Letter from Antonio Di Seravezza to Father Chintana, 1670-05-16, Marseille

Title

Letter from Antonio Di Seravezza to Father Chintana, 1670-05-16, Marseille

Subject

Capuchins
Franciscans
Ransom
Seravezza case
Tunis

Description

Letter from Antonio Di Seravezza to Father Chintana, commissioner general of Terra Santa. Many months ago Di Seravezza wrote a letter to Father Benigno Bruni, commissioner general of Italy, that he should have delivered to PF. In this letter he wrote about what happened in Tunis, and asked the commissioner to bring the case to the attention of PF. Now that the pope and the commissioner general have died, he is not sure whether his writings are lost, or did not have their intended effect. Now he sends this letter again to Father Chintanaso, in order for him to bring it to PF. Di Seravezza asks him first to read the letter, in order to inform him on what to do to achieve justice. This mission used to be of the Capuchin Fathers, but PF has since given it to the Minor Observants (as one can read in the attached letter by the vicar general of that order). In Marseiles there is a congregation called Fathers of the mission (CM) that had held the mission 20 years before the Capuchins. The vicar of that mission was Gio' Livigier (Jean Le Vacher), who destroyed the church of Tunis. In the 20 years that he ruled over this mission, he took 28 thousand piastre, and a boat full of stuff with him. The French consul followed his footsteps. Now this congregation (and in particular Le Vacher), asks PF to take the mission from the Minor Observants, and give it to them; the mission however does not do well in the hands of the French. In 20 years they have never freed anyone, while Di Serevezza granted six slaves liberty in only one year. He sends the letters open in order that Chintana can understand what has happend. He should as well read the letter sent by the poor Christians to PF. He asks him to send him the patents by PF, in order to remove any CM priests from the mission, since they have brought great shame. Father Chintana should avoid that the mission falls in other hands, and make sure that Le Vacher pays for the goods he took from the mission, which were worth around 2,500 scudi. He asks Chintana as well to accept the protection of this mission.
Additional comments

Creator

Antonio Di Seravezza

Source

APF SC Barbaria 1, 180r-181v

Date

1670-05-16

Contributor

Adressed to Father Chintana

Format

copy; signed

Language

Italian

Type

Letter

Identifier

881

Coverage

Origin: Marseille
Destination: Rome

Citation

Antonio Di Seravezza, “Letter from Antonio Di Seravezza to Father Chintana, 1670-05-16, Marseille,” Early Modern Documents: Sources and Resources for Historical Research, accessed March 19, 2024, https://earlymoderndocs.omeka.net/items/show/13293.