From the 6th to the 9th of June, cultural initiatives of the event will take place across Italy. Archivissima 2024 – The Archives Festival and Night, dedicated to the theme #Passion. For this occasion, the General Archive and Library of the Carmelites have organised a round table titled: «To suffer or to die». The symbolism of the heart in Carmelite female iconography.
Together with Ruggiero Doronzo, an art historian, and Charlo Camilleri, a spiritual theologian, we will discuss the symbolism of the heart in female Carmelite mysticism of the modern age (16th-18th centuries), starting from its representation in the chalcographic engravings held at the General Archives of the Carmelite Order, with special reference to the figures of Saint Teresa of Ávila, Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, and the venerable Rosa Maria Serio.
The event will take place on 7 June 2024, at 18:30, at the Sant'Alberto International Centre, via Sforza Pallavicini 10, Rome.
Events
Incunabula of the Carmelite Library
On the occasion of the Days for the Valorisation of Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage, last May 14, 2024, at the General Carmelite Library, incunabula belonging to the Library's ancient collection were put on public display.
With the term incunabula or in the cradle – this refers to books printed using the movable type technique in the second half of the 15th century: due to the age and rarity of this type of book, the discovery and preservation of incunabula can be considered a truly significant event. For this reason, the Carmelite Library's collection represents a great material and cultural asset, to be valued and made known.
During the evening of 14 May, Dr Rosa Parlavecchia illustrated some particularly interesting specimens, recounting the history of the ancient book and the origin of printing, in the presence of attentive and intrigued visitors.
We are pleased to share some snapshots from the evening with you.
The curiosities of the AArchive
The caricature of Blessed Angelo Paoli
Within the Iconographic Collection of the General Archive of the Carmelite Order, a copy of a caricatured drawing is preserved, depicting the Carmelite friar Angelo Paoli (1642-1720). He was immortalised in front of the gate of the Roman convent of San Martino ai Monti, where he was accustomed to distributing bread and alms to the poor of Rome. Paoli, beatified in 2010, was known for his social commitment, particularly in assisting the needy and the sick.
The caricature, the original of which is preserved at the Vatican Apostolic Library, within the Latin Codex Ottobonianus 3113, was executed in ink by Pietro Leone Ghezzi (1674-1755), a famous Roman painter and caricaturist, who portrayed numerous picturesque characters of Baroque Rome, transmitting a visual memory of them to us.
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From 11-19 May 2024, numerous events will take place across Italy to celebrate and promote the artistic and cultural heritage of ecclesiastical institutions.
For the occasion, Tuesday 14 May 2024, at 18:00, at the General Carmelite Library The incunabula from the Library's old collection will be exhibited to the public and presented.
From 11-19 May 2024, numerous initiatives will take place across Italy to promote the artistic and cultural heritage of ecclesiastical institutions. For this occasion, the General Archive and Library of the Carmelite Order will also organise guided tours to showcase the documentary and library material preserved there. In particular, incunabula from the library's ancient collection will be exhibited and presented to the public.
We will communicate the details again soon.
The Treasures of the Library
The Parthenice the second of Mantua
In the ancient holdings of the General Library of the Carmelites, a precious incunabulum printed in Venice on 14 July 1499 is preserved, containing the Parthenice the second o Chatarinaria from the well-known Carmelite Giovanni Battista Spagnoli, called il Mantovano (1447-1516), who was prior general of the Order from 1513 to 1516. The small booklet, with only 44 cards, after the dedicatory letter at the beginning, shows an incipit page printed in Roman type, with a blank space, accompanied by a small “guide” letter for the illuminator, who at a later time – as happened with contemporary handwritten books – would add the initial of the text by hand.
The presence of numerous marginal and interlinear annotations, added by a 16th-century owner, testifies to the extensive use this incunable was put to, for study and reading purposes, in times very close to its printing.
