Las Ordenanzas de la Hermandad de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias de Granada en el siglo XVI

Abstract

The document, from the Archive of the said Brotherhood, is dated in 1545 and the modifications to it in 1556. The foundation of this Brotherhood corresponds, therefore, to the time in which this type of associations was being introduced into the Kingdom of Granada, recently conquered by the Crown of Castille. It is a text of legal character, by which the activity of the new Brotherhood, perhaps the most important of its kind in Granada, is regulated. This was an open corporation (with no limitation on the number of its members) of a charitable and religious nature and dedicated to penitence. The transcription of the document is accompanied by an analytical introduction.

The text begins with the index of chapters and an interesting preamble concerning its nature and foundation. The chapters which follow are placed one beside the other with no logical thematic order. The contents may be grouped together in blocks: requirements for and means of admittance, organization and government of the Brotherhood, the celebration of religious ceremonies, duties acquired by the brothers, material and spiritual benefits and disciplinary rules. The text concludes with the corresponding ecclesiastical approval.