneto de repúdio à contra-revolução ocorrida em Angra a 3 de Agosto de 1823 (1864)
- Testamento de D. Burro, Pai dos Asnos (1865)
- Os Pecados Mortais. Diálogo Entre um Marido e sua Mulher no Qual Fazem uma Justa Paridade dos Sete Pecados Mortais com os Sete Clérigos que não Querem para Ouvidor Eclesiástico destas Duas Ilhas Flores e Corvo ao Padre José António Camões (1883)
- Soneto de louvor aos faialenese por se desligarem do governo de Angra (1873)
- Soneto de regozijo pela separação do governo do Faial do de Angra (1873)
- Soneto de louvor pela integração das ilhas das Flores e Corvo no governo do Faial (1873)