It is interesting to note, finally, the covering that characterises the binding, on a white cardboard support where text, in German, can be read, printed in Gothic script in two columns.
Carmelite heritage worldwide
Carmelite music in Poland and Italy between the 17th and 18th centuries
Dr Marek Bebak is a music historian from Poland, teaching at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. In the autumn of 2023, he was awarded the General Archive of the Carmelites' seventh research fellowship, named in memory of Fr Emanuele Boaga, and began a Musicology project, entitled Mapping the Musical Culture of the Carmelites in Europe in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Preliminary research on the basis of the collection of the General Archive of the Carmelite Order in Rome.
Marek has previously dealt with this subject, investigating Polish Carmelite archival and bibliographical sources and producing several publications on the topic. Now his attention has turned to Italy.
On the occasion of your stay in Rome, we asked you a few questions:
My research work involves developing and improving AI models, particularly large language models, to understand and generate human-like text. I focus on areas such as natural language processing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to make these models more effective, efficient, and accessible.
As a musicologist, I want to understand the ancient musical culture of the Carmelites, especially regarding the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Order was at its peak. Referring to various historical sources, i.e. manuscripts and musical prints, theoretical treatises, ancient books and archival documentation (chronicles, correspondence, reports, protocols), I seek to answer the following questions:
What type of music was heard in Carmelite churches and monasteries? In what situations was it used? Who performed it and who financed it? What instruments were available in Carmelite churches?
I also aim to analyse the musical works themselves, and to evaluate the compositional abilities of the Carmelites within the context in which they created them. I also prepare critical editions of musical works, to enable musicians to include these compositions in their concert repertoire and to record them on CD. Examining the documentation of many convents and provinces gives me a broader perspective: the opportunity to compare and evaluate the level of musical culture in different parts of Europe.
Which cultural institutions have you visited to pursue your research in Poland, and which are you consulting and will consult here in Italy?
In both Poland and Italy, the situation concerning sources is complex and requires research across various institutions. This is primarily due to Europe's difficult history. Many archival and library materials were destroyed or dispersed as a result of fires, floods, wars, partitions, and the dissolution of church property throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.
The starting point of my work is the materials collected in the Carmelite archives, but many sources are currently also held in state and diocesan archives and libraries. My research on the musical culture of the Carmelites in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is based on materials that are currently scattered across Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and partly also in Germany, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. For example, in the State Archive of Modra (near Bratislava), Slovakia, I found a manuscript containing a composition by the Carmelite friar from Krakow, Telesfor Wikliński. This composition was included in the repertoire of the Piarist musical chapel in Podolinec. We have immortalised this and other compositions from the Polish Carmelite repertoire on the 2023 album “Flos Carmeli” (available on streaming services, including Spotify).
My research into the musical culture of the Carmelites in Italy presents the same issues: I began with the General Archive in Rome and in subsequent phases will access historical materials kept in state and ecclesiastical libraries and archives.
Parlando dei compositori e musicisti carmelitani che ho studiato, ci sono alcune curiosità che mi hanno particolarmente colpito. Innanzitutto, la loro capacità di integrare profondamente la spiritualità carmelitana nella loro musica. Non si trattava solo di comporre musica per occasioni religiose, ma di infondere i loro scritti con i temi della contemplazione, della ricerca di Dio e dell'ascesi, che sono centrali per l'ordine carmelitano. Questo si rifletteva nelle strutture musicali, nelle scelte armoniche e talvolta persino nei testi scelti.
Un'altra cosa affascinante è stata la rete di relazioni che questi musicisti mantenevano. Non erano isolati, ma interagivano con altri ordini religiosi, con le corti nobiliari e con gli ambienti musicali secolari. Questo scambio permetteva una circolazione di idee e stili, e l'adattamento della musica sacra a contesti diversi. Ho trovato incredibile come un monaco carmelitano potesse essere allo stesso tempo un compositore rispettato a livello internazionale, influenzando e venendo influenzato da correnti musicali più ampie.
