Adamo Rossi (March 5, 1821 in

Petrignano Petrignano is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Assisi in the Province of Perugia, Umbria, central Italy. It stands at an elevation of 212 metres above sea level on the right bank of the Chiascio River, c. 8 km east to Assisi. At the time of the ...

– February 22, 1891 in

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

) was an Italian clergyman, revolutionary patriot, scholar and librarian.

Career

After studying at the archdiocesan seminary of Perugia, Rossi took part in the

First Italian War of Independence The First Italian War of Independence ( it, Prima guerra d'indipendenza italiana), part of the Italian Unification (''Risorgimento''), was fought by the Kingdom of Sardinia (Piedmont) and Italian volunteers against the Austrian Empire and other ...

as a military chaplain for the Perugia volunteers. Back in Perugia, he maintained a long correspondence with the government of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Kin ...

, which at the time seized power in the city of Rome and expelled the Pope. This caused Rossi to be suspended from his clerical position by Pope

Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

and removed from his teaching job. In 1857 he was appointed librarian at the Library Augusta (of which he was director from 1858 to 1886). After 1860 – with the end or rule by the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

– he also taught Italian and Latin at a high school. In 1862 Rossi definitely broke with the Church, resigned from his ecclesiastical position and got married. He devoted himself entirely to the study of

palaeography Palaeography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, UK) or paleography (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") ...

diplomatics Diplomatics (in American English, and in most anglophone countries), or diplomatic (in British English), is a scholarly discipline centred on the critical analysis of documents: especially, historical documents. It focuses on the conventions, p ...

and the social, literary and artistic history of Perugia, and produced extensive publications. He was commissioned by the Municipality of Perugia to draw up an inventory of codices, books and paintings confiscated from monasteries. In 1868 Rossi published in his ''Ricerche per le biblioteche di Perugia'' three novelle by

Antonio Francesco Grazzini Antonio Francesco Grazzini or Antonfrancisco Grazzini (March 22, 1503February 18, 1584) was an Italian author." Biography He was born at Florence or in Staggia Senese (he wrote of himself: Rime di Antonfrancesco detto il Lasca'', parte prima ...

, from a 16th-century manuscript found in the Comunale of Perugia.

Theft allegation

In 1885, suspicion of theft fell on Rossi, with regard to the disappearance of an

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, the ...

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

De Officiis ''De Officiis'' (''On Duties'' or ''On Obligations'') is a political and ethical treatise by the Roman orator, philosopher, and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero written in 44 BC. The treatise is divided into three books, in which Cicero expounds h ...

. He underwent a lengthy administrative and judicial investigation, which eventually exonerated him of the theft but did reveal evidence of gross negligence. Embittered by this affair, Rossi resigned the following year and went on to teach Latin at the high school of

Bevagna Bevagna is a town and ''comune'' in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria), in the flood plain of the Topino river. Bevagna is south-east of Perugia, west of Foligno, north-north-west of Montefalco, south of Assisi and ...

. He died shortly thereafter, of cardiac complications. The culprit in the theft was never found. Suspicion fell on a janitor who a few years later became well-to-do enough to build for himself a fine house. The former janitor's house was nicknamed "Villa Cicero" by residents of Perugia.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rossi, Adamo People from Perugia Italian people of the Italian unification 20th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests Italian scholars Italian librarians 1821 births 1891 deaths