A trajetória de um padre francês na província de São Pedro: João Pedro Gay na fronteira meridional do império do Brasil (1847-1889)

Abstract

During the second half of the 19th century, during the Second Reign, a figure became prominent in the society of the Empire of Brazil, Cônego João Pedro Gay (1815-1891). Starting from his life trajectory, object of analysis of this study, focusing on his ecclesiastical career and his family ties, we seek to fill a gap in the historiography of Rio Grande do Sul, which is to understand the structure and mechanisms of the Catholic Church during the term of the Padroado. For the analysis we used social history and its perception in seeking to observe the daily life from elements of this trajectory. For that, we also resort to Italian microhistory and its theoretical and methodological contributions, as well as the concept of mediator. For this, we seek to present the historiography about the local and national Catholic Church, as well as the discussion about the Padroado. We aim to demonstrate that this category was mistakenly overlooked by historiography, and may be an explanatory key for the period and for the inclusion of Cônego Gay in the Province and the Court. Thus, we use, in addition to the First Constitutions of the Archbishopric of Bahia, documents from the Archives of the Metropolitan Curia of Porto Alegre, the Brazilian Historical and Geographic Institute and the Reports of the President of the Province hosted on the Hemeroteca Digital website.