Infine, la resilienza e la longevità di alcune tradizioni musicali all'interno dell'ordine. Nonostante i cambiamenti sociali, politici e persino le soppressioni degli ordini religiosi in certi periodi storici, la musica carmelitana spesso trovava modi per sopravvivere, a volte attraverso manoscritti conservati con cura, altre volte attraverso la trasmissione orale o l'adattamento a nuove forme. Questo testimonia l'importanza che la musica aveva come parte integrante della loro identità e della loro pratica spirituale.
Unlike other religious orders, such as the Jesuits, the Carmelite Order was not renowned for its musical culture: therefore, any information pertinent to this subject is of interest to me.
I was surprised that the number of musical chapels (vocal-instrumental) in Italy was lower than in Poland: indeed, I expected the organisation of Polish chapels to be modelled on the Italian one. For example: in the mid-17th century, in Krakow, at the Carmelite church, there was a large vocal-instrumental chapel, which could successfully perform both 1-4 voice compositions and large polychoral works (for 2 or 3 choirs); this chapel included many musicians, both Carmelites and lay people. Unfortunately, no musical material from it has survived, but we have library catalogues that list all the works the musicians had at their disposal. For comparison, in Rome, in the important Carmelite church of S. Maria in Traspontina, only three singers and an organist were employed at the time: it is possible that the musical environment for daily liturgy was more modest than in Krakow. However, for greater feasts (e.g. Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Saint Albert), again at S. Maria in Traspontina, the most illustrious musicians from the papal chapels of St. Peter's Basilica or the Lateran Basilica were invited. Inviting chapels from other churches was typical of this period, but during my research I would like to verify if the Carmelites had their own musical chapels in other Italian cities.
From sources gathered at the General Archive of the Carmelites, we know that there were many musicians in other centres, but so far I have not been able to identify their organisation. However, this does not mean that the musical culture of the Carmelites in Italy was modest in general. We have many descriptions of events during which wonderful music, composed by the Carmelites themselves, was performed, such as: Filippo Cristianelli, Giovanni Battista Tonnolini, Giuseppe Scarani, Girolamo Casati, Pietro Colombina, Lorenzo Penna, Elia Vannini. In every province of Italy there was at least one composer whose interesting musical works have been preserved. I hope that in the future we will know more.
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Tuesday 9 April 2024, at 4 p.m., at Roma Tre University, Department of Humanities, the volume will be presented Miracles and Benefits. Illness, Thaumaturgy, and Devotion in Licata and Sicily in the Early Modern Period (Carmelite Editions, 2021), produced through archival research.
The author will be in dialogue with Professors Paolo Broggio, Maria Chiara Giorda and Carla Noce, from Roma Tre University. The event will be introduced by Giovanna Brizi, Postulator General of the Carmelite Order.
Research Grants
AGOC Research Grant – Eighth Edition (2024)
As every year, the General Archive of the Carmelite Order has announced a selection for the awarding of a research grant, named in memory of Fr. Emanuele Boaga, who was the Order's archivist general for approximately thirty years.
Projects must be centred on historical, religious, philological, or archival research, starting from an analysis of the documentary heritage preserved in our Archive. The objective is to produce a scientific study based on the research undertaken (article, monograph, edition of sources, inventory, etc.), the publication of which will be evaluated by Carmelitan Editions.
The deadline for submitting applications is 31 July 2024.
For further details, please refer to the call for applications.
Le curiosità dell'’Archive
Autograph letter from the Mantuan
The Blessed Giovanni Battista Spagnoli, known as Mantuanus (1447-1516), a Carmelite humanist and poet, led the Mantuan Reform for a long period, later becoming Prior General of the Order in 1513. In the autograph letter of 28 August 1514, which we show you here, Mantuanus wrote to Nicolò Audet (1481-1562), who had become Provincial of the Holy Land, ordering him to travel to Cyprus, the seat of the aforementioned province, to take possession of it. Audet, in fact, was delaying his transfer from Venice, where he had resided until then. This is correspondence between two prominent figures in Carmelite history: a serving general, Mantuanus, and a future general, Audet, who ten years later would also be elected head of the Order.
