Autographes des cardinaux des XVII, XVIII, et XIX siecles

An inventory of the Autographes des cardinaux des XVII, XVIII, et XIX siecles at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives

Historical Note

The contents of the collection, including correspondence and other documents, are somewhat eclectic. Chronologically, the correspondence contains a wide range - the first correspondence dating from 1653 and the last from 1879. Perhaps the most obvious theme of the collection is the concentration on Catholic cardinals. Although no other basis for the collection is easily discernable, it is worthy to note that 79 of the 137 cardinals (or roughly fifty-eight percent) lived through or were involved in the Napoleonic era of European politics. Many of the cardinals were exiled from France or Italy during the first decade of the nineteenth century. Cardinals Fesch, Micara, Opizzoni, Vidoni, Zauli, and Zondadari were among many from France and Italy directly affected by Napoleon's reign.

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Scope and Content

The Autographes de cardinaux des XVII, XVIII, et XIX siècle consist of 134 personal correspondence and certificates of Catholic Cardinals dating from 1653 to 1879. There are two prints of portraits for the cardinals included with their correspondence and a newspaper clipping, which correlates the author of one of the correspondence. All of these documents are bound by a glue substance in a large book containing an index of the Cardinals' letters and biographical notes, either written ont the page the document is glued to or on a loose, index card sized piece of paper, on most of the Cardinals with varying degrees of detail and in some instances mistaken identities of authors of the correspondence. Geographically, the letters' origins range between various cities in Italy, France, and Germany with the majority written in Rome. The letters are arranged alphabetically (not chronologically) by the Cardinals' names although arbitrarily based on surname, given name, or place name with some out of order. Some of the letters are damaged, typically with the name of the receiver excised from the page; however, the authors' signatures remain intact. Some of the letters and certificates retain original wax or dry seals. The entirety of the collection is written in Italian, French, or Latin. Because the volume was edited, including the biographical notes and index, by an unknown compiler in French, the French versions of the names have been retained. The majority of the correspondence was written in Italian with some in French and Latin, and all official documents, such as certificates, were written in Latin.

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Arrangement

The Autographes de cardinaux des XVII, XVIII, XIX siecles consists of 1 series:

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Collected and donated by Right Reverend Arthur T. Connolly, a Boston priest (1853-1933) who served as a trustee of the Boston Public Library. An avid collector of rare pieces of art and texts, he gave over 100 items to Catholic University, which included 92 pieces of ivory, 11 other artistic pieces, 20 rare books, and 10 manuscripts.

Processing Information

Processing and EAD markup completed in 2010 by Paul Westley Bush.

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Related Material

The American Catholic Research Center and University Archives:

Italian Episcopal and Papal Conclave Letters and Pius IX/Risorgimento Collection

Vatican I Scrapbook

The Papal Autograph Collection

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Index Terms

Persons:

Organizations:

Places:

Subjects:

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Bibliography

Eubel, Konrad, Patrick Gauchat, Remigius Ritzler, and Pirmin Sefrin. Hierarchia catholica medii aevi, sive Summorum pontificum, S.R.E. cardinalium, ecclesiarum antistitum series ab anno 1198 usque ad annum [1605] perducta e documentis tabularii praesertim Vaticani collecta, digesta. Monasterii, sumptibus et typis librariae Regensbergianae, 1898, 1913, 1935.

Lefebvre, Georges. Napoleon. New York: Columbia University Press, 1969.

O'Dwyer, Margaret M. The Papacy in the Age of Napoleon and the Restoration: Pius VII, 1800-1823. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1985.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary

Historical Note

Scope and Content

Arrangement

Restrictions

Administrative Information

Related Material

Index Terms

Bibliography

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Correspondence, Certificates, Clippings, and Prints, 1653-1879