Title: Antonio Cavagna Sangiuliani Collection, 1116-1913
Predominant Dates:1600-1899
ID: 01/01/MSS00009
Primary Creator: Cavagna Sangiuliani di Gualdana, Antonio, conte (1843-1913)
Extent: 112.0 Linear Feet
Antonio Cavagna Sangiuliani (1843-1913) was a public official, book collector, and recognized authority on the history of the Lombardy and Piedmont regions in northern Italy. His library contained tens of thousands of books on history, genealogy, biography, and law, including city statutes and organizational bylaws. The manuscripts in the collection especially reflect the study of local history and include charters, chronicles, investitures, leases, and other legal instruments relating to Italian cities, organizations, and families.
All aspects of Italian history, from the Middle Ages to the first years of the twentieth century, are prominently represented in the Cavagna Sangiuliani Collection. Other topics which are heavily represented include art and architecture, church history and hagiography, engineering and fortification, military and religious orders, monasticism and religious life, Roman history and antiquities, and Italian academies and universities.
Primarily in Italian, the collection also contains works in Latin, French, and German. Among the books in the collection are incunables, rare and early printed books, pamphlets, and ephemera. Many of the historical documents are unique and found in no other library worldwide. In addition, the Cavagna Sangiuliani Collection also contains several thousand maps, both printed and manuscript.
The print materials from the Cavagna Sangiuliani Collection are available in the University Library's online catalog and can be accessed via the heading "Cavagna Sangiuliani Collection".
Born in Alessandria, Italy on August 15, 1843, Antonio Cavagna was adopted by his cousin Antonio Sangiuliani, Count of Balbiano, in 1853, and he added the surname to his own. Sangiuliani fought for Italian unification in the 1866 campaign and was discharged as a Second Lieutenant. He obtained a degree in law from the University of Rome in 1871 and managed his estates in the region of Pavia, serving in various public offices including municipal councilor and mayor.
A public official, book collector, and an expert on the history of both the Lombardy and Piedmont regions in northern Italy, Sangiuliani researched local history and published roughly two hundred works. His first publication in 1865 highlighted the medieval Sant'Alberto di Brutio abbey, and he maintained a large interest in the Italian Middle Ages.
His library contained tens of thousands of books on subjects ranging from local genealogy to law to Italian history, and his collection also included incunables. He established the Pavese Historical Bulletin in 1893 and the Pavese Society of Homeland History in 1901. Sangiuliani married twice and had four children. He died in Milan on April 5, 1913.
Sources
Massabo, Isabella Ricci. "Cavagna Sangiuliani, Antonio," in Biographical Dictionary of Italians, Vol. 22, 1979, https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/antonio-cavagna-sangiuliani_(Dizionario-Biografico)/. Accessed 28 September 2020.
Romano, Giacinto. "Count Antonio Cavagna Sangiuliani," in the Bulletin of the Pavese Society of Homeland History, Pavia, Fusi, 1913, pp. 218-225.
Sangiuliani, Antonio Cavagna. "Of the Abbey of S. Alberto di Butrio and the Monastery of S. Maria della Pieta known as the Rosary, in Voghera, province of Pavia." Historical Illustrations, Milan, Agnelli Typography, 1865.
Repository: Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Access Restrictions: The collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions:
This (item/collection) is the physical property of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Intellectual property rights, including copyright, may reside with the materials' creator(s) or their heirs.
The Rare Book & Manuscript Library's reproduction and publication policies are available here. The library welcomes requests for reproductions made from works in our collections, though restrictions may apply to certain materials. Please contact the library with any questions.
Acquisition Method: Purchased in 1921
Related Publications:
Many of the collection's manuscripts are listed in the following volume: Sexton, Meta Maria. Manuscripts and printed documents of the Archivio Cavagna Sangiuliani in the University of Illinois Library. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Library, 1950. Available online through the HathiTrust catalog: http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001173032
Mangiarotti, Emilia. Archivio Cavagna Sangiuliani: sezione relativa a Mede. Mede, [Italy]: 2000.