Furthermore, the letter is also a relic, as it is personally signed by the blessed Mantovano.
Given its importance, the document was restored in 2018 by Dr. Eulalia Ramos, who made it legible and consultable again.
Alerts
Easter Closure
Our institutions will be closed for the Easter holidays on the following days:
General archive
From Tuesday 26th March to Tuesday 2nd April 2024
Carmelite General Library
from Tuesday 2 April to Friday 5 April 2024.
Cogliamo l’occasione per augurarvi A serene Easter!
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The General Archive participated with a panel at the 7th edition of “Hagiography Workshops”, promoted by the Italian Association for the Study of Sainthood, Cults, and Hagiography (AISSCA). The conference took place in Rome from 24 to 26 January 2024.
The panel's theme was: “Words and Images. The Life of Carmelite Mystics in the 17th and 18th Centuries”. Three papers were presented: “Carmelite Tertiary Women Through 17th and 18th Century Engravings” by Ruggiero Doronzo (University of Bari), “The Figure of the Tertiary Anna Geltrude Picca from Velletri Through the Words of the Carmelite Giuseppe Bartoli” by Anna Abdelhamid Serra (Institutum Carmelitanum), and “Hagiographic Accounts of Rosa Maria Serio in the Earliest Testimonies of Her Sisters” by Mario Alfarano, OCarm. (Director of the General Archive and Library).
The speakers presented the research they have carried out or are still conducting at our Archive.
The Treasures of the Library
An 18th-century Carmelite friar
The deposits of the General Carmelite Library currently hold around thirty liturgical manuscripts, consisting of antiphonaries, choir books, graduals, and missals, intended for the celebration of the Eucharist. These enormous volumes come from the old library collections of Santa Maria in Traspontina and date back to the 17th-19th centuries.
What we are showing you today is a Carmelite gradual from 1708, written on parchment, which features an elegant frontispiece at the opening, decorated with polychrome floral elements, and an incipit page characterised by musical notation and a four-line staff in red ink, accompanied by concise rubrics in a graceful and solemn Gothic script. [Photo 1].
The “Atlantic” dimensions of these volumes and their extensive use necessitated greater robustness and solidity of the structural framework, through the addition of metal elements, such as hobnails and corner pieces, on the binding boards, which also make them easier to position horizontally on shelves. However, as with most of them, the wear and tear of time is particularly evident on the spine of this precious gradual, which is now missing its covering and has exposed stitching. [photo 2].
Precisely by virtue of their better preservation, in the coming months some of these liturgical books will be the subject of specific restoration interventions, also aimed at a broader and more incisive enhancement, in view of future studies and research by a specialist user base.
PHOTO 1PHOTO 2
Carmelite heritage worldwide
The new Carmelite Heritage Room in Middletown
The Carmelite Province of St. Elias, USA (New York) has established the new Carmelite Heritage Hall at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in Middletown, New York State.
This is a small museum where visitors can read historical documents from the Provincial Archive and old books, as well as admire works of art and religious objects, tracing the history of the SEL Province, which began way back in 1889 in Manhattan.
Currently, one of the display cases is hosting an exhibition on Saint Titus Brandsma, a martyr of the Nazi concentration camps, canonised in 2022, but the themed exhibitions in some display cases will change every two months to showcase different aspects of Carmelite history and its community in the United States of America.
The first edition of the Research Grant announced by the General Carmelite Library has been won by Dr Rosa Parlavecchia, who will carry out a study entitled Reconstruction of the Traspontina Library based on the ownership notes present in the manuscripts and ancient books of the Carmelite General Library.
