events
Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage Enhancement Days 2025
On the occasion of the 2025 Days of Enhancement of Ecclesiastical Heritage, on Tuesday 13th May the General Archive and Library of the Carmelite Order set up a small exhibition of their most important pieces.
Following an introduction by the headteacher of the’The Carmelite Institute Fr. Giovanni Grosso O.Carm., archivist Simona Serci and librarian Sara Bischetti showed and presented visitors with some of the most significant documents and books for the history of the Carmelite Order.
Indeed, for the occasion, some precious library manuscripts and rare incunabula kept in our institutions were displayed to the public, along with various 16th and 17th-century books, as well as an Atlantic-sized manuscript liturgical codex, dating back to the 18th century and recently restored. Through the description of these items, Sara took the curious visitors on a journey into the history of the ancient book, from hand-written and illuminated parchment to the early centuries of paper print editions, production and marketing processes in which the Carmelite Order itself participated as a commissioner and buyer of books, which in modern times went on to form the library of the general studies at Santa Maria in Traspontina, the oldest nucleus of our Library.
Furthermore, numerous archival documents, on parchment and paper, were selected and described. These enabled Simona to recount the history of the Carmelites, from their origins on Mount Carmel to the friars' arrival in the western Mediterranean around the mid-13th century, events evidenced by a brief review of papal bulls and briefs. Still through archival testimonies, the key moments of the Order's general government were illustrated, from the earliest general chapters, which were celebrated around Europe during the Middle Ages, to the establishment – in the course of the 16th century – of the Carmelite general curia's seat in Rome, at the Traspontina convent, and finally to the construction, in the early 20th century, of the International College Sant'Alberto (CISA), with the exhibition of floor plans and period photographs depicting the building which still houses our institutes today. Particular emphasis was given to the documentary section of the General Postulation, with the display of some items relating to the beatification and canonisation processes of Carmelite figures, especially Blessed Giovanni Battista Spagnoli, known as Mantovano (1448-1516) and Blessed Angelo Paoli (1642-1720).
We are delighted to show you some photographs from the exhibition and, grateful to everyone for their warm participation and demonstrated interest, we hope to be able to replicate this in the future with equal success.
events
Book launch by Cristina Cumbo
On Friday, 16 May, in the Tito Brandsma room of our Institute, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr Cristina Cumbo for the presentation of her latest book. The Church and Convent of St. Julian the Hospitaller at the Trophies of Marius, published in 2024 by Edizioni Carmelitanehttps://edizionicarmelitane.org/it/products/la-chiesa-e-il-convento-di-san-giuliano-lospitaliero-ai-trofei-di-mario).
The study focuses on a now-demolished church that was located in Rome near Piazza Vittorio Emanuele and was torn down when the piazza was built in 1876. It was attached to one of the three oldest Carmelite convents. in the city and for this reason, some of the research was conducted on documentation held at the General Archive of the Carmelites.
After a brief introduction by Fr. Giovanni Grosso, headteacher of the Carmelite Institute, Professor Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli, an art historian, formerly superintendent of the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome, and now a lecturer at the Pontifical Gregorian University, spoke, highlighting the strengths of the volume, particularly the critical and scientific acumen employed by the author. The event concluded with a report by Dr. Cumbo, who illustrated to the participants, through some of the most significant images, the method adopted for her research, also underscoring its more problematic aspects.
Below is a photo of the event.
News
Further to the cataloguing of the BiGOC volumes
As you already know, the cataloguing of the General Carmelite Library's book heritage is proceeding at full speed: we have currently reached over two thousand bibliographic records, specifically 2,059 titles including old and modern volumes, new acquisitions and periodicals.
Our library's participation in the national cataloguing OPAC SBN is allowing a wider and more diverse range of users to discover our book heritage and, consequently, our community.
considering cataloguing one of our priorities mission librarian, we have set ourselves the objective of continuing this activity regularly, hoping to achieve our goal as soon as possible.
You can access the catalogue via the following link:
We will keep you updated on the progress of our work!
To read the Newsletter online and to subscribe, please visit the following web address: https://www.ocarm.info/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/prayer/20250527095325/
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