Archivum Arcis, Armaria I-XVIII
Item
Country
IT
Name of institution (English)
Vatican Apostolic Archives
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
ita
Contact information: postal address
Cortile del Belvedere, 00120 Vatican City
Contact information: phone number
0039 06 69883314
0039 06 69883211
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
archivio@aav.va
Reference number
A.A., Arm. I-XVIII
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Citadel Archive, Bookcases I-XVIII
Title (official language of the state)
Archivum Arcis, Armaria I-XVIII
Language of title
lat
Creator / accumulator
Archivio Apostolico Vaticano
Date(s)
10th century/19th century
Language(s)
lat
Extent
8,373 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The set of documents preserved in the Archivum Arcis collection is divided into two main groups: the Armaria superiora (Upper bookcases), indicated with a letter of the alphabet and Arabic numbering of the individual pieces; and the Armaria inferiora (Lower bookcases), indicated with Roman numerals and Arabic numbering of the individual pieces. The collection comprises documentation starting from the 13th century, whose oldest records are concerning the relations between the Papacy and the Empire in the Middle Ages, as well as lists of bishops, and acts of legitimation of the councils, among others. This collection also contains documentation related to the complaints submitted by the Portuguese New Christians before the Holy Office against the Inquisition and the persecution undertaken against them in Portugal, as well as their negotiations with the aim of getting the General Pardon and the reform of the Portuguese Holy Office. A few examples may be found in volume 4273, such as an anonymous letter addressed to Pope Paul III in the late 1530s, requesting protection for the New Christians after King João III had revoked their privileges (fols. 9-12v); and two reports in the 1530s and 1540s in defence of the Portuguese New Christians following the persecutions under the reigns of Kings Manuel I and João III (fols. 1-7). These documents are published in Florentini (2018).
Archival history
The term "Archivum Arcis" indicates the place of origin of the documentation that composes this collection, namely, the archive kept at Castel Sant’Angelo. It was Pope Sixtus IV who gathered papal documentation then dispersed to various places in the Castel Sant’Angelo. The records remained there until the period of French domination (1798-1799), when they were transported to Paris, following orders by Napoleon. Upon returning to Rome in 1817, the documentation passed to the Vatican archives. These changes have undoubtedly led to numerous dispersions.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Vatican Apostolic Archive (AAV) was created from the plan of Paul V to establish a central and personal "Archivum Novum" of the pontiff, with respect to the various archives already existing in the city of Rome. The official creation act is recognised in the appointment, on January 31, 1612, of a custodian, in the person of Baldassarre Ansidei. Initially, the AAV would be a conservation institution linked to the Vatican Apostolic Library. Only in 1630 did Urban VIII decree its autonomy calling it the "Archivum Apostolicum Vaticanum". In a general index of the preserved documentation, drawn up in 1646, the name “Archivio Segreto Vaticano” – that is, personal (Secretum) to the popes – appears for the first time. This designation would identify the central historical archive of the Holy See until 2019, when Pope Francis renamed it the Vatican Apostolic Archive. The archive has suffered several losses and dispersions, particularly during the attempt to recover the documentation transported to Paris by Napoleon in the early 19th century. It collects most of the documentation produced by the offices and tribunal of the Roman Curia and the various pontificates along the centuries of the modern and contemporary age, receiving, at the time of establishment, the previous deposits from the Middle Ages. It represents the central historical archive of the Holy See, open to scholars since 1881, by decision of Leo XIII.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The records of the Armaria superiora (Upper bookcases) are identified with a letter of the alphabet and Arabic numbering of the individual pieces. Those of the Armaria inferiora (Lower bookcases) are identified with Roman numerals and Arabic numbering of its units.
Finding aids
Indexes available for consultation in the archive: Indici 25-29, 56, 63, 64, 66-70, 1002-1012A-B, 1074, 1134, 1250.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Andrea Cicerchia, 2022
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Archivio Apostolico Vaticano | Collections (official language of the state) |