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Luigi Gaetano Marini

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Luigi Gaetano Marini (18 December 1742 – 7 May 1815) was an Italian natural philosopher, jurist, historian, archaeologist and epigraphist.[1][2]

Biography

Marini was born in Sant'Arcangelo (pagus Acerbotanus). Having received a comprehensive preparatory education at the College of San Marino and at the seminary at Rimini, he passed through the legal and philological studies at Bologna University brilliantly and graduated at Ravenna in utroque jure (in both canon and civil law). He went to Rome in December 1764, where he gained the friendship of Cardinal Alessandro Albani and Giuseppe Garampi. He entered into relations with the most distinguished scholars of his day and maintained an extensive correspondence with them. In 1772, he was appointed coadjutor to Marino Zampini, prefect of the archives, and the Roman Republic gave him the position of prefect of the archives at the Vatican and the Castel Sant'Angelo, as well as that of president of the Vatican Museum and the Vatican Library. On 18 August 1800, Pius VII made him primus custos of the Vatican Library and also prefect of the archives. In January 1805, he was made a cameriere d'onore to the pope. He died in May 1815.[3]

When the archives of the Roman Curia were seized and transferred to Paris by Napoleon, he accompanied them, reaching Paris on 11 April 1810. After Napoleon's fall, the Count of Artois, vice-regent and brother of the king, issued a decree on 9 April 1814 directing the restitution of the archives, of all documents and Manuscripts, and of several other collections to the Holy See. On 28 April, the papal commissioners, de Gregorio, Gaetano Marini, and his nephew Marino Marini, took charge of the whole of this property, but before they reached Rome, Gaetano Marini, who had long been an invalid, died in Paris on 7 May 1815.

Scholarship

Marini was a master of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, possessed great legal knowledge, and took up questions of natural philosophy. His great work on papyrus records is a standard work on the investigation of papyri. His book on the Arval Brethren of ancient Rome brought to light so much that was new, and its appearance created a stir.[4] His classification of five thousand inscriptions, both Christian and heathen, in the Galleria Lapidaria at the Vatican, earned for him the honorary title of "Restorer" of Latin epigraphy.[5] Marini was a cleric, but not a priest. He often prayed for hours before the Blessed Sacrament, and went to communion three times a week. During his residence in Paris and living as an invalid, he gave away alms to the extent of 3000 scudi, a significant sum at the time and for his situation.

Works

Principal works:

  • Degli Archiatri Pontifici, 1784: vol. 1, vol. 2
  • Gli atti e monumenti de' fratelli Arvali, 1795.
  • Iscrizioni antiche doliari (written between 1798 and 1799, published in 1884 by Giovanni Battista de Rossi)[6]
  • I papiri diplomatici, 1805.
  • Memorie istoriche degli Archivi... (posthumous)

Notes and References

Attribution
  • MARINO MARINI. Degli. Aneddoti di Gaetano Marini: Commentario di suo nipote (Rome, 1822);
  • MORONI, Dizionarzo di Erudizione Storico-Ecclesiatica, IV, 286;
  • MARINO MARINI, Memorie Storiche dell' occupazione e restitutione degli Archivii della S. Sede e del riacquisto de' Codici e Museo Numismatico del Vaticano e de' Manoscritti e parte del Museo di Storia Naturale di Bologna (Rome, 1885)

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Luigi Gaetano Marini — A natural philosopher, jurist, historian, archeologist, born at Sant' Orcangelo (pagus Acerbotanus), 18 Dec., 1742; died at Paris, 7 May, 1815. Having received a comprehensive preparatory education at the College of San Marino and at the seminary at Rimini, he was able to pass through the legal and philological studies at Bologna University brilliantly, and to graduate at Ravenna in utroque jure (in both branches of law). He went to Rome in Dec., 1764, where he gained the friendship of Cardinal Alessandro Albani and Garampi. He entered into relations with the most distinguished scholars of his day, and maintained with them an extensive correspondence. In 1772 he was appointed coadjutor to Marino Zampini, prefect of the archives; and was also given the position by the Roman Republic of prefect of the archives at the Vatican and the Castle of St. Angelo, as well as that of president of the Vatican Museum and the Vatican Library. On 18 Aug., 1800, Pius VII made him primus custos of the Vatican Library and also prefect of the archives. In Jan., 1805, he was made a cameriere d'onore to the pope.

