The archbishop Pedro de Castro’s visit to the Ecclesiastical Court of Granada in 1590

Abstract

Archbishop Pedro de Castro Vaca y Quiñones’ arrival in Granada in 1589 marks the beginning of a large reformer program of the archbishopric. To carry it out, he needs to know the situation in which the diocese and its organisms are found, through the realization of several pastoral visits, among which are those made to the Accounting and the staff of the Audiencia: provisors, visitors, prosecutors, notaries, bailiffs and ministers of the former Archbishop Juan Méndez Salvatierra and his vacant seat. It’s true that the purpose of this visit was to know the actions of notaries in the performance of their jobs and to indicate whether or not have performed it correctly. But it’s also true that in a diocese like Granada this was the fastest way to see the mistakes made in the court’s action and thus carry out the reform of the Institutions. This reform was not carried out and its consequences are still looming at the end of the eighteenth century.