We hope that this work will be an opportunity to bring to light the richness of the library heritage of the Traspontina convent, which in ancient times was the seat of one of the most important places of Carmelite study and formation.
Among the treasures of our archive, we have rediscovered the ancient recipe for Carmelite spirit, as devised by a certain Father Bernardo, presumably at the end of the 18th century. We know neither Father Bernardo's surname nor his belonging convent, but his amaro must have been greatly appreciated if his recipe made its way to the Carmelite General Curia.
To be able to reproduce it, procure the purest wine alcohol, lemon balm, sage and thyme herbs – with the recommendation that they are not dried, but very fresh, picked during their flowering season – orange peel, rosemary flowers, artichoke flavourings, cinnamon, nutmeg, also coriander, anise and nettle seeds. Let everything macerate for at least two days, stirring from time to time, then distil and drink… but in moderation!
Carmelite publications
Thursday 18 January 2024, at the Sant'Alberto International Centre (Rome), the volume was presented The activities of Father Serafino Maria Potenza (1697-1763) through archival documents, by Simona Durante, published by Edizioni Carmelitane (see ABiGOC20/2023).
The presentation was attended by Father Vincenzo Criscuolo, OFMCap, former Relator General of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, Professor Luca Carboni of the Vatican Apostolic Archive, and the author. Among the numerous participants were Secretary Monsignor Fabio Fabene, Undersecretary Bogusław Stanisław Turek, and other members of the Dicastery.
We are pleased to share some snapshots from the evening with you.
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Thursday 18 January 2024, at 6:00 p.m., at the International Centre St. Albert (Rome), the volume will be presented The activities of Father Serafino Maria Potenza (1697-1763) through archival documents, by Simona Durante, published by Edizioni Carmelitane.
At the occasion of this presentation, we interviewed the Author:
Simona, we know that you work as an archivist at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and that you have a deep understanding of the dynamics of beatification and canonisation processes throughout the centuries, within which the activity of Father Serafino Maria Potenza is situated. Could you describe to us the importance of this figure for the Carmelite Order and for the study of sainthood in general?
«The importance of Father Serafino Maria Potenza to the Carmelite Order is reflected in many aspects. 1) By promoting, with legal and historical-archival competence, the cause of canonisation of several of his brothers and sisters, during his activity as Postulator General. 2) By dedicating his life to collecting documents relating to the history of the Order, of the various convents belonging to it, as well as of those Carmelites who had most distinguished themselves by their fame of holiness, with particular attention to his fellow nuns. 3) By pouring all his commitment into the spiritual direction of those who entrusted themselves to him to walk the path of faith.»
Reading your volume, one can sense the vast amount of documentary material you had to review. Which archives were consulted?
«Most of the research was carried out at the General Archive of the Carmelites and the current one of the General Postulation of the Carmelites. The Archive of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints also played a decisive role. For the correspondence between Potenza and his confrère Father Ferdinando Salvi, the Archive of the Library of Art and History of San Giorgio in Poggiale (Bologna) and the General Archive of the Carmelite Nuns of Our Lady of the Graces of Bologna were valuable. The Archive of the Conservatory of the SS. Conception in Rome, that of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Conventual Archive of Saints Sylvester and Martin at the Monti in Rome, the Historical Archive of the Academy of the Arcadia, the Archive of the Charterhouse of Trisulti and the State Archive of Naples were also consulted.»
During your reading of the documents, has anything particularly struck you as curious?
«I was certainly drawn to the “Quinterni” dedicated to the spiritual direction of his female penitents. From them, one can glean a cross-section of society at the time, with particular reference to the practices of penance and “disciplines” that the spiritual daughters themselves, at times, inflicted upon themselves to atone for their sins. I was then struck by the letters between Father Serafino and Father Salvatore Pagnani of Capua, his confrère; furthermore, I was interested in the notes concerning the daily lives of the sovereigns of Naples and Sicily, Amalia of Saxony and Charles of Bourbon, and their relationship with the Capuan “Ritiro” of Carmelite nuns.»
