Fernando Martins Mascarenhas (otherwise referred to as Fernão Martins Mascarenhas; c. 1548 – 20 January 1628) was a Portuguese scholar, theologian, and church leader. King Philip I appointed him Rector of the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coi ...

and, later,

Bishop of Faro The Diocese of Faro ( la, Dioecesis Pharaonensis), also called the Diocese of the Algarve and formerly the Diocese of Silves, is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Évora. The current bishop of Faro is Dom Manuel Neto Quintas. History A see in t ...

; he later resigned to take up the post of Inquisitor General of Portugal.

Biography

Fernão Martins de Mascarenhas was born in Montemor-o-Novo,

Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

, the second-born of D. Vasco Mascarenhas, Keeper of the Wardrobe (''Reposteiro-mor'') of Prince John (son of King John III), and Maria de Mendonça. He studied Philosophy in the

University of Évora The University of Évora (''Universidade de Évora'') is a public university in Évora, Portugal. It is the second oldest university in the country, established in 1559 by the cardinal Henry, and receiving University status in April of the same ...

, earning the degree of ''

Artium Magister A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

'' and, later, a doctorate in

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

from the

as a student (''porcionista'') in the Royal College of Saint Paul. On 15 May 1586, he was made Rector of the

by decree of King Philip I. On 3 January 1594 he was nominated

, a vacant see since the death of his predecessor, Francisco Cano; he was consecrated by

Miguel de Castro D. Miguel de Castro (1536-1625) was Bishop of Viseu in 1579, Archbishop of Lisbon in 1586, and later Viceroy of Portugal. He received his doctorate in Theology at Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The ...

, Archbishop of Lisbon, in the

Lisbon Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major ( pt, Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa or ''Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Mary Major''), often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé ('), is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. The oldest churc ...

, on 5 February 1595. As bishop, he was highly regarded for his charity. During his episcopate, the

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

endured a plague outbreak, and Bishop Mascarenhas assisted the sick with great commitment; when Vila Nova de Portimão faced a terrible

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

, he had all the wheat in his granary distributed amongst the populace. In 1599, he established the Jesuit College in

Portimão Portimão () is a city and a municipality in the district of Faro, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 55,614, in an area of 182.06 km2. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão (). In 1924, it was ...

and, in 1607, he donated large sums to help build the Capuchin Convent of Saint Anthony in Tavira. On 4 July 1616 he was made

Inquisitor General Grand Inquisitor ( la, Inquisitor Generalis, literally ''Inquisitor General'' or ''General Inquisitor'') was the lead official of the Inquisition. The title usually refers to the chief inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, even after the reunif ...

by papal brief of Pope Paul V, and took office on 15 December. He accumulated this post with that of

Councilor of State A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, ...

, and of Lord Prior of the in

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCWorld Heritage Sitesince 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and a ...

. He was offered the Sees of

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto, and Bra ...

and of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, but he refused. His remains are buried in the chancel of the Church of Saint Roch, in

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mascarenhas, Fernando Martins 1536 births People from Montemor-o-Novo 1628 deaths Portuguese Inquisition 17th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Portugal University of Coimbra alumni Academic staff of the University of Coimbra University of Évora alumni