09/07/2025 08:30
- 17:30
HALL: Seminar Room 08
Proponent:
Lizzi Testa R.
Chair:
Scatena S.
Speaker:
Bianchini A.,
Camplani A.,
Castello M.G.,
D'Angelo F.,
Giannini M.C.,
Lizzi Testa R.,
Magnani E.,
Oppedisano F.,
Sardina P.,
Zhou Z.
By the late second century A.D., Christians began organizing as a system of congregations and placed great importance on preserving deeds, documents, and writings to maintain the memory of their faith and actions. The monarchical episcopate amplified this focus, with bishops establishing archives to manage diocesan activities, relationships with other congregations, and synods. Despite limited clarity on locations and personnel involved, studying early Christian archival practices is a significant challenge in historical research.
Drawing from Greco-Roman traditions of recording and preserving private and public acts, Christians adapted these models to organize their communities. Insights into these practices come from sources like the prefectorial archives in Rome and Constantinople, which housed imperial legislation. Further evidence illuminates the development of the bishop's curia in Rome, particularly during Damasus's time, with roles such as notarii and exceptores managing administrative and judicial tasks.
In the early Middle Ages, archival evidence grew, with Ravenna emerging as a key center for understanding document archiving from the fifth to seventh centuries. Research into the Medieval and Modern Ages remains open, particularly regarding monastic archives—both male and female—and institutions like the Holy Office.
Overall, the aim of this panel is to show that even in earlier ages, no less than in contemporary times, 'establishing archives and building memory' were complementary and essential aspects of civil and religious life.
The panel is edited by the international journal "Cristianesimo nella storia" and it is the seminar that the journal organises every year on a different theme.