Ecclesiastical Archives: A Source for History and a History of Sources. A project on Public History Teaching

Abstract

Ecclesiastical and religious archives are those that reflect the multifaceted activities of the
Catholic Church. A teaching project on documentary sources kept in ecclesiastical archives is herewith presented with the aim to be implemented in cooperation with the school library. The Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church published a circular letter on the pastoral function of ecclesiastical archives in which it is stated that archives were considered to be the places of memory of Christian communities and cultural factors for the new evangelisation. The ancient documents 'bear witness to the life and works of the church and together form a unique, essential and irreplaceable documentation, which is primarily intended to serve the church itself but also deserves to be preserved for the benefit of Historical Studies'. However, given their nature, these archives represent a very suitable source to develop school projects that can be carried out both in classrooms and in libraries.