Manoscritti
Item
Country
IT
Name of institution (English)
Biblioteca Casanatense
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
ita
Contact information: postal address
Via S. Ignazio 52, 00186 Rome
Contact information: phone number
0039 0669760300
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
ilaria.vercillo@beniculturali.it (Ufficio Manoscritti e Archivio Casanate)
Reference number
BCR, Manoscritti, Controversie ebraiche
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Manuscripts
Title (official language of the state)
Manoscritti
Language of title
ita
Creator / accumulator
Biblioteca Casanatense
Date note
8th century/20th century
Language(s)
ita
lat
heb
Extent
c. 6,200 volumes
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
The Manoscritti fonds of the Biblioteca Casanatense contains manuscripts of several provenances and in diverse languages, including a collection of 237 Hebrew manuscripts, especially composed of Bibles and other liturgical codices.
This fonds also contains a series specifically dedicated to controversy on Jewish-related topics, the Controversie ebraiche. Among this series, it is possible to find abundant information on Jewish-Christian relations and questions related to the persecution of the Iberian Inquisitions against conversos. Some examples are the following:
MS. 1587, fols. 89r-278r: “Dialogo politico contro Luterani, et Caluinisti, et altri heretici, che possi conuincerli ogni mediocre ingegno alla prima disputa, perchè il modo usato con loro è un allungar la lite, il che è specie di uittoria a chi mantiene il torto” (Political dialogue against Lutherans, Calvinists, and other heretics, to convince any mediocre genius at the first dispute...). It includes mentions to Jews from folio 164.
MS. 2622: “Supplica alla Santa Sede sotto Clemente X contro allo statto della Inquisizione in Portogallo, nell’inquirire e giudicare il delitto di giudaismo” (A plea to the Holy See under Clement X against the Inquisition in Portugal, regarding the investigation and judgement of the crime of Judaism). This codex includes a late-medieval Hebrew manuscript copy of Benjamin de Tudela's travel book.
MS. 4191: “Riflessioni In risposta di due Scritture presentate dal Tribunale del S.to Officio di Portogallo Al Ser.mo Prencipe D. Pietro, Sucessore, e Regente di quel Regno, Contro il ricordo delli Christiani di sangue Hebreo alla sede Apostolica offerte Alla Santità di N.ro Sig.re Papa Clemente Xº. et alla Sacra Congregatione della S.ta et Vniuersale Inquisitione” (Reflections in response to two writings presented by the Holy Office of Portugal to Prince D. Pedro, successor and regent of that kingdom, against the report offered by the Christians of Hebrew blood to Pope Clement X and the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Inquisition).
MS. 4210: Miscellanea of documents about Jews baptised in Portugal.
This fonds also contains a series specifically dedicated to controversy on Jewish-related topics, the Controversie ebraiche. Among this series, it is possible to find abundant information on Jewish-Christian relations and questions related to the persecution of the Iberian Inquisitions against conversos. Some examples are the following:
MS. 1587, fols. 89r-278r: “Dialogo politico contro Luterani, et Caluinisti, et altri heretici, che possi conuincerli ogni mediocre ingegno alla prima disputa, perchè il modo usato con loro è un allungar la lite, il che è specie di uittoria a chi mantiene il torto” (Political dialogue against Lutherans, Calvinists, and other heretics, to convince any mediocre genius at the first dispute...). It includes mentions to Jews from folio 164.
MS. 2622: “Supplica alla Santa Sede sotto Clemente X contro allo statto della Inquisizione in Portogallo, nell’inquirire e giudicare il delitto di giudaismo” (A plea to the Holy See under Clement X against the Inquisition in Portugal, regarding the investigation and judgement of the crime of Judaism). This codex includes a late-medieval Hebrew manuscript copy of Benjamin de Tudela's travel book.
MS. 4191: “Riflessioni In risposta di due Scritture presentate dal Tribunale del S.to Officio di Portogallo Al Ser.mo Prencipe D. Pietro, Sucessore, e Regente di quel Regno, Contro il ricordo delli Christiani di sangue Hebreo alla sede Apostolica offerte Alla Santità di N.ro Sig.re Papa Clemente Xº. et alla Sacra Congregatione della S.ta et Vniuersale Inquisitione” (Reflections in response to two writings presented by the Holy Office of Portugal to Prince D. Pedro, successor and regent of that kingdom, against the report offered by the Christians of Hebrew blood to Pope Clement X and the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Inquisition).
MS. 4210: Miscellanea of documents about Jews baptised in Portugal.
Archival history
The Manoscritti is an original fonds of the Biblioteca Casanatense. It derived in part from the legacy of Cardinal Casanate and was later formed by an enlightened policy of acquisition during the 18th century. Its Hebrew collection resulted from the close relations of the Biblioteca Casanatense with the Sant'Uffizio from the library's foundation to the late 19th century. The collection was formed between 1734 and 1780. At the time, several provisions on Jewish books' arrestment were enacted in Rome and Papal States. It gave rise to confiscations of manuscripts and printing books in the ghettos of Rome, Ancona, Pesaro, Ferrara, Faenza, Rimini, Lugo and Urbino, as well as in Avignon. The "Registri de Libri" (the old records of acquisitions) report the entrance of several Hebrew items during this period and the donation of documents preserved at the Archivio della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede. Further information on the history of the Hebrew collection of the Casanatense can be found in the studies of Margherita Palumbo mentioned below. An important part of manuscripts in other languages than Hebrew is related to theological controversies which arose within the Holy Office against the Jews, which composes, at present, an important sub-series called "Jewish controversies". The catalog of this sub-series was published in 2001.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Casanatense Library owes its creation to Cardinal Girolamo Casanate (1620-1700), who left his rich collection of books to the Dominican Order at the convent of S. Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. Together with the over 20,000 manuscripts and printed volumes, the cardinal donated to the religious order substantial revenues to institute, in the same convent, the library that would bear his name. The Dominicans commissioned the architect A.M. Borioni to design a building in the cloister area of the convent. The result was a large room, austere and of great elegance, with a double order of shelves along the walls to accommodate the volumes, which is still marked today by wooden scrolls on which the indications of the various sciences and disciplines are legible. The Casanatense was inaugurated on November 3, 1701, and soon became one of the most important libraries of the time. In 1873, the law on the suppression of religious corporations was also extended to Rome. In 1884, at the end of the long process brought by the Dominican order, the ownership of Casanatense definitively passed to the Italian state. At present, it is one of the state public libraries of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
Finding aids
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Andrea Cicherchia, 2022
Bibliography
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Archivio della Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede | Collections (official language of the state) | |
| Biblioteca Casanatense | Collections (official language of the state) |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| כתיב (Ktiv) | Existence and location of originals |