Letter from [Giuseppe Merino and Agostino De Rossi?], slave priests in Tunis, to [Jean Le Vacher?], after 1668-07-05, Tunis

Letter from [Giuseppe Merino and Agostino De Rossi?], slave priests in Tunis, to [Jean Le Vacher?], after 1668-07-05, Tunis

Tunis

Slaves (Christian)

Seravezza case

Incomplete letter. The author(s) are relieved that [Jean Le Vacher?] has arrived in Algiers, as in Tunis there has been a division among the Christians. After Le Vacher and Girolamo Da Sassari left, the Christians' devotion in the chapel of S. Luigi and in the residence of the French consul started to diminish, because of the conflict between the consul and Da Sassari. At the time Antonio Di Seravezza arrived in Tunis, having heard that there were not enough priests (he initially had wanted to go to Crete). The situation changed however, and Sassari decided to leave Tunis on 5 September 1668 and go to Rome to accuse the French consul. After his departure, Di Seravezza began to act as vicar apostolic. Besides Seravezza, there were two other priests in Tunis, both slaves; one was Agostino Rossi in the bagno of S. Croce with around 120 slaves, the other was Gioseppe Marino Della Pantelleria in the bagno della Concettione. Pantelleria had a conflict with Da Sassari and only said mass in his own bagno. Its also noted that consul Ambrosini [Jean Ambrozin] and Di Seravezza were having a dispute because the consul had taken a woman into his house, and also because he refused to return the robes of St. Antonius to the slaves. 

Date discussed: 1671-08-06

Additional comments

The beginning and ending of the letter are missing. It was probably adressed to Jean Le Vacher, who left Tunis in 1666 and went to Algiers in 1668. The letter is probably written at the end of 1668 or at the beginning of 1669, as it was written after Girolamo Da Sassari's departure in September 1668. It was also written sometime after Jean Le Vacher (if he indeed is the "V.P.R." to whom the letter is addressed) arrived in Algiers, which also happened in 1668. The letter is probably written by Giuseppe Merino and Agostino de Rossi, both of whom were slave priests in Tunis. They are mentioned in the letter in the third person, but they also refer to themselves in the third person in other letters they wrote (and signed) together. The handwriting is also similar to other letters they wrote.

APF SOCG 430 236r-v, 268r-269v

1668-07-05

Adressed to [Jean Le Vacher?]

For the minutes of the PF meeting where this matter was discussed, see: APF ACTA 41, 305r, 330r-338r.

Incomplete letter; beginning and ending missing

Italian

Letter

727

Origin: Tunis

Destination: [Algiers]