Italy

• Centre for Documentation and Study of the John Paul II Pontificate
• Papal Institute of Church Studies
   

Centre for Documentation and Study of the John Paul II Pontificate
Via Cassia 1200
00189 Roma
Phone /Fax + 39 06 303 103 99
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Creation and short history
Centre for Documentation of the Pontificate was founded pursuant to a papal decree of 16 October 1981. It is located in the Polish House operating since 1980. Patronage over this institution is executed by the Administrative Council of the John Paul II Foundation, created pursuant to the abovementioned decree of 1981. The Centre gathers and makes available documents pertaining to papal teachings, prepares exhibitions and organises seminars on the subject.

Description of the collection
The Centre gathers book, archive and museum collections related directly or indirectly to the persons and activity of John Paul II. One of the main archival units is the archive of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, containing manuscripts of over 1200 sermons and speeches from the years 1956-1978, typescripts of articles and dissertations from the period 1956-1978, texts of 362 memorials written to the authorities of People’s Poland, typescripts of pastoral letters, announcements and orders of Karol Wojtyła as a bishop, archbishop, metropolitan bishop and cardinal. The Centre also has an archive of papal texts: homilies, speeches prepared for general audiences and pilgrimages, typescripts of published papal documents. This part of the documentation is available on CD-ROMs.

This collection is supplemented by audio documentation consisting of notes, records and tapes from 14 countries, visual documentation (films, videotapes), photo albums and a philatelic collection related to the Pope. An important part of the collection constitute donations made to John Paul II. In addition to the museum materials there are also invaluable old prints and manuscripts, including two original documents of Polish kings.

The book collection includes in the first place books with texts by the Pope and his publications published before the election to the Holy See (in total 20 thousand volumes). These are books published in all European and some Asian languages with texts of papal sermons delivered during audiences, masses, meetings, pilgrimages, as well as papal documents published on various continents. On the second place in the book collection there are works written by scientists commenting on the work of John Paul II which constitute subject bibliography. Also collected are books dedicated to the Pope by the authors themselves, as well as Polish and foreign church periodicals.

The Library has a separate reading room with a reference book collection (encyclopaedias, bibliographies, dictionaries, catalogues, source publications). It can be used by all the persons working on scientific papers on the person and teachings of John Paul II.

Great part of the book collection has been digitally catalogued.


Collaboration with the Head Office of State Archives
The archive collaboration was established in the end of 2008. It started with general analysis of the collection and definition of the most urgent needs of the Centre during a two-week visit of an archivist from Poland. Based on the report prepared and a working list of archive collections, in 2009 a three-month visit of another archivist was organised, he undertook both organisational and inventorying works and digitalisation of the collection.


Plan for future works
The gathered materials require both organisation and physical protection, i.e. repacking paper and photographic documentation to acid free folders and boxes. Also recording on new carriers of the audiovisual collection should be continued. The collection of albums and photos of John Paul II is to be digitalised and described in detail. In further perspective there is also a plan to scan paper documents, especially manuscripts of John Paul II.

 

Papal Institute of Church Studies
Piazza B. Cairoli 117
I-00186 Roma
Italy

 

Creation and short history
The Papal Institute of Church Studies was created upon the initiative of cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, Primate of Poland and Jesuit priests of Wielkopolskie-Mazowiecke Province. It started its activity on 8 September 1958. Its founder and first manager was Father Eugeniusz Reczek SJ (1916-1971). After transferring to Rome, the Institute was registered as a papal institute on 17 December 1970. The first seat was located in Rome at 37, Via Mecenate, since 1974 – at 117, Piazza B. Cairoli. The Institute is a Polish scientific and research centre storing documentation and offering access to information, especially in the scope of archive documentation of the Holy See on Polish history and matters. The main goal of the Institute is systematic research, registration, gathering and later making available the materials pertaining to the history of church in Poland within its historical borders. The Institute is also interested in archive materials kept in the collections of the Holy See and other church, state and private institutions, especially in Italy. From the beginning of its activity it has collected also original documents of Polish and Polish-Italian institutions, centres and publishing houses, as well as collections and legacies of private persons.

In addition to archive research the Institute organises symposiums, exhibitions, conferences and meetings. It also conducts publishing activity, publishing within its own series or in collaboration with other centres. In total around 100 publications were published, the Institute collaborates with scientific centres in Poland and abroad, both Polish and foreign. In 1976 an Information Centre of the Institute was created in Warsaw.


Description of the collection
The Institute’s archive collection is composed mainly of Polonica coming mostly from Vatican collections, and in the first place from the Secretum Vaticanum Archive, as well as such institutions as: Vatican Library, Historical Archives of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide, Archive of the Trident Council Congregation, Archive of Rite Congregation, Archive of Bishops and Monks Congregation.

The Institute also has original archive materials of a dozen institutions, Polish community and Polish-Italian centres and several dozens of collections and legacies of private persons, including the documents of Emeryk Hutten-Czapski, or the famous Polish painter, Leon Siemiradzki.

In addition it has photos pertaining to: Polish community celebrations, architectural monuments (especially religious ones), outstanding figures of religious and Polish community life, posters and leaflets from the celebrations of the millennium of Poland’s baptism and other celebrations, materials from the Solidarity period and pontificate of John Paul II, collection of postcards, as well as numismatic and philatelic collections. The audiovisual documentation is composed of records with Polish music, audio recordings, video tapes from Poland and abroad from the period of Solidarity, depicting life of the Polish community, activity of Polish organisations and institutions.

An important supplement to the archive materials is press. In total the Institute has around two thousand press titles as well as a collection of press cuttings. The book collection consists of 50 thousand volumes. In terms of their profile it is composed mainly of historical publications, chronologically and thematically related to research on Polonica in Vatican collections. Also collected are publications published outside Poland, in clandestine circulation, works on auxiliary sciences of history and source publications, biographies, encyclopaedias and dictionaries.


Collaboration with the Head Office of State Archives
The collaboration on description of the Institute’s collection was established in 2003. The delegated archivist prepared at the time an expertise on the condition of the files of the Polish Diplomatic Mission, described files and prepared records of the legacy of Witold Bronowski. During visits in 2004 and 2006 the files of the Polish Diplomatic Mission and the Polish Embassy at the Holy See from the years 1920-1925 were organised and the unit’s records were prepared.
The works in the years 2007-2008 were conducted thanks to the resources from operational programmes of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. In the said period two archivists were sent twice to work at the Institute, they described the legacy of Karol Kleszczyński, a soldier of Polish II Corps, publicist and journalist. In September 2009 the General Director of State Archives and the Head of the Institute signed an agreement to make available to the Institute the SEZAM and IZA databases free of charge. They will be used for inventorying and organisational works both at the Institute in Rome and at its Information Centre in Warsaw.


Plan for future works
Preparation of records of the entire collection with the use of SEZAM and IZA databases. Organisation of other archival units and collections.
 

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