Dataria Apostolica, Brevia Lateranensia
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
Dataria Ap. Brevia Lat.
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Apostolic Data
Title (official language of the state)
Dataria Apostolica, Brevia Lateranensia
Language of title
lat
Creator / accumulator
Santa Sede
Date note
1490/1908
Language(s)
lat
Extent
2,883 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
The archive produced by the activity of the Dataria Apostolica – in charge of putting the official date on pontifical documents – collects copies and originals of records, as well as minutes of all documents sent by the Roman Curia. In addition to the papal bulls, decrees, briefs and “motu proprii”, the registers of concessions, licenses, and graces granted are of great interest. Plentiful is the information that can be found in this collection regarding Conversos and Jewish communities not only in the Italian context but also abroad, by virtue of the universalistic character of the Roman Curia. For instance, in Brevia Lateranensia 16, it is possible to find the brief of protection granted by Pope Clement VII to Francisco Mendes, his wife, children and other relatives on December 11, 1531 (fols. 300v-301). Published in Salomon and Leoni (1998), 180-182.
Archival history
The vast archive of the Dataria Apostolica was set up by Clement X in 1672, in order to avoid further dispersion of the material, even if, in practice, it was not possible to recover several previous documents. Despite this great loss, the current archive does not seem to have undergone further losses, especially following the Napoleonic appropriation at the beginning of the 19th century. The archive is currently divided into numerous series and sub-series. The one referred to as "Brevia Lateranense" is particularly noteworthy. It preserves registers and minutes of common briefs, which until 1678 were written at the Apostolic Secretariat and subsequently at the Dataria. Concessions for priestly ordinations and matrimonial dispensations can be found, as well as ordinary graces requested through supplications to the pontiff in the "External forum".
Administrative / Biographical history
The Dataria Apostolica was established during the 16th century as an autonomous institution, following the articulation of the competencies of the "datario", an official in charge of setting the date on concessions deriving from supplications to the pontiff. The figure of the “datario” already appeared officially at the beginning of the 15th century, from the evolution of previous curial figures with the same task of dating the concessions. Since the 16th century, the "datario" became able to make use of a dicastery with distinct competencies, compared to those of the Apostolic Chamber or Chancellery. This circumstance determined the production of an ever-greater number of papers, whose negligent keeping would compel Pope Clement X, in 1672, to establish a well-articulated archive, divided into distinct series.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Finding aids
Brevia Lateranensia (Indici 195A, 1041). Index available for consultation in the archive.
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) |