Fondo Antico: frammenti manoscritti ebraici
Item
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Country
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IT
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Name of institution (English)
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Episcopal Library of Rimini
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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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Via Covignano 238, 47900 Rimini
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Contact information: phone number
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0039 0541 084417
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Contact information: email
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bibliobiancheri@diocesi.rimini.it
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Reference number
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Biblioteca diocesana "Biancheri", Framm. Ebr. n. 12
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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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Old Fonds: Hebrew manuscript fragments
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Title (official language of the state)
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Fondo Antico: frammenti manoscritti ebraici
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Language of title
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ita
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Creator / accumulator
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Biblioteca diocesana "Biancheri" di Rimini
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Date(s)
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14th century/16th century
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Date note
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Fragments dated from the 14th century/15th century
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Language(s)
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heb
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Extent
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600 manuscripts
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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 Fondo antico collection of the Biblioteca diocesana "Biancheri" of Rimini comprises valuable manuscripts, especially those resulting from subsequent additions to the foundation of the library. These acquisitions resulted mainly from bequests of priests and clergymen and from the suppression of convents and monasteries. The manuscripts known as "ex libris" of the Society of Jesus constitute an important example. In fact, these do not come from the suppressed Jesuit college of Rimini, but rather from individuals, probably from former Jesuits expelled from Spain and Portugal who found shelter in the city. Of special interest is a fragment with an extract of the Babylonic Talmud (Yoma 9a) found in the binding of one of these manuscripts. The fragment is written in Sephardic square script and dates from about the 14th-15th centuries, but the original provenance and date of reuse are unknown. The fragment was detached and is preserved in the signature: Manoscritti, nr. 139.
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(source: Perani, Mauro, and Enrica Sagradini. 2004. Talmudic and Midrashic Fragments from the Italian Genizah: Reunification of the Manuscripts and Catalogue. Quaderni Di Materia Giudaica 1. Firenze: Giuntina)
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Archival history
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At present, the Biblioteca diocesana of Rimini comprises about 60,000 volumes distributed in four rooms: the Fondo antico (Old fonds), which preserves manuscripts from the 16th to the 19th centuries; the Sala studio (Study room), which aggregates dictionaries and encyclopedias, recent books on subjects such as Patrology, Theology, Liturgy, Canon Law, and a rich collection of specialised journals and magazines; the Fondo biblico (Bible fonds), which preserves modern studies on Sacred Scripture; and the Deposito librario sotterraneo (Underground book deposit), part of which is dedicated to the conservation of journals. The approximately 600 16th-century manuscripts in the Fondo antico probably do not date back to the foundation of the library. They come from later acquisitions, especially resulting from suppressions of monasteries or convents and legacies of personal libraries of the priests.
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Administrative / Biographical history
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The Biblioteca diocesana is historically linked to the development of the seminary established by bishop Giulio Parisani (1550-1574) in 1568. He collected works of Grammar, Christian Doctrine, and Theology to be used in the seminary classes. It was only in the mid-18th century, on the initiative of bishop Ludovico Valenti (1759-1763), that the library was enriched. Following the transfer of the seminary to the former Jesuit college of Rimini, it was decided to acquire the college's rich library. However, it ended up being transferred to Rome instead.
A general inventory of the seminary's assets in 1849 listed the books preserved in the library at the time: 1,100 works by 889 authors, for a total of 2,285 volumes. The titles indicate a library specialised in Philosophy, Homiletics, Morals, History, and Canon law, but also rich in texts of Latin and Greek literature, Ascetics, and Hagiography.
From the early years of the 20th century, the library registered a moderate increase. In 1943, the bombings of World War II destroyed not only the bishopric and part of the Malatesta Temple (the cathedral) but also the seminary. Part of the library was fortunately saved by the rector of the seminary, Michele Rubertini (1919- 1943). Finally, after the war, a radical reorganisation was carried out by Bishop Emilio Biancheri (1908-1982), whose name the library today bears. Then, Biancheri inaugurated the new headquarters of the seminary in via Covignano (1962). The library was also moved to the new headquarters, where it still remains at present.
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(source: History in the Biblioteca diocesana "Biancheri" official website)
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Finding aids
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Indexes and catalogues are available in the study room.
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Author of the description
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Andrea Cicerchia, 2022
