Historic Archive of Bologna’s Mount of piety

Museums and Collections

Piazza Maggiore - Indipendenza

Ancient documents at the disposal of tourists and locals The documents stored at the Historical Archive of Bologna’s Mount of pity are ancient and include the first Medieval documents sent to the envoy of the Bologna Mount of pity as well as a few deeds written on membranes dating back to the 1300s. The papers cover a wide chronological period ranging between the 15th and 20th centuries. Such a varied collection constitutes a source of enormous cultural value to retrace the history of the city of Bologna between the Late Middle Ages and the Contemporary Age and contribute to giving us a general idea of the history of western Welfare especially when it comes to the birth, development and transformation of the Mounts of piety between the Late Middle Ages and the Modern Age, the events linked to the assertion of the Italian bank system (both local and national) over the past two centuries and the history of the Italian banking foundations. This heritage is stored in a historic archive that displays 18th-century envelopes, 16th-century statutes, ancient General Journals and Ledgers bound in leather and miniatures of the Imago Pietatis dating back to the 15th and 18th-centuries. The collection also boasts watercolour maps and plans such as the Cabrei on urban properties and the county of the Torfanini and Ghisileri heritage. There are also unique items such as the great keys used in the Modern Age to open and close the chests of the Mount of piety and other typical items of a pawnbrokers i.e.coin reproductions, scales to assess precious pawns, suitcases to transport money, stamps and mints. The fragments of Medieval parchment codices with musical notations and miniature initials or the paper account registers dating back to the 12th-15th centuries brought to light during the restoration of the most ancient documents are just as interesting. Everything can be visited and seen in the headquarters of Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna.