Parochial census

In 2014, the Archivio Generale Arcivescovile started a complete census of the diocesan parishes’ archives, following similar works done in other dioceses, such as at Bergamo, one of the most relevant dioceses in this type of intellectual control. Through the guide of the Sovrintendenza Archivistica (Italy’s government authority over archives) a ‘census form’ has been created to be used during the visit at each parish’s archive. In order to accurately describe the actual condition of the archives, this form contains several fields useful to: describe the consistency and nature of the documentation preserved; characterize the conservation status of the documents and the main threats and dangers to conservation; evaluate specific interest or historical importance; signal eventual gaps or dispersions; and assess the potential needs of archival intervention or restoration.
This survey of diocesan parishes’ archives will allow the Archive to make the necessary decisions on how to proceed further. Currently, the census of the Alta Valle del Reno vicarage has been completed. The census of the Sasso Marconi and of the Setta-Savena-Sambro vicarages are almost finalised. In the Bazzano and Galliera vicarages, the project has just started. The Galliera vicarage, which was heavily damaged by the 2012’s earthquake, was entrusted to the Sovrintendenza Archivistica, which has brilliantly managed the first phases of intervention.
The results will be available online as soon as the census is completed.