The collection of 122 rare Jewish manuscripts in the famed Catholic Abrosian Library in Milan is now being catalogued and arranged by library officials. This is the library of which the present Pope, Pius XI, was for many years chief librarian. Durhis stay at the library, the Pope did considerable research in connection with these manuscripts in collaboration with his friend Professor Alessandro Fano, the chief Rabbi of Milan.
The Jewish items in the library’s collection date back to the early seventeenth century when Cardinal Federico Borromeo commissioned Giampaolo Eustachio, a baptized Jew, to make a collection of rare Jewish manuscripts. Eustachio was instructed to get originals from the various neighboring libraries, and where the originals could not be obtained to have copies made.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.