RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA CHIESA IN ITALIA - 2022 - 1

This article analyses the relationship between the Benedictine monastery of St. Maria di Tremiti and its benefactors between the end of the 10th century and the second half of the 11th century in a restricted area stretching from the  coasts of Southern Abruzzo to Garganic Apulia where the monastery collected large and consistent donations as reported in the documents passed down by the monastic Chartularium. Our research reveals the profile of a border  monastery which attracted up to 1060 benefactors from different political domains: Abruzzo, belonging the Italic kingdom; Molise, under the dominion of Benevento; Northern Apulia, under the Byzantine rule.

Our essay reconstructs and analyses data concerning the appointment as bishops in Italian dioceses of men belonging to the Order of Friars Preachers, in the period between the papacies of Gregory IX (1227-1241) and Martin V  (1417-1431). The data were collected by browsing Eubel’s Hierarchia catholica Medii Aevi and Kehr’s Italia Pontificia and, whenever possible, amended thanks mainly to other data coming from Gumbley’s Series praesulum  praedicatorum. According to the series of data thus constituted, and to addenda analyzing various local realities and Dominican hagiographies, it is therefore suggested that the appointment of bishops drawn from the Dominican  order answers the papal wish to put forward friars renowned as peacemakers in urban social conflicts, as well as inquisitors.

This paper publishes and comments on some notarial documents, dating back to the mid-fourteenth century (1349-1351), relating to the Benedictine monasteries of the Vallombrosian order in Sardinia. Our work is part of a new and  more articulate historical and archaeological research on the Vallombrosian settlements in Sardinia, highlighting the heuristic potential of notarial sources concerning the abbey of S. Maria di Vallombrosa in the late Middle Ages.  Starting from such unpublished sources, this paper aims to trace a long-term historical profile of the Vallombrosian monasticism in Sardinia, from the settlement of the Benedictine monks on the Island, in the first half of the 12th  century, to the early modern age, where the complex conjuncture of the 14th century represents a fundamental turning point.

As part of the Acquaviva Project. Letters to the Society of Jesus, our article focuses on sources such as Claudio Acquaviva’ letters to the whole Society during the years of his generalate (1581-1615). Firstly, I identify the printed  editions, from the vernacular first edition in 1606 to the Latin versions (1612, 1615), edited by the Jesuit Bernardo De Angelis, secretary to the Company. Secondly, I analyze them in relation to the secretary’s compilation of letters,  renowned at that time. I then consider the subsequent Latin editions (1635, 1736). From the perspective of the history of books and communication, I raise some questions about the building up of such a selection of printed letters  addressed to the whole Company, to be compared with manuscript sources. An initial survey is offered.

This essay provides an alternative interpretation on the architectural elements supporting the balcony adorning the façade of the basilica of Santa Croce in Lecce, the most important example of the local baroque style. Whereas the  decoration of the façade was completed in 1646, the realization of the balcony dates to an uncertain period starting from 1582, but there is a lack of fully documented sources on its iconographic design. The large stone architectural  figures (seven animals and six telamons) supporting the balcony were interpreted on the basis of a demonic symbolism, hence as heraldic symbols related to the celebration of the battle of Lepanto. Instead, the heraldic data-based  interpretation proposed herein discusses them as a memorial of regal, feudal and historical emblematics, in the context of which the Habsburg-Spanish item alludes to the «royal» status of the Celestine monastery, thus contributing
to the religious meaning of the work.

This paper attempts to explore four crucial points of the relationship between Toniolo and Pisa during the First World War: 1) the main lines of Toniolo’s historical-theological reflection on war times; 2) his participation in university life  during the “useless massacre” years and his role when Pisa university gave assistance to other university towns, Venice and Padua, which had become frontline or rearguard towns; 3) Toniolo’s contribution to the internal war  front, in the context of the hospitality given to refugees fleeding to Pisa after the Caporetto defeat and his personal involvement in war mourning; 4) during the second Spanish flu wave in Italy, when the war victory was approaching, Toniolo’s death as a convergence point of local and national expressions of mourning on the part of the Italian Catholic world.

This study outlines a history of the concept of “consecrated secularity” through the analysis of events featuring members of the Secular Institute of men and women Missionaries of the Kingship of Christ. Our analysis mainly focuses  on the discernment process that they went through in order to avoid a double risk: the “sacralization of politics” and the “secularization of religion.” The first part examines the consecration of troops to the Sacred Heart, organized  by Armida Barelli. The second part dwell on Agostino Gemelli’s leadership at the Catholic University during the fascist era. The third section considers the role of Ezio Franceschini in distinguishing between politics and religion. The  last section is an introduction to the study of a new spiritual path stemming from the historiographic reform of Nicola Raponi, under the auspices of Giancarlo Brasca and Maria Sticco. Our conclusions, whilst sketching the figure of  Alda Miceli, bring forward future research lines.

Petronace da Brescia nel XIII centenario della rinascita di Montecassino (718-2018). Atti della giornata di studio (Cassino, Palagio badiale, 23 novembre 2018), a cura di Mariano Dell’Omo (Amalia Galdi) - Die Ordines für die Weihe und Krönung des Königs und der Königin in Mailand, hrsg. von Achim Thomas Hack (Mirko Vagnoni) - Gert Melville, Le comunità religiose nel Medioevo. Storia e modelli di vita, ed. italiana a cura di Nicolangelo D’Acunto (Francesco  Salvestrini) Alberto Spataro, Velud fulgor meridianus. La ‘Vita’ di papa Gregorio IX. Edizione, traduzione e commento (Alberto Bartola) - Marco Vendittelli - Emiliano Bultrini, Pax vobiscum. La Crociata di Bonifacio VIII contro i  Colonna di Palestrina (maggio 1297-ottobre 1298) (Marco Ciocchetti) - Charles-Pierr e Martin, Histoire du couvent royal de Minimes français de la très Sainte Trinité sur le Mont Pincius à Rome, édition critique par Mari a Giovanna Canzanella-Quintaluce, regestes des actes latins par Benoît Schmi tz, coordination éditoriale par Jean-François Chauvard, avec la collaboration de Laurence Beck - Sophie Conte - Sebastiano Roberto - Antonella Romano (François-Charles Uginet) - Adolfo Longhitano, Il vescovo di Catania Antonio Faraone (1530-1572). Tra fama di santità e governo pastorale (Fabrizio D’Avenia) - Giuseppe Mazzanti, Matrimoni post-tridentini. Un dibattito dottrinale fra continuità e cambiamento (secc. XVI-XVIII) (Emanuele Pagano) - Fürstabt Celestino Sfondrati von St. Gallen 1696 als Kardinal in Rom, hrsg. von Peter Erhart (Paul Oberholzer) - Registrum scripturarum della Procura generale dell’Ordine cappuccino 1698-1701, a cura di Giuseppe Avarucci; Registrum scripturarum della Procura generale dell’Ordine cappuccino 1703-1709, a cura di Giuseppe Avarucci (Gabriele Ingegneri) - Santi in posa. L’influsso della fotografia sull’immaginario religioso, a cura di Tomm aso Caliò (Valentina Ciciliot) - Michele Madonna, Società civile e società religiosa dalla Grande Guerra alla Costituente. Il contributo al dibattito culturale, politico e giuridico della rivista «Vita e Pensiero» (1914-1948) (Daniele Bardelli) - Paolo Zanini, Il «pericolo protestante». Chiesa e cattolici italiani di fronte alla questione della libertà religiosa (1922-1955) (Jacopo De Santis)