Archives of the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers)
Archives of the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers)
The Society's archives are situated at the Maison Généralice, via Aurelia 269, Rome. Being private, they are not open to the general public. However, we do admit bona fide researchers to consult documents which are more than fifty years old.Documents in the archives date from the foundation of the Society in 1868 and include many relating to and written by our founder, Cardinal Lavigerie (d.1892). The archives house the official publications of the Society and its Provinces with reports, correspondence and other papers issued by the central administration. There are letters and studies written by missionaries in Africa and a collection of the diaries kept at mission stations from their foundation until about the nineteen-sixties. The archives also house unpublished theses and monographs composed by our confrères on a great variety of African topics. They preserve books in African languages published at our printing presses in Africa.
In addition, there is a collection of many thousands of photographs in the Photothèque.
Adjoining the archives is a library of books concerning Africa...
Some items in the archives have been computerised and are available on the internet: see explanations. The work of making more documents available on the internet is continuing.
So far, three databases have been posted on the site www.misafr.org.
- The general inventory of the Archives
- The Chroniques Trimestrielles and Rapports Annuels 1879-1960.
- The conclusions of the various General Chapters from 1874 to 1998.Direct access to the inventory is available. For the other two databases, the researcher is asked for identification. An automatic response will provide a password which enables the researcher to consult the documents.
Those wishing to consult the archives or library in person are advised to make an appointment.
Regulation for consulting the Archives - Regolamento per la consultazione degli Archivi
The archivist's email address is (Father François Richard ) is archivio@mafrome.org..
The librarian's address ( Père Juan Oses) is biblioteca@mafrome.org . And this of the Photothèque is phototheque@mafrome.org
On arrival the researcher is required to produce an identity card from his or her academic institution, two passport photographs, and to pay one euro for a reader's ticket. Permission may be requested to photograph documents using the researcher's own digital camera. Permission is not given to photocopy documents owing to the deleterious effect of the heat involved in the process.
Opening hours
As from 16th February 2010 the archives and library will be open from Tuesday to Thursday between the hours of 9 a. m. and 12.30 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p m. They are not normally open on other days.
The service is closed for a fortnight at Christmas and the New Year, and after Easter. During the summer the archives and library are closed from mid-July until mid-September.The service Archives and Library will be closed from the 23rd December 2011 to the 2nd January 2012
Address: Missionari d'Africa
Via Aurelia 269
CP 9078/ 00100 Roma Italia
tel (39) 06 39 36 34 1
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