Details

Subjects:

Pius IV, Pope, 1499-1565.
Pius V, Pope, 1504-1572.
Gregory XIII, Pope, 1502-1585.
Basilica di S. Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio (Rome, Italy).
Catholic Church -- Customs and practices.
Catholic Church.
Catholic Church -- History.
History.
Catholic Church -- Liturgy.
Liturgics.
Papacy -- History -- 1447-1565.
Papacy.
Papacy -- History -- 1566-1799.

Form/Genre:

Codices.
Diaries.
Manuscripts, Latin.
Manuscripts, Renaissance.

Language:

Latin.

Biography/History:

The author, calling himself Cornelius Firmanus de Maxerata [i.e., Macerata] in the manuscript, is the same person as Ludovicus Bondonus de Branchis (see L. Pastor, Storia dei papi, vol. VII (Rome, 1950), p. 11, n. 1). He was master of ceremonies in the basilica of San Marco Evangelista al Campidoglio (p. 1).

Summary:

First-person diary of the ceremonies and events in the Vatican during portions of the reigns of Popes Pius IV, Pius V and Gregory XIII, covering the years 1565-1573, by Ludovicus Bondonus de Branchis (p. 1-466). The author provides an almost day-by-day account of the events, ceremonies and functions of which he was in charge, from the death of Pius IV to the beginning of the pontificate of Gregory XIII. An index (p. 473-506), complete only through the letter T, ends in the middle of that section, at the end of quire 24. Also includes, probably by the same author, Supplicationes et misse pro liberatione Christianorum pro bello Turcarum contra Imperatorem (p. 507-512); and Supplicationes pro bello Ugonoctarum contra Regem Francie (p. 512-546).

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from spine.
Incipit (p. 1): In nomine Domini Jesu Christo, ego Cornelius Firmanus de Maxerata, die Mercurii xxii mensis Augusti cepi possessionem officii Cerimoniarum[sic] in ecclesia Santi Marci in cuius Palatio sanctissimus dominus tunc habitabat, et dedi Cantoribus Capellae pro eorum biballiis scuta decem auri in auro secundum morem.
Collation: Paper, i + 274 + i; 1¹⁰(-1) 2⁸ 3¹² 4⁸ 5¹² 6⁸ 7¹² 8⁸ 9¹² 10⁸ 11¹² 12⁶ 13¹² 14⁸ 15¹² 16⁸ 17¹² 18⁸ 19¹² 20⁸ 21¹² 22⁸ 23¹² 24⁸ 25¹² 26⁶ 27¹⁰(-1) 28¹²; 1-342, 342-376, 378-464, [465-548]; contemporary pagination in ink, upper outer corner; modern pagination in pencil, upper right recto. Catchwords on lower right, most versos.
Script: Written in a cursive script by what appears to be a single hand.
Watermarks: Similar to Piccard, vol. 6, v: 351 (Rome, 1593, 1594).
Binding: Contemporary limp vellum, rebacked. Generally in good condition. Some stains present on the paper throughout. The edges of the leaves appear to have been trimmed before the manuscript was bound.
Origin: Written in Italy in the last quarter of the 16th century (Zacour-Hirsch).

Penn Provenance:

Purchased, 1967.

Cited in:

Described in Zacour, Norman P. and Hirsch, Rudolf. Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Libraries of the University of Pennsylvania to 1800 : Supplement A(2). Library Chronicle 36 (1970), p. 24 (Ms. Lea 428).
Pastor, L. Storia dei Papi, v. VII (Rome, 1950), p. 11, n. 1 et passim.
Merkle, S., ed. Concilium tridentium; diariorum ... nova collectio (Freiburg, 1901-1911), v. II, pp. 491-571. This contains a published portion of papal diaries for the years 1548-1563.

Cited as:

UPenn Ms. Codex 99

Contributor:

Firmanus, Cornelius.

Contains:

Supplicationes et misse pro liberatione Christianorum pro bello Turcarum contra Imperatorem.
Supplicationes pro bello Ugonoctarum contra Regem Francie.

OCLC:

155962401