The library - approx. 45,500 open access volumes - is located in the college building of the Campo Santo Teutonico in the Vatican and is, in terms of book stock and use, a semi-public joint library of the priests’ college and the RIGG. It is run by the Director in consultation with the Rector of the priests’ college. The online catalogues contain only titles added since 1999.

Fields of collection are

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is accessible in the reading room. The user promises not to knowingly search for, distribute or download any illegal or immoral material.

Access and use of the library

To get to the college, you have to pass the Swiss Guard (also speaks German) next to the Palace of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Then walk 100 metres to the Vatican Gendarmerie (speaks Italian) and explain that you want to go to the Campo Santo library. Access must be granted. If you have any problems, you should call Dr. Karin Mair. One enters the cemetery and turns left, then right, where, after 20 m, one comes to the college entrance. There is the bell. The library is on the 2nd floor.

20220501 144208

Library rules

Every visitor must fill in a form (printable here) and bring two passport photos. Coats, bags and food are not allowed in the library. On your first visit, you will receive a library card for 10 euros, which entitles you to visit the library for one year during opening hours. The card is to be shown especially to the Swiss Guard and the Gendarmerie. However, it does not give automatic right of entry to the Vatican.

The library regulations can be found here. Books cannot be borrowed, but they can be photographed or scanned. Used books should be placed on the table at the entrance.

On 18 November 2015, the " Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI Roman Library" was inaugurated at Campo Santo Teutonico as part of the joint library of the priests' college and the RIGG. The collection, which has now grown to 2,000 titles, is not the Pope's former private library, but the publications of the provost and Pope Ratzinger in all languages and studies about him. This library, whose core holdings were donated by Pope Benedict himself, is to be made accessible to the public according to his will in the joint library supervised by the Roman Institute of the Görres Society. This is guaranteed during the general opening hours (Monday to Thursday 15.30-19.30).

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Scientific contact: Prof. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Rome / Milan), collaborator of the Fondazione Vaticana Joseph Ratzinger / Benedetto XVI

Benefactor and patrons:

The Archive of the Roman Institute of the Görres Society (recommended abbreviation: ARIGG) includes, in addition to certain fragmentary holdings (of Joseph Wilpert, Arnold Angenendt, etc.), above all a chronologically ordered business correspondence of all directors of the Institute:

  • 1888-1895 Johann Peter Kirsch
  • 1895-1926 Stephan Ehses
  • 1926-1941 Johann Peter Kirsch
  • 1941-1949 Hermann Stoeckle
  • 1949-1959 Engelbert Kirschbaum S.J.
  • 1959-1971 Ludwig Voelkl
  • 1972-1975 Ambrosius Eszer O.P.
  • 1975-2010 Erwin Gatz

Holdings

The material is arranged in 13 series (no finding aids):

  1. General (26 folders: business correspondence of directors Kirsch, Ehses, Kirsch, Stoeckle, Kirschbaum, Voelkl, Eszer and Gatz: 1876-2010).
  2. Staff (2 folders: 1950-2010)
  3. Römische Quartalschrift (11 folders: 1931-2005)
  4. Public lectures (1 folder: 1975-1990)
  5. Miscellaneous (V.1: Festschrift Hoberg; V.2: Copies of correspondence Ehses and Kirsch archived elsewhere; V.3: Lists of participants in the General Assemblies of the Görres Society 1955-2010 and invitations to the General Assemblies 1951-2010)
  6. Unione Internazionale degli Istituti di Archeologia, Storia e Storia dell'Arte in Roma (3 folders: 1956-1986)
  7. Unclassified old material (VII.1 and VII.2: business correspondence and working documents of directors Kirsch and Ehses (esp. 1920s), Jerusalem Institute, Hubert Jedin; VII.3: library documents (from 1884); tracts by Vinzenz Schweitzer)
  8. Stephan Ehses
  9. Joseph Wilpert
  10. Walter Kuhn
  11. Varia (material without affiliation)
  12. Ludwig Voelkl. There is also the extensive basilica phototheque of Voelkl (unfinished) and the phototheque on the necropolis of St. Peter's acquired under Eszer (incomplete).
  13. Erwin Gatz

Supplementary holdings

The most extensive archival holdings of the Görres Society (in addition to the archive of the Görres Society, the Onnau Collection) are located in the Historical Archive of the Archdiocese of Cologne. This is the Görres-Depot, which largely contains materials from the foundation of the Society until 1938. The Finding aid is compiled by Hans Elmar Onnau is now available online. However, the depth of indexing varies greatly. If one is looking for letters from specific persons, one cannot rely on this finding aid, but must consult the holdings oneself. The same applies to the Onnau Collection, which is also located in the HAEK and includes many archival records of the Görres Society from the beginnings up to the 1970s. However, the post-war years are almost completely missing. This collection has a finding aid which is not accessible online.

