The secretariat of the Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis of São Paulo

writing, bureaucracy, and socioeconomic dynamics in the 17th and 18th centuries

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of the secretariat in the Venerable Third Order of Saint Francis of Penance of the city of São Paulo during the eighteenth century, based on a philological and historical reading of the institution’s handwritten record books. The research focuses on the secretary’s work as a scribal agent and strategic figure mediating between statutory norms, administrative practices, and local sociopolitical dynamics. Drawing from selected manuscript entries documenting elections, recusals, admonitions, and other acts of the administrative board, the study investigates textual formulas, recording procedures, and the power relations embedded in writing. The findings demonstrate that the secretary’s documentary production not only reflects bureaucratic routines but also constructs an institutional grammar of authority and distinction, sustaining internal order and legitimizing key actors. Combining Philology, Social History of Writing, and Institutional History, the article contributes to understanding the role of writing and scribes within the mechanisms of colonial power.