Paolo Maria Paciaudi

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Portrait of Paciaudi by Giambattista Bodoni (around 1770), Portrait Collection of the Austrian National Library in Vienna

Paolo Maria Paciaudi ( November 23, 1710 in Turin – February 2, 1785 in Parma ) was an Italian Catholic clergyman, librarian and antiquarian (particularly numismatist and epigraphist ). Paciaudi is considered one of the central antiquarians of the European Enlightenment .

life, achievements and impact

Paciaudi was the son of a court doctor. He first attended the Jesuit school in Turin, then the University of Turin . After a year as a novice in the Theatine Order in Venice , he became a member of this order in 1729. This was followed by the study of philosophy , physics and mathematics at the University of Bologna , then theology at the University of Rome . Paciaudi was then a deacon in the diocese of Turin for some time and taught philosophy at the University of Genoa . There he was one of the first in Italy to teach the research results of Isaac Newton . About ten years as an itinerant preacher followed , including in Malta . During this time, during his travels throughout Europe, he had contact with many important people of his time and had access to many monuments, ongoing excavations and collections. When he had to give up his work as an itinerant preacher for health reasons, he became book reviser of the Sanctum Officium from June 23, 1745 with the Archbishop of Naples , Cardinal Giuseppe Spinelli . In this position he had permission to read banned books of both profane and ecclesiastical history . 1750 Paciaudi went to Rome, where he became historian of the Order of Malta and 1753 Procurator General of the Theatine Order, 1757 also Procurator General of the Order of Malta. During his time in Rome he had a good personal relationship with Pope Benedict XIV.

In 1761 Paciaudi became librarian to the Duke of Parma , Philip I of Bourbon ; he was promoted by Minister Guillaume Du Tillot . He was commissioned to set up a public library, the Reale Biblioteca di Parma (also Biblioteca Palatina ), a project which he tackled on a grand scale from 1762, not least with the help of his many European connections, and for which he wrote large volumes of books number bought. He traveled to various cities in Italy and France, also to find out about cataloging and the placement of books in libraries. For example, in 1762 he accompanied the prelate Lenti on a diplomatic trip to Paris , where he met the Comte de Caylus and Jean-Jacques Barthélemy and acquired numerous books. He also took part in the reforms of public administration promoted by du Tillot and the University of Parma , where he helped to push back the influence of the Jesuits . After the dissolution of the Jesuit order , Paciaudi became overseer of the Duchy's educational affairs. In 1763 he was also put in charge of the archaeological excavations at Veleia , where a local collection of antiquities was also established.

Philip's son and successor Ferdinand von Bourbon married Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria in 1769 . Under the influence of his wife, he dismissed du Tillot in 1771 and subsequently reversed many of the reforms. Paciaudi was also a victim of these events: his assistant, the Benedictine friar and librarian Andrea Mazza (1724-1793), reported him for mismanagement and embezzlement, whereupon Paciaudi was placed under house arrest for five months in the convent of Saint Christina in Parma . He was rehabilitated as early as 1772, but he was not released from the ducal service until 1774. He received an annual pension and settled in Turin. In 1778 Ferdinand brought him back to Parma, where he died in 1785. His successor as librarian was the Franciscan Ireneo Affò (1741-1797).

Since his days as an itinerant preacher, Paciaudi has been in correspondence with many European scholars. In addition to the Comte de Caylus and Barthélémy, these included Francesco Vettori , Philipp von Stosch , Domenico Silvio Passionei , Pierre-Jean Mariette , Joseph Pellerin and Antonio Francesco Gori , whom he supported, among other things, with purchases for his Museum Etruscum in southern Italy . Paciaudi was well-read in both profane and Christian archaeology , and his position as reviser in Naples was extremely helpful to him. He was also a profound connoisseur of ancient authors. In his archaeological research, he took the position that the autopsy was of great importance. The books he wrote testify to his great learning. He published in the fields of theology, numismatics, epigraphy and archaeology. Of particular importance are the two volumes of the Monumenta Peloponnesia commentariis explicita , in which he described Greek works of art from Venetian collections. He broke new scientific ground with his correspondence with the Comte de Caylus, through his interpretations of ancient Greek grave reliefs from archaeological instead of mythological perspectives, as was customary up to that point. This made a typological and iconographic interpretation possible. Paciaudi's importance for the classical studies of his time is reflected not least in the large number of memberships in learned societies and academies, almost all in Italy and many others in Europe, especially in France and German countries, including the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres in Paris, the Accademia Toscana di Scienze e Lettere "La Colombaria" in Florence , the Societas Latina Jenensis in Jena and the Palatinate Academy of Sciences in Mannheim .

Fonts (selection)

  • De sacris christianorum balneis. Venice 1750 ( digital copy , the oldest monograph on the history of early Christian baptisteries ).
  • De cultu S. Joannis Baptistae antiquitates Christianae. Rome 1755 ( digital copy ).
  • De athletarum κυβιστήσει in palaestra Graecorum commentarius. Rome 1756.
  • Monumenta Peloponnesica. 2 volumes, Rome 1761 ( digitized volume 1 , volume 2 ).
  • Memorie de'gran maestri del sacro militar Ordine Gerosolimitano. 3 volumes, Stamperia Reale, Parma 1780.
  • Lettres de Paciaudi,... au comte de Caylus , avec... un essai sur la vie et les écrits de cet antiquaire italien... par A. Sérieys . Paris 1802 ( digital copy ).

literature

web links

Commons : Paolo Maria Paciaudi  - Collection of images
personal data
SURNAME Paciaudi, Paolo Maria
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Paciaudus, Paul Mary; Paciaudius, Paul Maria
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian Catholic clergyman and antiquary
BIRTH DATE November 23, 1710
PLACE OF BIRTH Turin
DATE OF DEATH February 2, 1785
PLACE OF DEATH parma