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Country
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IT
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Name of institution (English)
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State Archives of Perugia
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Language of name of institution
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ita
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Contact information: postal address
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Piazza Giordano Bruno, 10, 06121 Perugia (Italia)
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Contact information: phone number
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0039 075 5724403
0039 075 5731549
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Contact information: email
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aspg.urp@gmail.com
mbac-as-pg@mailcert.beniculturali.it
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Reference number
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ASPg, Notai di Perugia, Protocollo
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Type of reference number
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Archival reference number
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Title (English)
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Notaries of Perugia: Protocols
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Title (official language of the state)
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Notai di Perugia: Protocolli
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Language of title
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ita
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Creator / accumulator
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Notai del distretto di Perugia
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Date(s)
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1361/1888
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Language(s)
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ita
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lat
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Extent
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8,822 volumes, 5 folders and 1,096 documents
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Type of material
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Textual Material
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Physical condition
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Satisfactory
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Scope and content
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The Notai di Perugia fonds preserves notarial records from the 14th to the 19th century. Within this fonds, the series of “protocolli” (protocols) is of particular importance, as it is a privileged source for research on any aspect of the private and public life of the inhabitants of the Umbrian town of Perugia and surrounding villages.
According to the indications provided by Simonsohn (1988) and Toaff (1975 and 1993) in their studies regarding Jews in the Papal State and more specifically in the current Italian region of Umbria, there are numerous documentary testimonies on the Jewish community of Perugia that can be obtained from the notarial protocols preserved in this collection. The first evidence suggesting that some groups of Jews had established in the territory of Perugia dates back to the 13th century. However, according to the records from this series, only in 1394 would the Jewish community have been fully indicated as an “Universitas Ebreorum”. From this date onwards, it is possible to find numerous documents about Jews in Perugia in the notarial protocols: commercial acts; approval of community statutes concerning the Jewish presence and their regulation; juridical documents that describe the relationship between the Jewish community and the municipality, etc. The records also prove the existence of a synagogue and a cemetery, even if connected to the Italian rite. Following the late 15th-century diaspora, only a few Sephardic Jews settled in Perugia. They were assimilated into the community and lost their autonomous identity. Nonetheless, it is possible to obtain information on individuals connected in several ways to the Sephardic culture. For instance, there is the case of Moses of Giuseppe (José), a New Christian from Spain or Lisbon, who was accused of Judaising in 1461 and was later absolved. In a protocol of 1462, Moses denounced to the notary that his bank had been attacked and a large amount had been stolen. In this document, the notary also mentions Moses's antecedents (see Toaff, 1975, 74-76).
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Archival history
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The notary fonds of Perugia is composed of two large series: Protocols and Simple Acts. In 1721, it was prescribed to bind the protocols in volumes, according to the respective years, and compile repertoires in order to identify the different acts. Other series arose from the concentration of other archives, specifically those of Bettona, Cannara, Collemancio, Costacciaro and Massa Martana.
When it was deposited in the State Archives of Perugia, the Protocolli series was accompanied by a simple list of documents, along with the names of the notaries to whom they belonged. Later, a more analytical inventory was composed, now accessible online. Currently, the records are numbered progressively and are arranged in chronological order, according to the name of the notary. For each volume, the number of records, the type of deeds, and the presence or absence of indexes are indicated.
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Administrative / Biographical history
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The notary’s college of the city of Perugia was established in the 13th century. It followed the development of the municipal institutions, although initially there was no statute that regulated its functions. In fact, until 1316, when the first statutes of the college were approved, the attributions and regulations were directed only at individual members. The municipal statutes of 1342 established that notaries had to deliver an authentic copy of their acts to the municipal archive. However, only in 1484, following a brief of Pope Innocent VIII, was a notarial archive established in Perugia. In 1822, other notarial fonds joined the Perugia notarial archives since, during the papacy of Pius VII, it was decided to concentrate all provincial archives in the provincial capital. In 1879, following the law on notaries, the district notary archive was finally established in Perugia. Later on, its historical collection was transferred to the State Archives, founded in 1941.
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(source: Notai di Perugia 1348 - 1881, in Archivio di Stato di Perugia website)
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System of arrangement
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The fonds is organised by notary, whose records follow a chronological order.
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Author of the description
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Andrea Cicerchia, 2021
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Bibliography
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Simonsohn, Shlomo, ed. 1988. The Apostolic See and the Jews. Studies and texts 94, 95, 99, 104–106, 109–110. Toronto, Ont., Canada: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.
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Toaff, Ariel. 1975. Gli ebrei a Perugia. Perugia: Deputazione di Storia Patria per l’Umbria.
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Toaff, Ariel. 1993. The Jews in Umbria. Leiden; New York: E.J. Brill.