The archives of the Campo Santo Teutonico contain the files of the rectors, in many of which matters of the Görres Society or the Römische Quartalschrift can be found: Campo Santo and GG 1894-1914 (ACST 10 750) and 1955-1960 (ACST 10 755), correspondence of Rector Stoeckle (ACST 20 020 to 20 050), Stoeckle and the RQ 1943 (ACST 20 150), Schuchert and the RQ 1955-1962 (ACST 21 075), Gugemus and the RQ (ACST 22 100 - 22 112 under "R") and Hanssler and the GG 1960-1972 (ACST 23 030) and 1972-1974 (ACST 23 031).

In addition, there are (fragmentary) bequests for Kirsch, Stoeckle and Voelkl in the archive of the priests' college at Campo Santo, as well as other scattered files (e.g. ACST 17 150-17 151: Study courses for teachers of religion organised by the College and the RIGG 1959-1970; 10 750: A. de Waal's relations with the Görres Society 1884-1914; 10 755: A. Schuchert's relations with the Görres Society 1955-1960). Kirsch's main bequest is in the archives of the Pontifical Institute for Christian Archaeology, Kirschbaum's in the archives of the Jesuit University Gregoriana, both in Rome.


Literature

C. Regin, Tesori di carta. Guida agli archivi e alle collezioni degli istituti membri dell'Unione Internazionale degli Istituti di Archeologia, Storia e Storia dell'Arte in Roma, Roma 1998, 79-81.

The Institute has approximately 300 journals, some of which continue to be subscribed to. Here you can find the current list of existing journals (PDF).

Current journals and series:

A. in conjunction with the Görres Society:

  • Historisches Jahrbuch
  • Jahres- und Tagungsbericht der Görres-Gesellschaft
  • Kirchenmusikalisches Jahrbuch
  • Literaturwissenschaftliches Jahrbuch
  • Oriens Christianus
  • Philosophisches Jahrbuch
  • Politik- und Kommunikationswissenschaftliche Veröffentlichung der Görres-Gesellschaft
  • Römische Quartalschrift für Christliche Altertumskunde und Kirchengeschichte (Hauszeitschrift)

B. Others:

  • Acta Apostolicae Sedis
  • Annuario Pontificio
  • Analecta Bollandiana
  • Annalen des Historischen Vereins für den Niederrhein
  • Annuario. Unione Internazionale degli Istituti di Archeologia, Storia e Storia dell'Arte in Roma
  • Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum
  • Archiv für katholisches Kirchenrecht
  • Archiv für Liturgiewissenschaft
  • Archiv für Mittelrheinische Kirchengeschichte
  • Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte
  • Archiv für Schlesische Kirchengeschichte
  • Archivum Historiae Pontificiae
  • Bollettino dei Monumenti, Musei e Gallerie Pontificie
  • Bulletin. Association pour l'Antiquité Tardive
  • Bulletin d'Histoire Bénédictine
  • Byzantinische Zeitschrift
  • Communio. Internationale Katholische Zeitschrift
  • Das Münster
  • Deutsches Archiv für Erforschung des Mittelalters
  • Divinitas
  • Forum Katholische Theologie
  • Freiburger Diözesan-Archiv
  • Funde und Ausgrabungen im Bezirk Trier
  • Germania. Anzeiger der Röm.-Germ. Kommission des DAI
  • Gregorianum
  • Herderkorrespondenz
  • Historische Zeitschrift (endet 2018)
  • Jahrbuch für Antike und Christentum
  • Jahrbuch für mitteldeutsche Kirchen- und Ordensgeschichte
  • Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes
  • Klerusblatt
  • Korrespondenzblatt des Collegium Germanicum et Ungaricum
  • La Basilica di S. Pietro. Notiziario Mensile
  • Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Römische Abteilung
  • Mitteilungen des Instituts für Österreichische Geschichtsforschung
  • Mitteilungen zur Christlichen Archäologie
  • Münchener Theologische Zeitschrift
  • Orientalia Christiana Periodica
  • Papers of the British School at Rome
  • [Personalschematismen zahlreicher deutschsprachiger Bistümer]
  • Philosophisches Jahrbuch
  • Pro Lingua Latina
  • Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken (DHI)
  • Rendiconti. Atti della Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia
  • Revue Bénédictine
  • Revue des Sciences Religieuses
  • Rivista di Archeologia Cristiana
  • Römische Historische Mitteilungen (ÖHI)
  • Römisches Jahrbuch der Bibliotheca Hertziana
  • Rottenburger Jahrbuch für Kirchengeschichte
  • Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Religions- und Kulturgeschichte
  • Slovak Studies. Rivista dell'Istituto storico slovacco di Roma
  • Theologie und Glaube
  • Theologisch-praktische Quartalschrift
  • Theologische Quartalschrift
  • Theologische Revue
  • Trierer Theologische Zeitschrift
  • Vatican-Magazin
  • Vigiliae Christianae (endet 2018)
  • Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte, Kanonistische Abteilung
  • Zeitschrift für Bayerische Kirchengeschichte
  • Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte
  • Zur Debatte

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