Displaying items by tag: ARCHIVUM GENERALE ORDINIS CARMELITARUM

We present one of the earliest examples of animated books, or pop-up books, that we came across while cataloguing our antique collection. It is a cinquecentina, printed in Lyon in 1567, containing the De Sphaera of the astronomer and mathematician Giovanni Sacrobosco (John of Holywood or Holybush), the most widely read treatise on astronomy in the Middle Ages, especially at the universities. The volume contains numerous three-dimensional illustrations depicting the solar system, intended to extend and complete the author's discussion.

In the image, taken from one of the pages of the volume, you can see a reproduction of a lunar revolver, an instrument that allowed the phase, age, and constellation of the moon to be determined. This instrument, composed of several overlapping paper discs, was fixed to the page below by a pin, which allowed each disc to rotate freely around the central axis.

[from: ABiGOC: Archivio e Biblioteca Generali dell’Ordine Carmelitano]

Curiosities of the Archives

The Caricature of Blessed Angelo Paoli

In the Iconographic Collection of the General Archives of the Carmelite Order is a copy of a caricature drawing depicting Carmelite friar Angelo Paoli (1642-1720), who was immortalized in front of the main door of the Roman convent of San Martino ai Monti, where he used to distribute bread and alms to the poor of Rome. Paoli, who was beatified in 2010, was known for his involvement in social work, particularly in assisting the indigent and the sick.

The caricature, the original of which is preserved in the Vatican Library, within the Codex Ottoboniano Latino 3113, was executed in ink by Pietro Leone Ghezzi (1674-1755), a famous Roman painter and caricaturist, who portrayed numerous picturesque characters of Baroque Rome, transmitting to us a visual memory of them.

Blessed Angelo Paoli (1642-1720) was so well respected for his charity work, he was called "Father of the Poor." He operated with the belief that whoever loves God must find Him among the poor. He established a convalescent center in Rome where the poor could recover after leaving the hospital. Devoted to the Cross, he placed the cross inside the Colosseum of Rome. He was beatified in 2010.

(This article first appeared in ABIGOC – 5/2024).

The General Archives and Library of the Carmelite Order on Academia.edu

The General Archives and Library of the Carmelite Order in Rome have recently become part of the Academia portal, with the aim of sharing and disseminating among scholars, both religious and lay, the numerous publications (monographs, essays and articles) that have resulted from the research conducted in the Archives and Library in recent years. The various studies were published by Edizioni Carmelitane, the publishing house of the General Curia of the Carmelite Order and the Institutum Carmelitanum.

The broader purpose was also to make the Carmelite Archives and Library known as not only ecclesiastical but also cultural institutions, including them within the international scientific community for possible future collaborations and projects.

For the time being, the latest works released in the different series of Edizioni Carmelitane have been included, which you can view at the following link: https://independent.academia.edu/ArchivioeBibliotecageneralidellordinecarmelitano

Among the oldest books of the Carmelite General Library in Rome is a wonderful volume from 1528. Coming from Paris, the work is the first printed edition of the Latin tract Summa de haeresibus et earum confutationibus written by Carmelite Guy de Perpignan (1270-1342), also known as Guido Terreni.

The work, dating from the 16th century, contains a very interesting title page. The page is frames with elegante architectural designs. Inside the frame there are, other than the name of the work and the author, the stamp of the Flemish printer Jodocus Badius Ascensius. The picture shows an old printing shop, staffed by three people working on a wooden printing press. The design captures the "tiratore" (puller), in the center, at the moment he operates the bar to press the platen onto the sheet to be printed. The "rullatore" (roller), on the left, is in charge of inking the pages of movable type. The "compositore" (compositor), on the right, is responsible for composing the texts by aligning the movable type, taken from the typographic case, on the composing machine. Also one notes in the foreground are two stacks of paper, one still blank and one already printed.

In addition the note of ownership can be seen on the title page [Photo], also attributed to the 16th century, places the book in the old library at Santa Maria in Traspontina, a stadium generale for the Order. That library was the original home of most of the oldest books now preserved at the Carmelite General Library in CISA.

