HISTORICAL ARCHIVES OF THE GENERAL HOUSE – ROME

“We regard the vast heritage of historical sources preserved in the archives as a precious treasure trove of testimonies concerning the Church’s journey through the world and through history, to be passed on intact and unaltered to future generations.” In the words of Pope John Paul II, we can see the value of memory as the cornerstone upon which the activities carried out in the Historical Archives are based, activities that focus on three main areas: inventorying, preserving, and promoting the documentary heritage.

Inventorying is the goal of the archive reorganization process.

Through this process, the internal structure of the archival collection is reconstructed, and the documentation is described in relation to the history of the institution that produced it and the historical-legal context in which it operated. From the very beginning of the reorganization, the Archive has been a member of the National Registry of Ecclesiastical Cultural Institutes of the CEI, which allows us to use the software free of charge, in compliance with international archiving standards, and to securely maintain the database.

The collection held in our Historical Archives dates back to the late 18th century and consists almost entirely of paper documents. As one might expect, the passage of time, varying degrees of use, and storage in environments that are not entirely suitable make it necessary to carry out careful conservation work alongside the primary task of reorganization, so that the physical integrity of the documents ensures they can be consulted and used. In recent years, thanks to dedicated CEI funding, we have restored several handwritten registers that were in poor condition.

Both cataloging and conservation are aimed at enhancing the archival heritage, which is achieved by making primary sources available to scholars. The in-depth study of the events that have shaped the Congregation’s path of evolution and development finds an inexhaustible field of research precisely in the documents held by the Historical Archives; this research justifies the Archives’ existence and constitutes its intrinsic value.

L’EQUIPE