This article examines the archival activity of Father Luigi Pastori (1735–1826), an Augustinian friar, palaeographer, and scholar from Ascoli Piceno, through the reconstruction of three archival reorganisation projects carried out between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries on the archives of the Sgariglia family (1802), the Municipality of Ascoli Piceno (1804–1805), and the Cathedral Chapter (1807). Based on the direct examination of archival records and finding aids, the study reconstructs Pastori’s working method, which was founded on the subject-based arrangement of archival records. At the same time, it highlights the limitations of this approach, reflecting the archival culture of the period and the resulting disruption of the original order of the archival fonds. Particular attention is devoted to a critical reassessment of the traditional attribution to Pastori of the reorganisation of the Cathedral Chapter Archive. Through the combined analysis of archival evidence and palaeographical features, the article demonstrates that the principal intervention of 1788–1789 was carried out by Domenico Panici, Michelangelo Relucenti, and Carlo Roccatani under the supervision of the canons Giovan Battista Lenti and Felice Viccei, whereas Pastori’s contribution, limited to 1807, consisted of updating the Index Archivii Capitularis and introducing a new archival reference system. The study thus offers a revised interpretation of the history of archival practice in Ascoli Piceno between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and contributes to redefining the roles of the individuals involved in the organisation and preservation of the city’s documentary heritage.
Il contributo analizza l’attività archivistica di padre Luigi Pastori (1735-1826), religioso agostiniano, paleografo ed erudito ascolano, attraverso la ricostruzione di tre interventi di riordinamento condotti tra la fine del XVIII e gli inizi del XIX secolo sugli archivi della famiglia Sgariglia (1802), del Comune di Ascoli Piceno (1804-1805) e del Capitolo della Cattedrale (1807). L’indagine, fondata sull’esame diretto delle fonti archivistiche e degli strumenti di corredo, consente di ricostruire il metodo di lavoro adottato dal Pastori, basato sull’ordinamento per materia della documentazione. Parallelamente, lo studio evidenzia i limiti di tale impostazione, riconducibili alla cultura archivistica dell’epoca e alla compromissione dell’ordinamento originario dei fondi. Particolare attenzione è dedicata alla revisione critica della tradizionale attribuzione a Pastori del riordino dell’Archivio del Capitolo della Cattedrale. Attraverso l’analisi congiunta delle testimonianze archivistiche e degli elementi paleografici, l’articolo dimostra che il principale intervento del 1788-1789 fu opera di Domenico Panici, Michelangelo Relucenti e Carlo Roccatani, sotto la direzione dei canonici Giovan Battista Lenti e Felice Viccei, mentre il contributo del Pastori, limitato al 1807, consistette nell’aggiornamento dell’Index Archivii Capitularis e nell’introduzione di un nuovo sistema di segnature. Il lavoro offre così una rilettura della storia dell’archivistica ascolana tra XVIII e XIX secolo e contribuisce a ridefinire il ruolo dei protagonisti coinvolti nei processi di organizzazione e conservazione della memoria documentaria cittadina.
Riordinamenti e pratiche archivistiche di Luigi Pastori ad Ascoli Piceno tra XVIII e XIX secolo
Tedeschi, Emanuele
2026-01-01
Abstract
This article examines the archival activity of Father Luigi Pastori (1735–1826), an Augustinian friar, palaeographer, and scholar from Ascoli Piceno, through the reconstruction of three archival reorganisation projects carried out between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries on the archives of the Sgariglia family (1802), the Municipality of Ascoli Piceno (1804–1805), and the Cathedral Chapter (1807). Based on the direct examination of archival records and finding aids, the study reconstructs Pastori’s working method, which was founded on the subject-based arrangement of archival records. At the same time, it highlights the limitations of this approach, reflecting the archival culture of the period and the resulting disruption of the original order of the archival fonds. Particular attention is devoted to a critical reassessment of the traditional attribution to Pastori of the reorganisation of the Cathedral Chapter Archive. Through the combined analysis of archival evidence and palaeographical features, the article demonstrates that the principal intervention of 1788–1789 was carried out by Domenico Panici, Michelangelo Relucenti, and Carlo Roccatani under the supervision of the canons Giovan Battista Lenti and Felice Viccei, whereas Pastori’s contribution, limited to 1807, consisted of updating the Index Archivii Capitularis and introducing a new archival reference system. The study thus offers a revised interpretation of the history of archival practice in Ascoli Piceno between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and contributes to redefining the roles of the individuals involved in the organisation and preservation of the city’s documentary heritage.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
