Godparents and Marriage Witnesses in Istria from the Fifteenth to the Seventeenth Century

Abstract

On the basis of baptismal parish registers of Bale, Labin, Rovinj, Savičenta and Umag, this article addresses the topic of godparenthood in Istria from the fi fteenth to the seventeenth century. The authors elucidate the practice of godparent selection before and after the Council of Trent, as well as the information provided by some parish registers on baptism itself and the persons witnessing the ceremony. Also analysed is the choice of marriage witnesses recorded in the oldest marriage register of the Parish of Rovinj.

Keywords

• Istria
• late Middle Ages
• early modern era
• baptism parish registers
• marriage parish registers
• godparents