His unpublished degree thesis, Calendários Medievais Portugueses (1950), which served as a model for Saul Gomes (2001), represents the culmination of a brilliant career as both a pedagogue and a researcher. In 1956, he published the first manual on epigraphy for FLUC students. José d'Encarnação, who later succeeded him in the chair after 1975, noted with unrivalled competence and national and international renown that for AJC, epigraphy was his second "love" (the first being palaeography), a passion reflected in his deep knowledge of Roman and Christian epigraphy, which his status as a priest greatly facilitated (Encarnação, 2011, pp. 111-113). In 1966, following in the footsteps of Torquato Sousa Soares and António Cruz, he dedicated the Álbum de Paleografia e de Diplomática to palaeography and to diplomatics. (Colecção Provisória). [Album of Palaeography and Diplomatics (Provisional Collection).] Undoubtedly, a didactic and scientific masterpiece was born that AJC would enhance, revise, and expand with additional images across five editions, which were published consecutively from 1972 (the year we studied) until 1997. The sixth edition, currently used for teaching this subject at FLUC, is an essential title and a source of pride for students who, despite their familiarity with new technologies for reproducing and reading documents, still feel compelled to acquire and work with the Álbum do Padre Avelino [Album of Father Avelino], as it is known. Through it, they learn the "first letters" of palaeography, become acquainted with the most renowned national and foreign archives and libraries, and are captivated by the graphic "portraits" of kings, queens, navigators, chroniclers, and others who keep their memories alive through their autograph signatures. This work, we assert, is more than enough to justify AJC's place in the historiographical landscape of his time. Fr Avelino was admired, even if sometimes unfairly criticised, by colleagues and friends throughout Europe, including Manuel Díaz y Díaz, Manuel Mundó, António García y García from Spain, Giulio Battelli from Italy, António Domingues de Sousa Costa — a Portuguese Franciscan who spent his life in Rome, where he served as a professor (and Vice-Rector) at the Athenaeum Antonianum and the Urbaniana University — Peter Rück from Switzerland, Father Leonard Boyle from Ireland, Jean Vezin from France, among many other illustrious names in palaeography, diplomatics, codicology and philology. Reading and transcribing were both a wise and demanding task for the Master that was AJC. Therefore, it is no surprise that he translated and adapted the Normas gerais de transcrição e publicação de documentos e textos medievais e modernos [General Rules for the Transcription and Publication of Medieval and Modern Documents and Texts] from the framework established by the Commission Internationale de Diplomatique. Three editions of these rules were published and are still followed at the Escola de Coimbra [Coimbra School], among others.

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