CHIROGRAPH (From Gr. χείρ = hand, and γράφειν = to write). - It is generally the document written by the hand of the very person who issues it; the term, however, is used in particular to indicate special types of acts in different periods.

In the Roman age it is found on wax tablets (1st century) for receipts and quittances, and at least from the 3rd century it designated documents of a dispositive character relating to every kind of business, written and delivered by the author to the other contracting party.

In the Middle Ages (from the 9th century and especially in the 11th-13th centuries, outside Italy, where the notariate did not exist or was less developed) the documents written in two or more copies on the same sheet of parchment, then cut and distributed to the parties (chartae paritae), were called c.; as a guarantee of authenticity the cut was made along a straight or wavy or toothed line, through a writing formed by the letters of the alphabet or by a sacred invocation or by the word chirographum itself.

Among pontifical documents the c. (from the 16th century) is used for the most part for dispositions of an administrative nature, lacking the solemnity of the chancery or of the secretariat, but signed by the pope; at present, however, the use of the c. is rare.

Giulio Battelli

@incollection{ec3_chirografo_dal_gr_kheir_mano_e, author = {Battelli, Giulio}, title = {Chirografo (Dal Gr. ΧΕΊΡ = Mano, e γράφειν = scrivere)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {III}, pages = {1555}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/chirografo-dal-gr-kheir-mano-e-graphein-scrivere} }

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Chirograph

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