Inside the new website of the General Archive: tradition, memory and renewal

The Order of Saint Augustine has updated the website of its General Archives, which is available in three languages (Spanish, Italian and English) and offers information about the documentary patrimony it holds, as well as the options for access and services.

The General Archive of the Order of Saint Augustine (AGA) is located in Rome and has been shaped over time by the documentation produced by the Order's general governments. At the end of the 18th century, Father Tommaso Bonasoli, who served as Prior Provincial of the Roman Province, compiled the index that enabled a more thorough and organized understanding of the archive “of our Augustinian Religion.” Likewise, Father Tommaso Verani undertook a similar task with the documentary holdings of the archive of the general procuration of the Lombard Congregation, based in the Roman convent of Santa Maria del Popolo. The AGA preserves documents and materials that not only provide access to the history of the Order but also foster a deeper appreciation of its liturgical, academic, artistic, and cultural traditions.

Among its manuscript treasures, sixteen large-format choir books from Santa Maria del Popolo stand out, commissioned between the late 15th and 17th centuries by one of the most prominent and rigorous observant congregations of the Order in Italy: the Lombard Congregation. These volumes—designed to be read by multiple people at once—still radiate the vibrancy of their colors and letters, crafted with artisanal skill and joyful simplicity. The music seems almost audible, springing from the pages thanks to the notation system of the time, which eventually gave rise to the modern five-line staff.

Alongside the remarkable holdings of the Lombard Congregation, the AGA also preserves the archives of the General Curia and the Convent of Saint Augustine. These three foundational sources had to endure the turbulence of difficult eras, such as the Napoleonic invasion and the unification of Italy. Beyond the challenges these events posed—particularly for the Church’s cultural patrimony—the newly formed Kingdom of Italy, facing severe economic hardship, undertook the confiscation of ecclesiastical property in 1880. Such expropriations had already taken place in the 16th century in the countries of the Reformation and would occur again in the 19th century in Catholic nations, such as Spain. These secularization processes affected both real estate and cultural assets, including archives, libraries, and artworks from monasteries and convents, many of which suffered irreparable loss and dispersion. Today, part of these documentary holdings is preserved in the AGA, another smaller portion in the Vatican Apostolic Archive, and a significant amount in the State Archives of Rome.

The types of documents housed in the AGA are varied and numerous. For instance, there is a substantial collection of papal bulls concerning the Order, dated from 1227 to 1774, which are of great importance for understanding the history of the Augustinian Order and its relationship with the Apostolic See. Also preserved are the Registers of the General Priors, which record the acts of governance by the Order’s major superiors. The AGA also contains a series dedicated to the acts of the provincial chapters and observant congregations, as well as collections documenting the causes of beatification and canonization of Augustinian saints, inventories, catalogues, financial reports, and chronicles of convent life. In addition, it holds personal archives of Augustinians such as Monsignor Pietro Canisio Van Lierde, Saturnino López, Antonio Casamassa, and Cardinals Ciasca and Martinelli. Other materials include personal correspondence, journals, coins, maps, photographs, and more.

Although the AGA is a private ecclesiastical archive, it grants access to certain researchers who, with proper accreditation, prior appointment, and knowledge of the consultation room’s regulations, wish to access specific materials for scholarly purposes. It also offers a digital reproduction service for the documents it conserves, the terms and conditions of which are outlined in the “Services–Digitization” section of its website.

www.archivumgeneraleosa.net