For further information and to purchase the publication, please refer to the Edizioni Carmelitane website:
Among the ancient books in the General Carmelite Library is preserved a precious Parisian volume from 1528, which contains the first printed edition of the Latin treatise A Summary of Heresies and Their Refutations of the Carmelite Guy de Perpignan (1270-1342), also known by the name of Guido Terreni.
The 16th-century volume displays an interesting title page, enclosed within an elegant architectural frame, within which can be observed, in addition to the author's name and the work transmitted, also the printer's mark of the Flemish printer. Josse BadeAscension. The logo represents the workshop of an old printer with three people at work, next to a wooden printing press: the “puller” in the centre, in the act of operating the bar to press the platen onto the sheet to be printed; the “roller” on the left, responsible for inking the pages of movable type; and the “compositor” on the right, tasked with composing the texts by aligning the movable type taken from the type case on the composing stick. In the foreground, two reams of paper are also noticeable, one still blank and one already printed. [Photo 1].
The volume, finely decorated with woodcut initial letters that mark the textual divisions, is accompanied by numerous marginal notes in contemporary hands, attesting to its extensive use in the period shortly after printing. [Photo 2].
PHOTO 1PHOTO 2
Furthermore, the ownership note on the title page [Photo 1], also attributable to the 16th century, traces the 16th-century volume back to the ancient library of Santa Maria in Traspontina, from which most of the old books now kept at the General Carmelite Library originate.
Alerts
Christmas closure
Our institutions will be closed for the Christmas holidays on the following dates:
General archive
Fri 22 December 2023 – Mon 8 January 2024
Carmelite General Library
Sat 23 December 2023 – Sun 7 January 2024.
We take this opportunity to wish youMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
The competition, named in memory of Fr. Emanuele Boaga, now in its seventh edition, was conceived in 2017 to promote studies on the materials within the General Archive of the Carmelite Order. Each year, the submitted projects are examined by an international commission, primarily composed of Carmelite scholars.
This year the grant was won by Dr. Marek Bebak, with a project in Musicology, entitled Mapping Carmelite Musical Culture in Europe in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. Preliminary research on the basis of the collection of the General Archive of the Carmelite Order in Rome..
We hope this work can shed light on such a little-known aspect of the Order's history.
On the occasion of the printing of the volume Santa Maria in Traspontina. The life of a Carmelite community through archival documents. Inventory of the collection, published by Edizioni Carmelitane (2023), we interviewed the author.
Jacopo De Santis holds a PhD in History and Philosophical-Social Sciences, with a specialisation in Religious History; he is also a qualified archivist.
Jacopo, your publication is the result of the research project that won the third call for proposals promoted by’AArchive: How does it come about’IDear
«During my PhD research, I had the opportunity to visit the Order's General Archive to conduct research on religious life in Rome during the Roman Republic of 1849. It was then that I became aware of the archive for the church and convent of Santa Maria in Traspontina. Even from a preliminary review of just a few files, I realised immediately that it represented an extraordinary documentary heritage, extremely valuable not only for the study of the Order's history but also for research into the religious history of Rome. However, although the papers were organised, they lacked an index or finding aid that could describe the documentation and thus guide researchers through the nine linear metres and 182 archival units that make up this collection.
When in 2019 I decided to participate in the third edition of the research grant promoted by the Archive, and named in memory of Fr. Emanuele Boaga, I had recently graduated in archival science and had a desire to engage in an inventory project of a collection that would allow me to put into practice the theoretical notions of archival science that I had studied, first at university and then at the archival school of the State Archives of Rome. Before submitting the research project required by the call for applications, I therefore went to the General Archive to conduct an on-site inspection aimed at discovering how feasible an inventory project was and which collections held in the Order's Archive most needed to be described to make them more easily accessible to scholars. On this occasion, thanks above all to discussions with the welcoming staff of the Archive, I rediscovered the papers of the church and convent of Santa Maria in Traspontina and thus decided to dedicate my research project, as well as my first experience of describing an archival collection, to the latter.»
