PACIAUDI, PAOLO MARIA. - Theatine, scholar and librarian, b. 13 Nov. 1710 in Turin, d. 2 Feb. 1785 in Parma. He devoted himself to sacred oratory for a decade, until in 1750 he settled in Rome as procurator general of the Theatines.

He simultaneously took pleasure in research on classical antiquities and was appointed corresponding member of the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres. In 1761 the Duke Philip of Parma offered him the post of antiquarian and librarian, intending to found a new library in place of that of the Farnese, which had been transferred to Naples at that time. Having gone to France, with the Sovereign's approval, he returned with a great quantity of rare books and codices for the new Library, which in this way soon became one of the best in Italy. A friend of the minister Du Tillot, he approved the latter's anti-curial policy and the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Duchy. In 1768 he drafted a Constitution for the new Royal Schools, approved by Du Tillot and by Duke Ferdinand, with which the foundations of a university reform were laid after the expulsion of the Jesuits. Having fallen into disfavor together with Du Tillot, he was deprived in 1771 of the direction of the Library and forced to retire among the Theatines at S. Cristina. He nevertheless regained the office of librarian in Feb. 1772, but definitively only in 1778.

He wrote, on the commission of Benedict XIV, Memorie de' Gran Maestri del S. Ordine Gerosolimitano, 3 vols., Parma 1780; furthermore, esteemed archaeological works, among them Alcune singolari e strane medaglie (Naples 1738); Σκυαδιαφόρημα, sive de umbrellae gestatione (Rome 1752); De sacris christianorum balneis (Venice 1750; Rome 1758), which constitute his masterpiece.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: W. Cesarini-Sforza, Il padre P. e la riforma dell'Università di Parma ai tempi del Du Tillot, in Arch. stor. it., 76 (1916), pp. 109-36; A. Boselli, Un bibliotecario difeso da un ministro, in Accademie e biblioteche d'Italia, 7 (1933), pp. 55-60; C. Frati, Diz. bis-bibliogr. dei bibliotecari e bibliofilii, dal sec. XIV al XIX, Florence 1934, pp. 423-29 (with bibl.); G. Gasperoni, Il teatino P.M.P. e l'ab. Gioc. Cristoforo Amaduzzi, in Aurea Parma, 27 (1943), pp. 33-46.

Silvio Furlani

@incollection{ec9_paciaudi_paolo_maria, author = {Furlani, Silvio}, title = {Paciaudi, paolo maria}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {IX}, pages = {505--506}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/paciaudi-paolo-maria} }

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Paciaudi, Paolo Maria

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