Favored of the Lord and His Highness: Jesuits, the king and favors in the foundation and patronymic of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

In this paper, the patronymic given to the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro from the Jesuit perspective is analyzed. Based on the ignatian letters regarding the city’s founding in 1565, it is argued that, besides symbolizing the projection of an ideal city for missionaries of the Anchieta generation, the canonical name of the city was appropriate to represent the moral obligation of the king distributing benefits to conquerors and Jesuits.