How is the volume structured?
«The volume presents the typical structure of an archival inventory, as mandated by the rules set out by the discipline, and is divided into two parts: a historical and discursive part, and another, more technical part, aimed at describing the collection.
The first part of the inventory consists of two introductions: a historical one on the subject that produced the archive, in this case the church and convent of Santa Maria in Traspontina, covering the period from the settlement of the Carmelites in the 15th century to the present day; the other introduction is of an archival nature, retracing the history of the archive and illustrating the criteria that guided the descriptive work I carried out.
The second part, however, consists of the description of the five series and two aggregate funds that make up the Traspontina archive, accompanied by brief introductory remarks for each series, and presents all the elements necessary to make research within the documentary complex easier and more fruitful. The volume is then completed by some appendices: the cross-reference table of old and new shelfmarks, the lists of priors, parish priests, and titular cardinals of Santa Maria in Traspontina, the bibliography and archival sources consulted, and, finally, the index of names and places.»
During the preparation of the inventory, what challenges did you face? Do you have any interesting anecdotes to share?
«The main issues encountered during the compilation of the inventory are attributable to the attempt to virtually reconstruct the fund's series, using fragments of the same archive held in other concentration institutions, such as the State Archives of Rome and the Historical Archives of the Vicariate. Furthermore, the structure assigned to the fund by previous reorganisation efforts (as well as the presence of two aggregated funds) did not always allow me to immediately recognise the consistency and nature of the series. These peculiarities required additional effort in my work, aimed at reconstructing the logical links that unite the documentation without disturbing the order assigned to the archive by previous reorganisations. Moreover, as I studied the papers, it became increasingly evident that under the title “Santa Maria in Traspontina” different institutions were aggregated (and sometimes overlapped) (the religious community and convent, the parish, the seat of the Prior General and the Roman Province), almost suggesting the existence in this archive of that particular phenomenon that Italian archival theory has defined as “archival viscosity”. However, apart from the technical and conceptual difficulties encountered during the compilation of the inventory, perhaps the biggest problem was the Covid pandemic, which, in the midst of the work, confined us all to our homes and interrupted the project for some time.»
For further information and to purchase the publication, please refer to the Edizioni Carmelitane website:www.edizionicarmelitane.org
Curiosities from the Archive
Carmelite chocolate
Among the documents of Santa Maria in Traspontina, recently inventoried by Jacopo De Santis, several attest that during the 18th century, at the same Roman convent, then the seat of the Carmelite general curia, chocolate tablets were produced. This is evidenced by correspondence preserved in our archive, in which friars from other convents and various personalities of the time requested that this delicacy be sent to them.
In particular, in a correspondence of seventeen letters dated 1758, the former prior general of the Carmelites, Luigi Laghi, from the Romagna Province, requested that an order of chocolate, of which he must have been rather fond, be delivered to him at the convent in Forlì. He humorously reported making habitual use of it, because, in his words, it helped him to combat shortness of breath… and other ailments: «I continue to suffer every morning from the usual tightness in my chest and difficulty breathing, but after having the chocolate, which causes me some flatulence, I feel free» (13 April 1758).
Padre Laghi had a large supply of this miraculous remedy, as can be read in another of his letters: «It is time for chocolate until you make our own [supply], because I still have enough for six months or more» (7th September 1758).
What would Luigi Laghi write today? What a shame they don't make Carmelite chocolate anymore!
ABiGOC is renewing itself! From this issue, the newsletter of’The General Archive and Library of the Carmelites presents itself with two major innovations. First of all, a new format that allows us to easily publish more news. Secondly,’monthly, and no longer weekly, release of the issues. This update was made possible through collaboration with’Carmelite Communications Office. Regarding content, we will not only continue to inform you about the life of’Archives and General Library, but we will try to inform you about the activities of other cultural organisations’Carmelite Orders scattered across the world.
