This article analyzes some clear aspects of the ecclesiastical control about death and dying in Rio de Janeiro of the Seven Hundred. Starting from the verification of the existence of a certain standard of the catholic attitudes and sensibilities facing death, in the Brazilian society of the colonial period to middle part of the nineteenth century, it tries to demonstrate that this standard resulted from a long process of the clerical principles of death that dates back to the medieval period. Dwelling on details in the analysis of the preparation of the faithful and devoted ones for the death, it considers that this evidences the fulfillment of some of theecclesiastical determinations about dying on the part of a considerable percentage of the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro on the eighteenth century. Throughout the article, it is tried to be justified that this fulfillment expressed the fear of the faithful ones about the punishment that, according to Church there might be in the beyond-grave in case they did not follow the ecclesiastical teachings on the well dying, deeply marked by the so called education of the fear.
well dying; education of the well dying; History of the death; catholic death; clerical principles of death