Archivissima 2024 -- The Festival and Night of the Archives

On June 7, 2024, the General Archives and Library of the Carmelite Order held a discussion entitled Aut Pati Aut Mori: The Symbolism of the Heart in Carmelite Female Iconography at Centro Internazionale Sant'Alberto (CISA) in Rome.

Art historian, teacher, and author of several books, Ruggiero Doronzo and Carmelite Charló Camilleri, spiritual theologian, dialogued rather than presenting as in a traditional conference format. The discussion centered on chalcographic engravings from the modern age (16th-18th centuries) kept in the General Archives of the Order. Special reference to the figures of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maria Magdalena De' Pazzi and the Venerable Rosa Maria Serio.

Archivissima 2024--The Festival and Night of the Archives is a cultural initiative that took place throughout Italy from June 6 to 9.

Doronzo authored the book Iconografia Carmelitana al Femminile which was published by Edizioni Carmelitane.

View the conference on YouTube

Archivissima 2024 – The Festival and Night of the Archives

From June 6 to 9, cultural initiatives of the Archivissima 2024 event - The Festival and Night of the Archives, dedicated to the theme #Passions, will take place throughout Italy. For this occasion, the Carmelite Archives and General Library have organized a panel discussion entitled: Aut pati aut mori. The Symbolism of the Heart in Carmelite Female Iconography.

Together with Ruggiero Doronzo, art historian and author of several books, and Carmelite Charló Camilleri, spiritual theologian, we will dialogue on the symbolism of the heart in female Carmelite mysticism of the modern age (16th-18th centuries), starting from its representation in the chalcographic engravings kept in the General Archives of the Carmelite Order, with special reference to the figures of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maria Magdalena De' Pazzi and the venerable Rosa Maria Serio.

Doronzo authored the book Iconografia Carmelitana al Femminile which was published by Edizioni Carmelitane. More information at the webstore of Edizioni Carmelitane.

The event will take place on June 7, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Albert International Center, Via Sforza Pallavicini 10, Rome.

Days of Enhancement of Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage

At the Origins of Movable Type Printing
The Incunabula of the Carmelite Library

Dr. Rosa Parlavecchia will show some incunabula, accompanying the presentation with instrumentation in use in the ancient printing workshops.

It is preferable to communicate participation to the following address:

Historian Studying Carmelite Music in Poland and Italy Between the 17th and 18th Centuries

Dr. Marek Bebak is a music historian from Poland and teaches at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. In the fall of 2023, he was awarded the seventh research grant from the General Archives of the Carmelites, named in memory of Fr. Emanuele Boaga, and started a Musicology project, entitled Mapping the Carmelites Musical Culture in Europe in the Seventeenth-and Eighteenth-Century. Preliminary research was based on the collection of the General Archive of the Carmelite Order in Rome.

Marek has dealt with this issue before, investigating Polish Carmelite archival and bibliographical sources and producing several publications on the subject. Now his attention has shifted to Italy.

On the occasion of his stay in Rome, we were able to asked him some questions:

Can you briefly describe what your research work consists of?

As a musicologist, I try to learn about the ancient musical culture of the Carmelites, especially regarding the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Order was at its peak. Referring to various historical sources, namely musical manuscripts and prints, theoretical treatises, ancient books, and archival documentation (chronicles, charters, reports, protocols), I try to answer the following questions:

What kind of music was heard in Carmelite churches and monasteries? In what situations was it used? Who performed it and who financed it? What instruments were available in Carmelite churches?

I also try to analyze the musical works themselves and assess the compositional skills of the Carmelites in the context in which they created them. I also prepare critical editions of musical works so that musicians can include these compositions in their concert repertoire and record them on CD. Examining the documentation of many convents and provinces gives me a broader perspective: the opportunity to compare and evaluate the level of musical culture in different places in Europe.

What cultural institutions have you visited to pursue your research in Poland and which ones are you consulting and will you consult here in Italy?

