Archival Funds

1. Acta Sacrae Congregationis –Acta- (1622-1938) 311 volumes

The Acta are the minutes of the Congregazioni Generali (monthly meetings of Cardinals and other members of the Congregation: the reports of the Cardinal Ponente or of the Secretary and the resolution taken by the members. Thus, the Acta reflect the main Conmgregation’s activities and decisions regarding its various duties and competences.

1. Scritture Originali riferite nelle Congregazioni Generali (SOCG) -Original documents referred to in the general meetings- (1622-1892) 1044 volumes

This fund is made up of an ensemble of documents used as a basis for discussion in the Congregazioni Generali (the monthly meetings): letters and “pro memoria” from Bishops, Missionaries and Princes, dispatches from Nuncios and Apostolic Delegates, the Synods Acta, apostolic visitations, the consultor’s opinion, etc.

1. Congregazioni Particolari – Special Commissions-
   • Congregazioni Particolari -CP- (1622-1864) 161 volumes + 2 miscellanea
   • Acta Congregationis Particularis super rebus Sinarum et Indiarum Orientalium

-Acta CP- (1665-1856) 24 volumes

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   • Scritture Originali della Congregazione Particolare delle Indie e Cina –SOCP-

(1667-1856) 78 volumes + 3 miscellanea

If there were special difficulties concerning a certain question, the Congregation entrusted it to a special commission of Cardinals, whose members were normally chosen by the Holy Father. According to circumstances, the commission might also include other members who were  experts in such fields as Theology or Canon Law. The commission’s mandate was to study the matter submitted to it and to present a solution, after which it ceased to exist.

1. Scritture riferite nei Congressi –Documents referred to in the weekly meetings- (SC) 1558 volumes

Although the documents of this Archival Fund were of secondary importance for the Propaganda Fide Congregation and were not discussed in the General Meetings. They were however discussed in the weekly meetings and are most precious from a historical point of view because they reflect, in a certain way, the daily life of the missions. For practical reasons, the Fund is divided into two Series.

The first series contains the letters which reached Propaganda from the mission lands and, therefore, there is an obvious reason for its geographical distribution.

The second series contains material directly referring to the Propaganda Fide Congregation or to different Institutions depending on it.

First series:

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   • Second series:

1. Lettere  -Letters- (1622 – 1892) 388 volumes

This letters refer to trhe execition of decisions taken by the Prefect alone, or by the General or Particular meetings, or by the Weekly meetings. These letters often explain the content and the spirit of the decision taken, which is usually written in a very concise style. 

1. Decreti –Decrees- (1622 – 1675, 1719 – 1819) 8 volumes

It contains the transcriptions of Decrees resulting from General Congregations (meetings) and occasionally some Decrees of the weekly meetings.

1. Brevi e Bolle –Briefs and Bulls- (1775 – 1952) 11 volumes

It contains the most solemn pontifical decisions concerning Propaganda’s territories (erection of Apostolic Vicariates, appointments of bishops, etc.)

1. Istruzioni –Instructions- (1623 – 1808) 7 volumes

For the history of the missions, this is one of the most importanr Archival Funds. It contains the instructions sent by Propaganda to the Nuncios, Bishops, Apostolic Vicars and other mission Superiors concerning various points of discipline.

1. Udienze di Nostri Signore o Udienze –Audiences with the Holy Father- (1666 – 1895) 254 volumes

Collection of requests to HIs Holiness.

Lesser Funds

• Fondo Vienna -Vienna Collection-  74 volumes

Volumes from different funds, returned to Propaganda in 1925, after the French government had transported them to Vienna. 

• Sinodi Diocesani -Diocesan Synods- 19 volumes + 2 miscellaneous

Collection of Synods held in the Congregation’s territories.

• Atti della Commissione per la revisione delle Regole -Acta of the Commission for the revision of Rules- (1887 – 1908) 26 volumes

Collection of documents relating to a special commission presided by a Cardinal for the revision of the Rules of Institutes dependent on Propaganda.

• Miscellanea (Varie – Generali – Diverse) 121 volumes

Volumes of different origin, in no specific order 

• Informazioni -Informations- (1696 – 1730) 17 volumes

Divided into two parts: the first part probably comes from the Archives of the Company of Jesus (Jesuits) and the second part contains information and notes on the temporal state of the Propaganda Fode Congregation from the beginning of the 18^th Century.

• Fondo Spiga  -Spiga Collection- (1628 – 1728) 86 volumes

Collection of letters received and written by Archbishop Agostino Steffani, Titular Bishop of Spiga and Apostolic Vicar of the Upper and Lower Saxony from 1705 to 1728. These documents are of great importance for Germany’s ecclesiastical history.

• Fondo Consalvi -Consalvi Collection- 37 volumes

The famous Secretary of State, Cardinal Ercole Consalvi, became later the Prefect of the Propaganda Fide Congregatio (1824) and it was to the Congregation that he left his private archives. The collection concerns the Consalvy family history, the Cardinal’s literary activity and other activities in the Roman Curia.

• Regestum Facultatum -Register of faculties- (1670-1895) 19 volumes

This is an Index, partly in alphabetical order (according to countries), partly in chronological order, of the ordinary and extraordinary Missionary Faculties, granted by Propaganda Fide or by the Holy Office.

• Collezione di Istruzioni, Circolari e Decreti a stampa (17th Century-1903) 3 volumes

This is a collection Instructions, Circular Letters and Decrees from the Propaganda Fide Congregation. The documents are not arranged in chronological order.

• Archivio della Procura della Congregazione nell’Estremo Oriente (Macao)

These are the Archives of the Propaganda Fide Congregation’s “Procuratore” for the Missions in the Far East. Many thought it had been destroyed, but all the documents were transferred to Rome by the first Apostolic Delegate to China, Archbishop Celso Costantini.

PART TWO

La Nuova Serie -“The Code Numbers System” (1893 onwards)

At the beginning of 1893 a radical change was made in the Archives’ system with the adoption of Rubriche (Code numbers corresponding to titles) and Protocollo (protocol numbers corresponding to the order in which the documents were received).

In the new system each document (report, letter, minute, decree, instruction, presentation, etc.) receives a Protocol number according to the order in which it is received  and it is under this number that it is entered in the Protocol Register. A further step was made in 1923 with the introduction of Sottorubriche (Subtitles) thus providing an ulterior element of identification of archival material.

Each volume of the Nuova Serie has at the end an index of the documents contained therein. Copies of the indexes are available to the researchers in Research Room.