An analysis of the book of expenses and receipts at the end of 1833

This paper aims to present the accounting system and practices of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém, best known as Jerónimos Monastery, in Lisbon, Portugal, during its last reporting period (1833). Primary sources of data for this research were the accounting books deposited at Torre do TomboLibrary. A detailed analysis was conducted on one key document,Book 14:Book of Expenses and Receipts of the Monastery (1833), offering valuable insights into monastic accounting practices.The Monastery accounting system is composed of five books,each corresponding to a distinct area of activity: three books of expenses and receipts, from the Monastery, the Farm and the Sacristy; one book of repairs and house improvements and anotherbook of rents, interest, and land tenure. An additional book was prepared specifically for inspection. Beyond religious functions, the activities of the Monastery includedagriculture, property rentals, and land leases. The accounting practices show a concern in keeping track of expenses and receipts from all the activities mentioned.The accounting cycle of the Monastery lasts one year, from October to September, alignedwith its seasonalagricultural activities. Unlike modern accounting, the Monastery did not use the double-entry bookkeeping system, nor the accruals concept.Instead, it adopted the charge and discharge systemandcash-based accounting.