In both Poland and Italy the source situation is complicated and requires research at various institutions. This is mainly due to the difficult history of Europe. Many archival and library materials were destroyed or dispersed as a result of fires, floods, wars, partitioning, and dissolution of church property during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The starting point of my work is the materials collected in Carmelite archives, but many sources are also currently held in state and diocesan archives and libraries. My research on the musical culture of the Carmelites in the Polish-Lithuanian Confederation is based on materials that are currently scattered among Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and partly also in Germany, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. For example, in the State Archives in Modra (near Bratislava), Slovakia, I found a manuscript containing a composition by the Krakow Carmelite Telesfor Wikliński. This composition was included in the repertoire of the Piaristi musical chapel in Podolinec. We have immortalized this and other compositions from the repertoire of Polish Carmelites in the 2023 album "Flos Carmeli" (available on streaming services, including Spotify).

My research on the musical culture of the Carmelites in Italy presents the same problems: I started with the General Archives in Rome, and in later stages I will go to historical materials preserved in state and ecclesiastical libraries and archives.

Can you tell us some interesting facts that particularly struck you about the Carmelite composers and musicians who are the subject of your study?

Unlike other religious realities, such as the Jesuits, the Carmelite Order was not known for its musical culture: so any information relevant to this topic is interesting to me.

I was surprised that the number of musical (vocal-instrumental) chapels in Italy was lower than in Poland: in fact, I expected the organization of Polish chapels to be modeled on that of Italy. For example: in mid-17th century in Krakow, in the Carmelite church, there was a large vocal-instrumental chapel, which could successfully perform both 1-4 compositions and large polychoral pieces (for 2 or 3 choirs); this chapel included many musicians, both Carmelite and lay. Unfortunately, no musical material has survived from it, but we have library catalogs listing all the works that the musicians had at their disposal. For comparison, in Rome, in the important Carmelite church of Santa Maria in Traspontina, only three cantors and an organist were employed at the time: it is possible that the musical environment of the daily liturgy was more modest than in Krakow. Instead, for larger feasts (e.g., Our Lady of Mount Carmel or St. Albert), always at Santa Maria in Traspontina, the most distinguished musicians from the papal chapels of St. Peter's Basilica or the Lateran Basilica were invited. Inviting chapels from other churches was typical of this period, but during my research I would like to check whether the Carmelites had their own musical chapels in other cities in Italy.

From sources collected at the General Archives of the Carmelites we know that there were many musicians in other centers, but so far, I have not been able to recognize their organization. This does not mean, however, that in general the musical culture of the Carmelites in Italy was modest. We have many descriptions of events during which wonderful music was performed, composed by the Carmelites themselves, e.g., Filippo Cristianelli, Giovanni Battista Tonnolini, Giuseppe Scarani, Girolamo Casati, Pietro Colombina, Lorenzo Penna, Elia Vannini. In every province of Italy there was at least one composer whose interesting musical works have been preserved. I hope we will learn more about them in the future.

Among the papers of Santa Maria in Traspontina, recently inventoried by Jacopo De Santis in the book "Santa Maria in Traspontina, La vita di una comunità carmelitana attraverso le carte d'archivio", several documents attest that during the 18th century at the same Roman convent, at that time the seat of the general curia of the Carmelites, chocolate bars were produced: this is evidenced by the correspondence preserved in our archives, with which the friars of other convents and various personalities of the time requested that this delicacy be sent to them.

In particular, in a correspondence of seventeen letters dated to the year 1758, the former prior general of the Carmelites, Luigi Laghi, of the Romagnola Province, requested that an order of chocolate, of which he must have been rather gluttonous, be delivered to him in the convent of Forli, reporting - in a funny way - that he made habitual use of it, because, according to him, it helped him to counteract shortness of breath . ... and other ailments: "I continue to suffer every morning the usual tightness of the chest and difficulty in breathing, but having taken chocolate, which causes me some flati, I remain free" (April 13, 1758).

Father Laghi had a large supply of this portentous remedy, as we read in another of his letters, "For chocolate there is time until you make ours, for I still have it for six and more months" (Sept. 7, 1758).

(This article first appeared in ABIGOC – November 21, 2023)

The book can be purchased at the online bookstore of the publisher Edizioni Carmelitane.

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