Letter from Agostino De Rossi and Gioseppe Merino, slave priests in Tunis, to [Jean Le Vacher], 1669-09-21, Tunis

Letter from Agostino De Rossi and Gioseppe Merino, slave priests in Tunis, to [Jean Le Vacher], 1669-09-21, Tunis

Franciscans

Seravezza case

Slaves (Christian)

Slave priests

Tunis

Letter from Agostino De Rossi and Gioseppe Merino. They write this letter to inform [Jean Le Vacher] about the state of the church of Tunis. Last June they also asked for the copies that Le Vacher sent to Rome, as had been requested. They want to inform Le Vacher about the departure of [Antonio Di] Seravezza, who had been left in his position by Girolamo Da Sassari. The departure of Di Seravezza and also his general behaviour has led to division, as one can see in the decree that had been issued against them. He does this because he wants to deprive [Merino] from the Mass that he says every day in the house of the consul; whats worse, is the fact that thousands of people have been estranged from the religion, because of the quarrel of one person. Di Seravezza wanted to be the enemy of the consul, even tough he eats his bread. They are both priets, one [De Rossi] can't leave the Bagno of S. Croce because he is a slave, the other [Merino] has been placed under interdict. Whilst he does not really believe that he has placed under interdict (because Di Seravezza does not have the power to do so), it still affects the minds of the people. In the letter, they ask Le Vacher to solve the problems in Tunis. Everybody still has good memories of the time when he was vicar apostolic in the city, so they ask Le Vacher to come to Tunis, if the situation in Algiers allows it. When Antonio Di Seravezza left on 4 August on a French ship to Marseille he left the interdict to his secular partisans; he also against the custom and respect that they ought to have for the Holy sacrament, gave them the Holy oils.

Date discussed: 1671-08-06

Additional comments

The letter is not always very clear, but some details appear in other letters. In APF SOCG 430 236r-v, 268r-269v (database item 727) it is described that it is Merino who says mass in the house of the consul, and that it is De Rossi who cant leave the bagno because he is a slave (however, Merino also appears to have been a slave).

Agostino De Rossi and Giuseppe Merino

APF SOCG 430 264r-v

1671-09-21

Adressed to [Jean Le Vacher]

For the minutes of the PF meeting where this matter was discussed, see: APF ACTA 41 305r, 330r-338r.
With the decree they probably mean: APF SOCG 430, 229r (database item 721).

Copy; signed

Italian

Letter

738

Origin: Tunis

Destination: [Algiers]