SEVERANO, GIOVANNI. - Priest of the Oratory, b. at S. Severino Marche (Macerata) in 1562, d. in Rome on 26 Feb. 1640; he entered the Congregation of the Oratory on 15 Oct. 1588.
His long life was truly more. The devout practice of the Seven Churches prompted him to make an illustration of them that would take account of the archaeological records, and for this reason he wrote: Memorie sacre delle Sette Chiese di Roma e di altri luoghi, che si trovano per le strade di esse (Rome 1630). In 1629 A. Bosio (v.) had been delegated to revise this work and had judged it "full of much erudition, doctrine and singular piety." In its 740 pages, besides the churches of the sacred itinerary, there is also information about many other lesser ones. In turn, S. did a service to the memory of Bosio, overseeing the publication of his monumental work, which constitutes the basis of all studies on the catacombs, the Roma sotterranea, issued in 1634 (even though the date on the title page is 1632) through the urging of Card. Francesco Barberini. S. limited himself to secondary modifications and a few additions, especially in book IV, which was added on the basis of a mass of notes by Bosio and other authors. On the other hand, Bosio had eliminated everything that S. had treated in the book on the Seven Churches. Despite the criticism concerning other material that could have been included, the service rendered by S. to scholarship was truly magnificent.
Bibliography2 works
Carlo Cecchelli