Gaetano Moroni

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Gaetano Moroni, portrait by Jan Ksawery Kaniewski

Gaetano Moroni (born October 17, 1802 in Rome ; † November 3, 1883 ibid) was an Italian bibliographer , papal dignitary, bibliophile , author and scholar, author of the well-known lexicon Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica .

biography

Moroni was born into a humble family and attended elementary school with the school brothers . After primary school, he was able to continue his studies thanks to the help of the Camaldolese Abbot Mauro of San Gregorio al Celio , later Pope Gregory XVI. , a regular customer of his father. After Cappellari was made cardinal (1825), Gaetano Moroni became his personal servant. His interest in scientific studies arose after Cardinal Cappellari, Prefect of Propaganda Fide , had given him the task of drawing up a general systematic directory of the propaganda archive. On this occasion he began to compile a personal repertory of notes from reading books and archival documents. Moroni also acted as secretary for the elections of Pius VIII (1829) and Gregory XVI. (1830). The experience as a conclavist was recorded by Moroni in a Giornale storico-politico-cerimoniale della sede vacante e conclave , but remained unpublished.

He became the first Aiutante di camera di Sua Santità of Gregory XVI. and showed an extraordinary achievement, like the more than one hundred thousand letters that were written during the pontificate of Gregory XVI. were written, as well as the historical and scholarly works that were written for the office. Bibliophile, he collected an extensive library, including a collection of Roman engravings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi in 21 volumes from the private library of Gregory XVI. which was sold to an American collector after Moroni's death and donated to the library of the Jesuit Georgetown University in 1982 .

After the death of Gregory XVI. in 1846 Gaetano Moroni continues his work with Pope Pius IX. away, who appointed him second Aiutante di Camera . In 1849 he retired into private life in 1849 and devoted himself to his studies and above all to completing the greatest work of ecclesiastical education ever conceived in Italy: the 103 volumes of the Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica (1840–1861) plus the 6 volumes of the index (1878–1879). Although the work is already considered obsolete, it is still an extraordinary source of data that cannot otherwise be found. The lexicon was mainly used after the death of Gregory XVI. completed. The work is entirely written by Moroni, who devoted 16 hours of work per day to him without an employee. In many ways the intense activity of Gaetano Moroni is reminiscent of that of Francesco Cancellieri , whose disciple Moroni confessed himself to be.

Although he appreciated the esteem and friendship of clergy and scholars such as B. Cardinal Wiseman and Antonio Rosmini , Gaetano Moroni was a collaborator of Gregory XVI. often the subject of pasquinates . Giuseppe Gioachino Belli dedicated numerous sonnets to Ghitanino , in which he referred to his humble origins, since he had helped his father in the barber shop as a boy and indicated that the papal favors were indeed obtained thanks to his wife. The city of Rome named a street in the Nomentano district after him (not to be confused with Vicolo Moroni in Trastevere ). His life, full of honors and honors, was deeply clouded by the untimely death of the only male son, whom he had named Gregorio in honor of the Pope.

Works

  • Cenni cronologici sul sommo pontefice Gregorio XVI . Tipografia Emiliana, Venice 1837 (Italian).
  • Le cappelle pontificie cardinalizie e prelatizie . Tipografia Emiliana, Venice 1841 (Italian).
  • Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da San Pietro ai nostri giorni, specialmente intorno ai principali santi, beati, martiri, padri, ai sommi pontefici, cardinali e più celebri scrittori ecclesiastici, ai varii gradi della gerarchaali, ai varii gradi della gerarchia e vescovili, agli scismi, alle eresie, ai concilii, alle festivities più solenni, ai riti, alle cerimonie sacre, alle cappelle papali, cardinalizie e prelatizie, agli ordini religiosi, militari, equestri ed ospitalieri, non che alla ed ospitalieri, non che alla corte e curia romanieri alla famiglia pontificia, ec. ec. ec., compilato da Gaetano Moroni Romano primo aiutante di camera di Sua Santità . Tipografia Emiliana, Venice (Italian, 1840-1879).
  • Sanseverino: città vescovile dello Stato Pontificio . Tipografia Emiliana, Venice 1856 (Italian).
  • Risposta all'autore delle Noteie storiche della Chiesa di Verona intorno alla verità delle sacre reliquie de santi Fermo, Rustico, e Procolo, che conservansi nella chiesa cattedrale della città di Bergamo . Fratelli Rossi, Bergamo 1849 (Italian).
  • Delle pontificie funzioni della settimana santa e del solenne pontificale di Pasqua, descrizione di Gaetano Moron . Tipografia Emiliana, Venice 1842 (Italian).
  • Le cappelle pontificie cardinalizie e prelatizie: opera storico-liturgica, di Gaetano Moroni romano, primo aiutante di camera di Sua Santità Gregorio XVI . Tipografia Emiliana, Venice 1841 (Italian).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Biblioteca Casanatense ms. 5330 ; The Catholic Encyclopedia . tape X . Robert Appleton Company, 1911.
  2. ↑ Catalogo della ricca biblioteca appartenuta alla chiara ed illustrious memoria del Commendatore Gaetano Moroni . Tipografia Fratelli Pallotta, Rome 1884.
  3. ↑ Library Associates Newsletter , March 1982 ( Memento August 30, 2008 on the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Gaspare Di Gregorio, Nello Vian (ed.): Memorie dell'aiutante di Camera . Fratelli Palombi Editori, Rome 1975 (10 illustrated brochures published on L'Urbe ).
  5. ↑ Treccani
  6. ↑

    “Come paga le bbarbe ar Cammeriere.
    Je le paga accusí, cche cquer regazzo
    da quarche mmese in qua cch'era un barbiere,
    ggià ha comprato tre viggne e un about palazzo. "

    - G. Belli : Le miffe de li Ggiacubbini

literature

Web links

Wikiquote: Gaetano Moroni  - Quotes (Italian)
Commons : Gaetano Moroni  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Moroni, Gaetano
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian bibliographer and author
DATE OF BIRTH October 17, 1802
PLACE OF BIRTH Rome
DATE OF DEATH November 3, 1883
Place of death Rome