Franciscan Memory in Mallorca: Fr. Francisco Amengual Arrom (T.O.R.): An «Archivist Without an Archive»

Abstract

Among the discreet yet significant figures of twentieth-century Mallorcan Franciscan historiography is Fr. Francisco Amengual Arrom, T.O.R. Through numerous articles published in the journal El Heraldo de Cristo, he carried out a sustained effort of documentary compilation, biographical reconstruction, and historical dissemination that helped preserve valuable information about institutions, religious figures, and traditions of the Third Order Regular. The present study briefly examines his intellectual profile and historiographical method, highlighting his role as a mediator between archive, memory, and religious culture. It also analyzes his place within the context of contemporary Mallorcan Franciscan Lullism, showing how his work is situated within a broader cultural continuity linked to the Franciscan reception of the thought of Ramon Llull. From this perspective, we propose interpreting Amengual as an «archivist without an archive»: a religious who, without formally holding an institutional archival position, carried out a significant work of historical preservation through writing and the collection of documentary materials.