Göerres Scientific Society Fund

The Göerres Scientific Society Fund is a specialized library that belonged to the Göerres Scientific Society of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, which was deposited in the João Paulo II University Library.

The "Görres-Gesellschaft zur Pflege der Wissenschaft" (Görres Society for the Promotion of Science), a German Christian institution, was founded in 1876 in Germany under the presidency of the Count of Hentling, the future Reich Chancellor. It was suppressed by the Nazi regime, which saw it as a doctrinal and social counter-power. In 1962, he founded the Portuguese Institute of the Göerres Scientific Society in Lisbon, as he had already done in Rome, Jerusalem, and Madrid, to carry out scientific research into History, History of Law, Portuguese Language, and Literature, as well as other problems related to these subjects. On the initiative of Prof. Dr. José Bacelar e Oliveira, S.J., at the time Rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, the Göerres Scientific Society was entrusted to the University through a protocol signed on November 16, 1980. It was also called the Vieira Institute because it was dedicated to researching and publishing studies on Father António Vieira.

The institute's library, therefore, consists of around 8,500 titles, dating from 1483 to 2008. Highlights include first editions by Father António Vieira, a manuscript by him, possibly dating from 1678, and his well-known sermons dating from the same century. In addition to this renowned author, other Portuguese and Brazilian authors stand out, especially from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The bibliographic records of the works in the library of this fund are available in the Collective Bibliographic Catalog of the Libraries of Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

For more information, contact biblioteca.lisboa@ucp.pt.