The Treasures of the Archives of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

In 2008, an exhibition was held at the Museo Centrale del Risorgimento with exhibits from the historical archives of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The catalogue volume in question has now been published by Mons. Mauro Ugolini to the library of the Campo Santo. The volume stands out for its extraordinary illustrations, in which documents are reproduced that are otherwise hard to see.

Of particular interest are historical architectural drawings and vedute of the Palace of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith itself, which, as we know, is a neighbour of Campo Santo Teutonico (and where the famous Irishman and freedom hero Hugh O'Flaherty had worked since 1938 and lived since 1947).

Among these vedute, again a lithograph by Félix Benoist from 1870 stands out, showing the view of the city from the cupola of St Peter's (see the lithograph here). What makes it special, however, is the fact that it shows the upper part of the hospice and the church of the Campo Santo Teutonico before its reconstruction under Anton de Waal. This is an important, hitherto unnoticed document about the later college and the college's immediate neighbours on the east and south sides.

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Category: Recommended reading