The Historical Archives of the Compagnia di San Paolo
by Anna Cantaluppi (editor)
The first essay – ‘The Vineyard of Madama Reale, Christine of France’, by Elisabetta Gabetti – deals with the place where the Archives are housed. After recalling the troubled period of Madama Cristina (Christine of France, also known as “Madama Reale”), who wished to build on the hills of Turin her Vineyard, a private house that was also an official residence, goes over the events, the changes of ownership and the transformations of the villa from the seventeenth century until today.
The second section – ‘The history of the Compagnia di San Paolo over the centuries’ by Anna Cantaluppi – tackles the long and complex history of the Compagnia di San Paolo, a history closely intertwined first with Turin and the Duchy of Savoy, and later with Italian and European history. The historical course of the Compagnia is undoubtedly a distinct and rather unique one, but it may be considered a case history: the tie between spirituality and solidarity, the connection between credit and charity, the evolution of assistance into education and philanthropy, economic and financial development accompanied by social and cultural progress, are indeed the hallmarks of many Italian institutions, brotherhoods, charities, educational institutes, hospitals, pawnbroking institutions, banks and foundations.
The third part – ‘The fonds of the Historical Archives’, by Anna Cantaluppi – provides an updated guide to the archival fonds open for consultation. These have been considerably expanded by recent arrangements and acquisitions. For each fonds the essay provides information on extent and date range, outlines the institutional profile, looks at the archival tradition and clarifies the methodological criteria used in the arrangement. Special attention has been paid to the analysis of San Paolo’s structure and to the functional organisation of the offices in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
COMPAGNIA DI SAN PAOLO, The Historical Archives of the Compagnia di San Paolo,
compiled and edited by A. Cantaluppi, Turin, 2008