Let's hope, then, that ABiGOC proves to be even more user-friendly and interesting. Happy reading!
Wednesday 25th October 2023, at 5:45 PM, at the Sant’Alberto International Centre (Rome), the volume was presented The demolished church of S. Nicola dei Cesarini in Rome, by Cristina Cumbo, realised through archival research.
On this occasion, we interviewed the Author: We know that you are involved in Christian archaeology and with this volume, you have sought to reconstruct the history of the church and convent of San Nicola dei Cesarini in Rome through the archaeological stratification of the area. What problems, if any, did you encounter during the study of this subject? We would particularly like you to tell us how you reconstructed the dispersed heritage of San Nicola.
«I can say that Christian archaeology certainly established itself as an important foundation from which to start, but it was not the only one in this research, as the modern church of San Nicola dei Cesarini is based on the medieval phase and on the even earlier, Roman, phase of the actual temples. However, sometimes it happens that the more recent periods are, paradoxically, the most complex to reconstruct. It so happened that the church and convent of San Nicola, at the time of their demolition between 1926 and 1927, considered to be in poor condition of preservation, were deemed of little importance for the preservation of their memory. While we possess two photographs and some watercolours of the church's exterior, we have nothing that visually documents the interior. The photographs solely relate to the demolition, so we have remains of walls, of the cladding of the convent's walls, and nothing more. We are, however, passed down a written description of the church's appearance and a list of artworks. Although fragmented among various Roman archives, I have managed to reassemble the complex puzzle of the church's history and its artefacts, some of which still exist and are preserved both in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, while others have disappeared or been stolen. It was difficult, for example, to understand the “composition” of the floor, which must have been rather “crowded” with tombs. The tombstones and ossuaries, which today appear covered in mould and lichen, are located at the Verano Cemetery and, thanks to my research, have finally been identified, but previously their memory had been almost entirely lost. Various site inspections and careful consultation of archival documents were necessary to identify them.
As well as the difficulties, there were also certainties, such as the paintings of St Nicholas and the Prophet Elijah which were transported to the church of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel attached to the International College of St Albert, where they are still preserved.
Research into the church of San Nicola dei Cesarini can be defined as a true historical-artistic, archival, and architectural investigation framed within an entirely archaeological context. Obviously, it was absolutely necessary to supplement the analysis of documents with on-site verification, and this allowed me to gain an overall perspective. It is difficult to explain in words, but in an archaeologist's mind, by drawing on what has been learned from sources and comparing material remains, even demolished structures regain their shape. Now, I simply have to observe the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina, recently opened to the public, and the church of San Nicola dei Cesarini is still there, with its convent, the dwelling of the Carmelites, the faithful entering the place of worship to say a prayer and light a candle.»
For further information and to purchase the publication, please refer to the Edizioni Carmelitane website:
To make it easier for scholars to find information, we have unified the websites of the Carmelite Order's General Archive and Library, which until now were two separate channels of communication. We hope that in this way, we will make it easier to share the activities and collaborations active between the Archive and the Library.
You will find information and communications relating to both cultural institutions, in particular:
the presentation of documentary and library heritage
The regulations for scholar access and for the request of photo-reproductions
research fellowship calls
The description of activities, projects, and collaborations
the latest on publications
the archive of newsletters and user notifications.
RESEARCH GRANT BiGOC – FIRST EDITION (2023)
On 19 September 2023, the General Library of the Carmelites announced a selection process for the award of a research grant amounting to €5,000 and lasting for nine months (1 March – 30 November 2024), on the theme of Reconstruction of the Traspontina Library based on the ownership notes present in the manuscripts and ancient books of the Carmelite General Library.
The deadline for submitting applications is 15 January 2024.
The call for applications can be viewed and downloaded at the following web address:
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