Zusammenfassung / Abstract
“The ‘central’ archives of the Crociferi order: a history of dispersion and preservation” – This study explores the archives of two central convents of the Crociferi order: Santa Maria del Morello in Bologna and Santa Maria in Venice. These institutions, integral to the order’s history, safeguarded documents pivotal to its religious and administrative life. Historical accounts by Marcantonio Boldù and Benedetto Leoni, composed in the 16th century, attest to significant losses in these archives due to war and fire but also highlight the survival of crucial papal decrees and institutional records. The 17th-century Codex 474, held in the Biblioteca Comunale ‘G. Comisso’ of Treviso, assembles a diverse collection of documents from various convents, illustrating the archival practices of the order and the dispersal of its materials following suppression. Alongside a reconstruction of the historical trajectories of the two archives, this study includes three appendices presenting the surviving documents, offering valuable insights into the administrative, spiritual, and cultural dimensions of the Crociferi order across centuries.