When the archives of the Curia were carried off to Paris by Napoleon, he accompanied them, and reached Paris, 11 April, 1810. After Napoleon's fall the Count of Artois, viceregent and brother of the king, issued a decree on 19 April, 1814, directing the restitution to the Holy See of the archives, of all documents and Manuscripts, and of several other collections. On 28 April the papal commissioners, Mgr. de Gregorio, Mgr. Gaetano Marini, and his nephew Don Marino Marini, took charge of the whole of this property; but before it had reached Rome Gaetano Marini, who had long been an invalid, died at Paris. He was a scholar of eminent parts, a thorough master of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew; and possessed profound legal knowledge. By choice he took up questions of natural philosophy; as an archæologist and historian he is esteemed even today. His great work on papyrus records is a standard work on the investigation of papyri. His book on the Arval Brothers of ancient Rome, showed great erudition and brought to light so much that was new, that its appearance created considerable stir. His classification of five thousand inscriptions, both Christian and heathen, in the Galleria Lapidaria at the Vatican, is a masterpiece, and earned for him the honorary title of "Restorer" of Latin epigraphics ["Inscriptiones (only preserved in Manuscript) christianæ Latinæ et Græcæ ævi Milliarii conlegit digessit adnotationibusque auxit Caietanus Marinus a Bibliotheca Vaticana item a scriniis sedis apostolicæ. Duæ partes"]. Marini was a cleric, but not a priest. He was distinguished for his piety, often praying for hours before the Blessed Sacrament. He went to communion three times a week. During his residence in Paris he gave away alms to the extent of 3000 scudi (dollars).

MARINO MARINI. Degli. Aneddoti di Gaetano Marini: Commentario di suo nipote (Rome, 1822); MORONI, Dizionarzo di Erudizione Storico-Ecclesiatica, IV, 286; MARINO MARINI, Memorie Storiche dell' occupazione e restitutione degli Archivii della S. Sede e del riacquisto de' Codici e Museo Numismatico del Vaticano e de' Manoscritti e parte del Museo di Storia Naturale di Bologna (Rome, 1885).

References

  1. Back to citation Rocciolo, Domenico (2008). "MARINI, Gaetano". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (in Italian). Vol. 70: Marcora–Marsilio. Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. ISBN 978-88-12-00032-6.
  2. Back to citation Luigi Gaetano Marini entry (in Italian) in the Enciclopedia Treccani, 1934
  3. Back to citation de Rossi, G.B; Silvagni, A; Ferrua, A. (1922). Inscriptiones christianae urbis Romae septimo saeculo antiquiores. Rome: Officina Libraria Doct. Befani. p. XLIV.
  4. Back to citation John Edwin Sandys (1927). Latin Epigraphy: An Introduction to the Study of Latin Inscriptions. Cambridge University Press. p. 29. Retrieved 28 March 2019. “The eminent archaeologist, Gaetano Marini (1742 – 1815), published the inscriptions of the Albani Villa and Palace in 1785, and the high expectations thereby aroused were completely fulfilled in the two quarto volumes of the inscriptions of the Fratres Arvales (1795), in which the Acta of that ancient religious body were explained and emended, and no less than 1000 other inscriptions published for the first time.”
  5. Back to citation Inscriptiones christianæ Latinæ et Græcæ ævi Milliarii conlegit, digessit, adnotationibusque auxit, Caietanus Marinus a Bibliotheca Vaticana, item a scriniis sedis apostolicæ. Duæ partes, codd. Vat. lat., 9071-9074.
  6. Back to citation Alfredo Buonopane (2009). Manuale di epigrafia latina. Roma: Carocci editore. p. 26. ISBN 978-88-430-4815-1.
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