Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/341

 VATICAN

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VATICAN

lit 500 manuscripts. On 7 Dec, 1746, Benedict / purchased the " Fondo Cappoiiiano" (288). For [) gold scudi he later purcha.sed I he whole coUec- i of Cardinal Pictro Ottoboni (d. 1748), who sessed 3300 manuscript.s, obtained partly from the jritance of Queen Christina. Including some later itions, there are now in the Ottoboniana 3394 in and 472 Greek codices. In this, as in the other ve-mentioned closed collections, there are nianu- pts of the highest value. (Cf. Ruggieri-Marini, emorie Lstoriche degli Archivi della Santa Sede e a Biblioteca Ottoboniana ora riuiiita alia Vati- a", Rome, lS2.j.) Under Clement XIV and I'ius the Vaticana and collections a.ssociated with it erwent many vicissitudes. In 1797, 500 manu- pts were confiscated Ji/rc belli by the French Direc- ? (cf. "Recensio Manuscriptorum, qui ex universa liotheca Vaticana select! procuratoribus Galliarum hti fuere", Leipzig, 1S03 — very rare). Of these niscripts all except 36 were restored to the Vati- a.
 * mps and Sforza collections, and partly from the

n the nineteenth century the Vaticana acquired, des several hundred manusrri])ts, the papers of de Rossi, and a portion of the Maurinist corre- iidence through Cardinal Fesch. Through the chase, by Leo XIII, of the manuscripts belonging he Borghese family, almost 300 codices from the Avignon library, which had found their way via gnon-Aldobrandini to the Borghese, were thus ored to the Vaticana; furthermore, 100 real ghesiani, purchased by the Borghese, were found he collection. These acquisitions, with the archi- materials which are found in the secret archives, purcha-sed by Leo XIII for .525,000 francs in 1902, Barberini Archive being then added to the Vati- a. The transference of the Codices Borgiani from Propaganda to the Vaticana brought a very no- le addition to the collection of Orientalia, besides ing to the Latin and Greek sections (see Borgia, Fr.\N'0). These final and important additions of XIII, together with the acquisition of the Codices ibine with the great Vaticani collection to form the )stolic Library of the Vatican. (Cf. Carini, "Di [ni lavori ed acquisiti della Biblioteca Vaticana nel tificato di Leone XIII", Rome, 1892.) 10) The Legal Status of the Library. — The a.sser- is that the Vatican Library was the property of the Church or of the Holy See, but of the late lal States, were meant to prepare the way for the titual seizure of the library, or at Iciist its with- n-al from the operation of the Law of (iuarantees. 'se assertions called forth answers which made clear baseless ignorance in hi.storical matters of the in- ters and propagators of t his t heory. Isidoro Carini . cit.), then prefect of the Vatican Library, by •losing its general, and especially its financial, his- ,', furnished the most convincing proof that it ived its income from ecclesiastical properties or
 * elo Mai, Gaetano Marini, Visconli, Mazzucchelli,
 * 225,000 francs. A still more extensive library
 * ina;, Capponiani, Urbinates, and Ottoboniani,

private chattels of the poi)es, that the library ■ials derived t heir sal.aries not from the slate treas- r, but from the majordomo(a papal court official),, that in fine no sound argument could be brought vard to dislodge the Vaticana from its position 3ng the private po.s.sessions of the Apostolic See. s demonstration wa-s successful at every point. '. The Specola Vaticana. — A third centre of zealous ntific work at the Vatican is the observatory
 * Vatican Obsehvatohy).

). The Gallcrin Lnpidaria (Corrixloio delle Iscrizi- ). — Stimuli to scientific study are offered in abun- ice by the Gallery of Inscriptions, which connects

Muaeo Chiaramonti with the Appartamento rgia. No less than 0000 inscriptions in stone, as

well as numberless cippi, sarcophagi, capitals, statues, architectonic fragments, and other remains, are here collected, and have recently been greatly increased. Gaetano Marini, the second founder of Latin epig- raphy, systematically inserted in the walls on one side the Christian, and on the other the pagan, inscriptions. Begun under Clement XIV, and con- tinued under Pius VI, the work was completed under Pius VII. Here took place the first memorable meeting between the young de Rossi and Cardinal Angelo Mai.

E. The Loggie and the (udhria della Carte Geogra- fiche. — The Loggie of Gcograiihical Charts is situated on the third floor in the Cortilc di San Damaso over the Loggie of Raphael. The gallery is adjacent to the Gallcria drgh Arazzi (see VII, above). The material offered in both places for the history of cartography has been as yet only incompletely utilized. The charts undoubtedly represent highly important achievements. The paintings date from the end of the sixteenth century, being executed by Antonio Dante according to the sketches of his brother, Ignazio.

IX. The State Halls of the Vatican. — State halls for the celebration of various solemnities in the Vatican Palace came into existence gradually as their need became apparent; they reflect in their general decoration the taste prevailing at the periods of their construction. Although not so numerous as those in many royal palaces, the halls of the Vatican stand first in historical importance. Great events of interest for both profane and ecclesiastical history have taken place within them during the past cen- turies. As regards situat ion, there are two groups of rooms — the first in the immediate vicinity of the Sistine Chapel and the second before and in the papal suite. The former group includes the Sala Regia, Sala Ducale, and Sala dei Paramenti; in the second are the Sala Clementina, Sala Concistoriale, Sala degli Arazzi, and Sala del Trono. A. The Sala Regia. — Although not intended as such, this broad room is really an antechamber to the Sistine Chapel, reached by the Scala Regia (see below). To the left of the entrance formerly stood the papal throne, which is now at the opposite side before the door leading to the Cappella Paolina. The hall was begun under Paul III by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and was completed in 1573. The elegant barrel- vault is provided with the highly graceful and very impressive plaster decorations of Pierin del Vaga. The stucco ornaments over the doors are by Daniele da Volterra. The longitudinal walls are broken on the one side by two, and on the other by three, large doors, between which Giorgio Vasari antl Taddeo Zuccaro have introduced very powerful frescoes, whose effect is more than ornamental. They depict momentous turning-points in the life of the Church, among others the return of Ciregory XI from Avignon to Rome, the battle of Lepanto, the raising of the ban from Ilenry IV, and the reconciliation of Alexander III with Frederick Barbarossa. This hail served originally for the reception of princes and royal ambassadors. To-day the consistories are held in it, and an occasional musical recital in the presence of the pope; during a conclave it is a favour- ite promenade for the cardinals.

B. The Sala Dueale lies between the Sala Regia and the Loggie of Giovanni da LIdine. Formerly there were here two separate halls, which were con- verted into one by Bernini by the removal of the sep- arating wall (the ))osition of which is still clearly per- ceptible). The decorative ))aintings, whi(^h are of a purely ornamental natine, arc b>- Raffaellino da Reg- gio, Sabbatini, and Mattliaus Brill. In this impres- sive hall were formerly held the pviblic consistories for the reception of ruling princes. It now serves occa- sionally for the recept ion of pilgrims, the consecration