Italy -- Church history, 1703-1943

Extent:

1210 items

Scope and content:

This series includes 1210 items, and includes pamphlets, newspapers, and clippings. Some items are illustrated.

This group contains interesting pieces mostly on the role of the Catholic Church in Italian society. One sub-group concerns Church-run institutions, such as the Ospedali; other materials concern the general history of the Church, particularly in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. (A related collection which documents the Ospedali Grandi is found in the Jane Berdes Collection, also in the Special Collections Library.) Another valuable group concerns the role of the Church during the Unification of Italy, though some of this material may also be located under "Italy -- Politics and Government." Finally, there is a small group of materials scattered throughout the collection that concern the development of the Jesuit community in Italy.

Individuals represented in this group are: Pietro Giordani, Girolamo Savonarola (A and S), Niccolo` Tommaseo, Giuseppe Mazzini, Massimo D'Azeglio, Pietro Maffi, Cesare Cantu`, Pius XII, Pius IX, and Saint Francis (S).

Not included in this sub-collection are pieces concerning the life of a person, including saints; these pieces would be found under the heading "Biography." Also not included, in general, are religious literary works. Although this is a grey area, the decision was made to include works usually understood today as having literary qualities under the heading "Literature" (for works originally in Latin, for example), or "Italian poetry" or "drama." One can find Saint Francis's Latin poems, for example, under "Literature." Again, this series, "Italy -- Church History," is primarily concerned with historical events concerning the Catholic Church.

For related works on the history of the Church or of religious groups outside Italy, one can refer to the subject heading "History". For items having to do with religious, non-Catholic groups in Italy (unless there is also an emphasis on their relations with the Catholic Church), see "Italy -- History." For materials with an emphasis on folkloric studies (religious festivals or local religious customs, including legends of saints and miracles), look first under "Italy -- Social Life and Customs."

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