Sebastiano Andreantonelli

Sebastiano Andreantonelli (* 1594 in Ascoli Piceno ; † 1643 ibid) was an Italian priest and historian . His best known work is the Historiae Asculanae .

Known for his academic education, he proved from an early age that he was inclined to various disciplines. His ingenuity and interests led him to distinguish himself in various fields of knowledge such as history , poetry and law .

The historian is considered one of the most important authors on the history and culture of Ascoli Piceno. Ascoli's historiography is due to his careful and meticulous research. His works have always been valued and recognized as a solid reference source for knowledge of the changeable conditions of the city and were often provided with numerous epigraphic quotations. He was also counted among the most famous national writers by Giammaria Mazzuchelli and Girolamo Tiraboschi , who mentioned the Historiae Asculanae in Volume III of his Storia della Letteratura Italiana .

The city of Ascoli has named a street in the historic center after him (a "rua" after the place names used by Ascoli), where the house is located.

biography

There is little information about his life due to a lack of documentary sources. We do know, however, that he was born into a noble family and was a pupil of Erennio Massimi, Canon of Ascoli.

From 1612 onwards he went in search of information about the history of his city and looked in many archives for the essentials in order to collect the memoirs on the history of his homeland. All this is found in two resolutions of the Consiglio degli Anziani di Ascoli, dated December 6th and 11th, 1612 respectively, in which the Council itself submitted the requests for consultation submitted by Andreantonelli "of books, writings and privileges of the secretariat" necessary for the drafting and description of the famous things useful by Ascoli, unanimously adopted.

He later moved to Rome, where he obtained his doctorate in law after studying with Pompeo Ugonio.

Ordained as a priest, on June 1, 1620, Bishop Sigismondo Donati made him head of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta near Spinetoli , a parish which he took over on June 16 of the same year. He stayed here until 1639. During this time he devoted himself to the obligations of religious life and the elaboration of his Historiae Asculanae and neglected the practice of his legal profession . He also spent part of his life in the Calabrian city ​​of Mileto , where he held the position of vicar general of his cousin, the Minorite Bishop Virgil Capponi. After the death of Capponi he returned to his hometown and received the titles of Canon of the Cathedral of Sant'Emidio and Apostolic Protonotary .

The versatility of his knowledge brought Andreantonelli in connection with the great Italian academies such as the Roman and the Parthenope, he was also chairman of the Accademia degli Imperfetti of the city of Ascoli, which stood under the motto Perfecta producam .

Andreantonelli died in 1643, at the age of only 49.

To mark his death, Domenico Urbani Veneto wrote the text Ascoli Sospirosa , a long ode to the historian Ascolis:

« Ascoli tu, che dalle stelle avesti
Con l'inclito natal Ciel si benigno;
Tu ch'hai partorir quel Cigno,
Che nel Ciel della gloria orna i tuoi gesti. »

His remains are kept in the crypt of Sant'Emidio, in which the Imperfetti dedicated a tombstone to his memory with the following inscription:

" SEBASTIANO ANDREANTONELLO JC HVIVS Basilicae CAN.co MILETI VICARIO PROTHON.o APOSTOL.o poetae HISTORICO ANTIQVARIO LEPIDISS.o CANDIDISS.o Versato QVI vivens INTER Românaş ET PARTHENOPAEAS ACADEMIAS COMMENDATVS LVSIT ASCVLANAM IMPERFECTORVM CVIVS MODERATOR OCCIDIT ILLVSTRAVIT eadem ACADEMIA PRINCIPI DE SE BMLLPAo Dm M DCXLIII. »

“Sebastiano Andreantonelli lawyer, canon of this cathedral, episcopal vicar of Miletus, apostolic protonotary, poet, historian, scholar, very elegant and refined man of letters, who during his lifetime cultivated his humanistic studies with great honor at the Roman and Parthenopian academies, made the Accademia Ascolana degli Imperfetti, of which he was rector, famous and died in that position. The same academy for its President with affection and grateful spirit in the year of the Lord 1643. ”

Works

All of his texts written in Latin were printed by his nephews Francesco Antonio and Carlo Celidonio Andreantonelli after his death.

In the city of Ascoli, in the Archivio Storico Comunale, there is a note on the resolution of the Consiglio dei Cento e della Pace of 14 May 1713, in volume 281 of the Libro delle spese of June 28, 1713, as confirmation of the distribution of his books paid a scudo and 25 baiocchi to Girolamo Morelli, who had sent a volume of the Historiae Asculanae by Andreantonelli to the city of Senigallia , where it was to be kept for public consultation.

Historiae Asculanae

This text, divided into four books, is his greatest work. It was left without a complete makeover by the writer because of his untimely death. His maternal grandchildren tried to complete and correct it, and openly stated that they felt they were not adequately prepared.

• The Liber Primus is about antiques . In this volume, the author describes the morphology of the territory of Ascoli, the historical origins of the city, supplemented by references to the legends that have been handed down, the reports on the territorial expansion of the Picenos , the interpretation and possible meaning of the city's coat of arms, the customs and traditions of the Ascolians , the gods revered in the city and the special cult of Ancaria as well as the origin of the place names.
• In Liber Secundus he tells the story of Ascoli including the pre-Roman and Roman times up to the social wars.
• The Liber Tertius is about the alliance war against the city of Rome in the period between 90 and 88 BC. The text also contains information about the history of the country up to 1426 . In the text, the author particularly highlights the characters of Gaius Vidacilius , a brave leader of Ascoli, who killed himself in the presence of his fellow citizens, and Publius Ventidius Bassus .
• In the Liber Quartus he collects reports on the history of Ascoli's most famous personalities. The historian lists them systematically and divides them into categories of belonging, such as: For example: saints, blessed people, bishops, lawyers, writers, doctors, scientists and soldiers. A lot of space is given in this volume to the first bishop of Ascoli, Saint Emidio, and other religious consecrated representatives, including Blessed Corrado, Pope Nicholas IV and Saint James of the Marches.

Asculanae Ecclesiae historiarum liber unicus

This text deals with the history of the Church in Ascoli. In the first part, the author provides detailed information about all the churches and religious institutions in the city. In the second part he chronologically lists the bishops and tells the history and vicissitudes of the Diocese of Ascoli Piceno.

Brief summary of the story of Ascoli

The volume consists of an abridged version of the book of Historiae Asculanae, which was printed in Italian in 1676 in the city of Ascoli.

poetry

A volume in which his poetic texts are collected. In it the author describes the advantages of places and his commitment to peace.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A previous treatise on the story of Ascoli Piceno was written by Antonio Bonfini for Queen Beatrix of Aragón , but had already been lost at the time of Andreantonelli and could not be found despite a persistent search.
2. ^ Giuseppe Marinelli, work cited, translation of Alberto Cettoli's grave plaque.

literature

• Giacinto Cantalamessa Carboni: Memorie intorno ai letterati della città di Ascoli nel Piceno . 1830, p. 178-179 (Italian, reprint, Forni Editore, Bologna, 1972).
• Sebastiano Andreantonelli: Storia di Ascoli . G. e G. Gagliardi Editori, Centro Stampa Piceno, Ascoli Piceno June 2007, p. 7–16, 23, 25 (Italian, indices and notes by Giannino Gagliardi).
• Giuseppe Marinelli: Dizionario Toponomastico Ascolano . La Storia, i Costumi, i Personaggi nelle Vie della Città. D'Auria Editrice, Ascoli Piceno March 2009, p. 32-33 (Italian).

Web links

Wikisource: Sebastiano Andreantonelli  - Sources and full texts (Italian)